It was a different year for CES. It was more focused and more about business, and much less spectacle. Some might not like that as much. I enjoyed it more. What could be seen at the show? 1/
2/ Some observations about the show itself. It was smaller, more spread out, and fewer people. That is an easy story to tell.
But behind that is a show that is about business, partnering, and ecosystems. It isn't "shopping" or even "launching".
3/ There was a lot to be seen across:
• Televisions/Screens
• Health
• Robots
• Solar
• Mirrorless Cameras
• Sensors and Sensors as products
• Transportation
• PCs and Wi-Fi
• “Gadgets”
4/ For example, so many robots!! By far the spookiest one was a dental arm that just worked on your teeth. "Yikes!" said a dentist friend of mine.
So much innovation in PCs in Japan I don't know what to think ;-)
Here's a couple of examples of Japan/Asia market PCs that I don't think we're seeing elsewhere.… maybe soon :-)
PS: first visit in 3 years.
A trackpad that has an etched calculator layout. Tap a hotspot on the trackpad and it is a numeric keypad. FYI, the ancient desktop calculators with USB ports that do this are still readily available.
A webcam built into the keyboard. It pops up or presses in to hide away. The camera angle is exactly what you'd expect.
AI as now exemplified by chatGPT and other generative AI is going to be a big deal on products (of course). But probably different than how some expect and how some will invest in efforts in the near term. Some thoughts… 1/
2/ Right now all across leading/big tech companies with established leadership positions there will be a crush of slacks, team chats, meetings, and whiteboards to figure out “what should we be doing about chatGPT?”
3/ Many in marketing will be clamoring for the blog post and quick example showing “AI leadership” and also a “demo”.
Many in eng might be checking out code and figuring out how to map that to their existing scenarios. eg. summarize long form content, nice analysis, etc.
Another great year for reading and learning. Back when I was a manager I bought books each yr for team’s senior managers to inspire/expand. Here’s a list of books I might have purchased for holiday 2023. I might not agree but definitely learned and made me think. Happy 🕎 🎄❄️ 1/
2/ @MichaelDell’s memoir came in too late in 2021 for the list. A fantastic memoir from the OG PC maker who created an industry from a dorm room in Texas. Amazing story of an amazing person. Play Nice But Win: A CEO's Journey from Founder to Leader a.co/d/52c02gT
3/ Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making by @tfadella.co/d/8Tt2Cck Any time one has a chance to read a first person account of the building process, take it. Also read my WSJ review here wsj.com/articles/build…
New in Hardcore Software—The End of the PC Revolution [Epilogue]. Super excited to bring this final section. 🙏 (more at the end for what’s next). Why did Windows 8 fail? What were the implications of that failure? What does it mean to be “disrupted”? 1/ …rdcoresoftware.learningbyshipping.com/p/108-epilogue
Note/ Just for the clicks, here’s a #ChatGPT summary of the post :-)
Post is not paywalled so head over and get the full version of these tweets including a memo I wrote about the biggest changes a company faces.
2/ Why did Windows 8 fail? First, IMO, a “v1” which is always a big deal. Unlike every other Microsoft product, there was never a 2 or 3. MS “always takes 3 versions to get it right”. 1991 on Excel.
New post in "Hardcore Software" - 107. Click In With Surface - a special double post covering the story of Surface from my perspective. Its a very special "double issue" for the holiday week. 1/ …rdcoresoftware.learningbyshipping.com/107-surface
2/ Why was Surface and ARM so important and so exciting to the whole company (as we’ll see)? It had been a tough “decade”. We had huge numbers but lost out on a lot of big new things. We were huge but not “thought leaders” or “relevant” as a platform. It was tough. From post:
Note/ A quick note, a few have asked (in jest) about "Hardcore Software". Just a reminder that this is the modern history of the term :-)
Narratives by @stratechery@benthompson looks at (reflects on) role of narratives in why there are big misses. IMO this is much larger issue than looking at extremes of FTX/Twitter. Narratives have come to replace reporting, analysis, and even facts. 1/ stratechery.com/2022/narrative…
2/ Narratives don't just happen in extremes. Though with extremes everyone is willing to "rethink" what they previously said/asserted/observed/shared. Narratives happen every single day in what we read, what we say/share, what we believe.
3/ Narratives used to be called zeitgeist, then conventional wisdom, then "Tired v Wired." Those sharing narratives used to be called intelligencia, thought leaders, or TED speakers.
Narratives can be a great way to learn or to teach, but they have to be based on a foundation.