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=== Overview "Mobile" -- an astoundingly popular collection of new products? Yes. "Changes everything"? No. Mobile is new and popular? Yes, and at one tim

by graycat 11y ago

=== Overview "Mobile" -- an astoundingly popular collection of new products? Yes. "Changes everything"? No. Mobile is new and popular? Yes, and at one time in the US so were tacos. New and popular are not nearly the same as changing everything. === Use a Smartphone? Could I use a smartphone to buy from Amazon? Yes. Would I? Very definitely, no! Why not? (1) If the user interface (UI) is a mobile app instead of a Web page, no thanks. Why? Because with a Web page and my Web browser and PC, I get to keep a copy of the relevant Web pages I used in the shopping and buying. And I very much want to keep that data for the future. (2) Want to keep those copies of Web pages on a mobile device? Not a chance. Why? Because for such data, I want my PC with its hardware and software. I want the Windows file system (NTFS), my text editor and its many macros, and my means of finding things in the file system. My PC also gives me a large screen, a good keyboard, a good printer, a mouse (I don't want to keep touching the screen -- in fact, my PC screen is not quite close enough for me to touch), ability to read/write CDs and DVDs, backup to a USB device, etc. Do I want to backup to the cloud? Not a chance. I backup to local devices. Why? Because for cloud backup, money, a cloud bureaucracy, the Internet, spooks, and lawyers could get involved. === Business My business is a Web site. I'm developing that on my PC, and will go live on a PC -- in both cases, a PC, not a mobile device. Mobile users of my Web site? Sure: My Web pages should look and work fine on any mobile device with a Web browser up to date as of, say, 10 years ago. === New Business for A16Z It sounds like A16Z likes mobile because for 2+ billion poor people smartphones are their first computer and are new and popular. Okay, then, A16Z, here's another business you should like -- bar soap. Also, of course, just from the OP, tooth brushes. No way should we forget -- salt. Okay, of course -- sugar. Sure, one more -- toilet paper. Naw, got to have one more, plastic knives, forks, spoons, and drinking cups. Not to forget -- sell them batteries for their smartphones. Maybe even solar panel recharging for their smartphones! Especially for A16Z, got to have one more -- sure, Kool Aid. === Summary A computer is the most important tool in my life. Currently my PC is my computer. A smartphone most definitely does not replace my computer. Actually, at present I have no use for a smartphone, a cell phone, or a mobile device and, so, have none. Actually some years ago a friend gave me a cell phone. Once I turned it on, and some complicated dialog came up about my reading some contract and sending money. I turned the thing off and haven't turned it back on since. Or, my PC has a network effect: It has all my data and means of entering, storing, processing, communicating, and viewing data, all in one place. A mobile device cannot be that one place, and, due to the network effect, I don't want to split off some of my data into a mobile silo. === Denouement This post was written, spell checked, etc. with my favorite text editor, using my favorite spell checker, on my PC, and no way would I have wanted to have done this post on a smartphone.

roel_v 11y ago
The world doesn't revolve around you. What's the point of your post?
- graycat 11y ago
  The claim of the OP is that "mobile changes everything". The OP frequently compares with PCs. My point is that mobile does not change everything, and in particular does not replace PCs. I illustrated with examples I know, my own usage. E.g., I am a very heavy user of computing -- no one with only 24 hours a day can expect to be a heavier user. Still, personally I have no use for mobile devices at all. None. Zip, zilch, zero. For me personally, mobile changes nothing. Can't use it. Don't want it. No sale. "Mobile changes everything"? Not for me! Mobile doesn't replace food, clothing, shelter, cars, medical care -- or PCs. More generally, for a user interface, there are a lot of advantages to just highly universal, device independent HTTP, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. As a user interface, apps are a really big step down -- not universal, device dependent, can't save, access, reuse the data, get more security problems, etc. Of course it's not about me -- I just used my examples and thinking. You are welcome to give up your PC if you want -- I'm keeping my PC, and at least for now don't want a smartphone. I intend to buy at least two new PCs -- I don't want a smartphone around even for free. In particular, while A16Z is all excited about mobile changes everything, for my own usage I care less than 0.00 about anything mobile. For my business, my mobile strategy is just to have really simple Web pages. The A16Z data presentation is from okay up to quite nice, but their conclusions from their data are junk. A16Z is just looking for attention, and are passing out nonsense. Maybe with such attention they hope to get deal flow. So, maybe the hint is: "Entrepreneurs, send us your mobile business plans -- we're eager to write early stage equity funding checks for such." Likely nonsense: No doubt among what else hasn't changed are VCs' criteria for writing early stage checks -- traction significant and growing rapidly for a market and a product for that market that might quickly be worth $1 billion and where the entrepreneurs are desperate for cash and to sign a bad business deal. Further, really want people thinking such nonsense on your BoD? I want to debunk their nonsense. Just why they pass out such nonsense I don't know, but a guess is that they believe that it will help them with their LPs. We're talking some really gullible LPs.

by graycat 11y ago

roel_v 11y ago

The world doesn't revolve around you. What's the point of your post?

graycat 11y ago
The claim of the OP is that "mobile changes everything". The OP frequently compares with PCs. My point is that mobile does not change everything, and in particular does not replace PCs. I illustrated with examples I know, my own usage. E.g., I am a very heavy user of computing -- no one with only 24 hours a day can expect to be a heavier user. Still, personally I have no use for mobile devices at all. None. Zip, zilch, zero. For me personally, mobile changes nothing. Can't use it. Don't want it. No sale. "Mobile changes everything"? Not for me! Mobile doesn't replace food, clothing, shelter, cars, medical care -- or PCs. More generally, for a user interface, there are a lot of advantages to just highly universal, device independent HTTP, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. As a user interface, apps are a really big step down -- not universal, device dependent, can't save, access, reuse the data, get more security problems, etc. Of course it's not about me -- I just used my examples and thinking. You are welcome to give up your PC if you want -- I'm keeping my PC, and at least for now don't want a smartphone. I intend to buy at least two new PCs -- I don't want a smartphone around even for free. In particular, while A16Z is all excited about mobile changes everything, for my own usage I care less than 0.00 about anything mobile. For my business, my mobile strategy is just to have really simple Web pages. The A16Z data presentation is from okay up to quite nice, but their conclusions from their data are junk. A16Z is just looking for attention, and are passing out nonsense. Maybe with such attention they hope to get deal flow. So, maybe the hint is: "Entrepreneurs, send us your mobile business plans -- we're eager to write early stage equity funding checks for such." Likely nonsense: No doubt among what else hasn't changed are VCs' criteria for writing early stage checks -- traction significant and growing rapidly for a market and a product for that market that might quickly be worth $1 billion and where the entrepreneurs are desperate for cash and to sign a bad business deal. Further, really want people thinking such nonsense on your BoD? I want to debunk their nonsense. Just why they pass out such nonsense I don't know, but a guess is that they believe that it will help them with their LPs. We're talking some really gullible LPs.