Harvard Case study about Microsoft in INDIA and CHINA

I had to read this case about how Microsoft can increase their revenue from the two largest country (by population) of the world. (Microsoft in India and China)

India and China accounts for only 5% of their total revenue. Why does Microsoft want to go in their and change their strategy?

From case: Microsoft planned to develop a Smartphone called Fone+ and a starter version of Windows called "Windows Starter Edition" so that people in China and India can get accustomed to buying software and not use pirated software.

Fone+ is a Smartphone which MSFT thought that it will change how people in China uses their computer. First of all, the number of people in China with cellphone is far more than the number of people in China with computers. This was the reason why MSFT changed their strategy and decided to create a phone (Fone+) which can act as a Smartphone and at the same time if users want to work on their computer, they can hookup Smartphone with wires and treat that as a computer..... Smart idea :-)

The question is, how many people would use this? To me, I don't like this strategy but again I am not sure how Chinese live. My take on this was that Cell phone users are more accustomed to what they use their phone for. Most Chinese users use their cell phone for entertainment, Messaging, Internet and other fun purpose. About how many percentage of Fone+ Smartphone user will go and use their phone as a powered computer???? My assumption is less than what MSFT though they would.

1. What would people do if they want to use that as a desktop?
2. How effective will it be to use productivity software via Smartphone?
3. Is it fast enough to act as a Desktop for complex application?
4. How many users are accustomed using computer? - The reason why MSFT thought about bringing Fone+ was because not many people had computers in China. So using Fone+ as a computer is out of question. It is true that lot of people may use Fone+ as their computer but what percentage????

This was just China.

1. How about in India?
2. Will they be successful in selling this phone in India?

• Actually, it may do better in India than China. The reason behind this is that Indian public is more geared towards having an gadget than making a good use out of it. If a phone can be used as a desktop for simple internet use than definitely they would like it.

Why is that people in India have more cell phones than computers? How come street hawkers can afford a cell phone? Even a guy riding a bicycle or a lawryvalla (guy who uses a small 4-wheeler to sell vegetables, fruits and various stuff) keeps cellphone.

• One of the reason is that Indian cell phone companies compete heavily against each other.
• Another reason behind this is the plan/scheme (as people in India say something like this) that the companies offer. I remember when I was in India, virtually everyone had cellphone. Companies used to (they probably still do) give out cellphone for a one-time flat fee which will only cover incoming which will be free for lifetime. So if someone wants to call a person that has incoming free then they can receive as many calls as they want for free and not get charged for a second (I wish they have a plan similar to that in US).

Anyways, enough of diversion on how cellphone plan works in India versus US. My point is that, Indians love gadget and being tech savvy and with heavy interests of users with all the technologies, it is definitely possible for MSFT to succeed in India with their Fone+.

Since we've talked about Smartphone a lot, lets focus on Windows Starter Edition. Microsoft came up with this idea that they will introduce a cheaper edition ($25 - $30) which will include a Windows Edition with far less features than a regular version. Why?

Because, they wanted to stop piracy in India and China where they both were leader in software piracy. Microsoft along with the help of FBI and local government did manage to find few pirates but that's not enough to stop total piracy. With over a billion people each in both country, it is hard to enforce something that they are not used to.

If you are getting stuff for free, why would you change and pay for a version that is not even the same as the one you get for free??????? This is the response that people in India and China will convey to you when asked about piracy. I have asked few of my friends from both countries and that was their response.

The only suggestion that I can give to MSFT is to make their OS more secure or something so that it is hard to break. Instead of enforcing something on people that they are not used to, work with them, ask what they need and maybe customize your OS in a way that everyone is satisfied. If Microsoft is still trying to enforce something on the users then there won't be long until people would switch to open source. Maybe they might switch to Mac which is more stable and cheaper.

My experience in India tells me that people in India loves technology and the productivity tools that are available for Windows or any other OS out there. If you have a Starter Edition then there are lots of things that folks won't be able to do which will drive them away from Microsoft.

Please MSFT, let the piracy happen and come up with a better option on how to stop. Anything that has happened, it cannot be changed but you can work around the system. I do have sympathy for MSFT but there is so much you can do...

By giving users a cheap OS with less features would not help boost your revenue as people are not looking for a reduced version of Windows. Keep in mind that the PC market in India and China is mainly controlled by OEM Manufacturers which enables this piracy issue that we are seeing with Windows. If it is enforced on OEM Manufactures to install Licensed version then it may be controlled a bit but again the root cause will still not be resolved. The root cause is the security of Windows. No matter how much MSFT claims how secure is the OS and how unbreakable it is, people from around the world are able to crack it and get the illegal copy of Windows.... Why? because....it is breakable. Make Windows such that it is unbreakable but at the same time also make sure that the Open Source OS doesn't gain ground against Windows.

Any comments??????

How do you take snapshot of full browser window?

Press print screen and cannot grab the webpage outside of browser window ?????

Well......my company came across this issue where we have to submit client the snapshot of whole page. The page was spanned over three pages and it would be difficult to "printscreen" each page view and past it in a word. This is just not consistent.

So, I googled about tool that can take snapshot of a browser and came across this wonderful Firefox plugin called Wesabe which saves the complete browser window as JPEG format. The beauty about this tool is that it allows you to take snapshot, save it and then go back to the same browser window and do your thing.

Drawback: The first drawback that I see is that you have to log into their site in order to use the tool and the second one is that the only way to edit the image is to open it in any image editing tool.

UPDATE: Found a better tool called FireShot. Another firefox plugin which allows you to take snapthot.

Why is it better than Wesabe?

Because this tool allows you to take snapshot of the entire webpage and at the same time you can edit the image with its integrated tool. The integrated tool allows you to enter text, pointers, shapes, draw shapes and comes with many more options.

Advantage of using FireShot over Wesabe:

1. No login required
2. Can edit images using free version. No need to buy Pro version (at least that is what I see but again, someone can correct me if I am wrong)
   

Trip to Quebec City, Canada

At the end of last month (during Memorial Day weekend), we went for a three day adventurous trip to Quebec City, Canada. I've been to Quebec City before (back in 2002) but lost my memory on how it looked and with people telling that it is a beautiful french province where every looks and feels like France we have to go as my wife have not seen Quebec City.

Few places that I recommend to see in Quebec City:

• Chateau Frontenac Fairmont - This is a very nice and expensive hotel that just looks gorgeous. This hotel was built in late 19th century and is absolutely a charm from outside and from inside. I tried to search for rates and the cheapest rate that I could ever found during the Memorial Day 3-day weekend was about $450 per night. The price is ridiculous but the fun of staying at this hotel where millions of visitors come to just see this palace is different. There is a nice boardwalk that you can walk along the hotel and see the river going by, they do have mini-cruises that takes you for a tour of Quebec city. All in all, it is an amazing place to visit. (Photo taken from Wikipedia.org)
• Montmorency Falls - This is another place to visit. It's just a falls (about 7 kms outside of Quebec city) but there are again millions of visitors who come to see it. It is located next to the St. Lawrence river and you can cruise along the highway 138 to see more attractions. The falls is right off of highway 138. There are two ways you can get to the top of the falls. Once is through cable cars that charges about 15 dollars and other is by climbing steep 187 stairs. We took the latter and were tired by the time we were all the way up but it was so much fun climbing the stairs. It is taller than Niagara falls and the splash of water while climbing the stairs is another experience. (Image is taken from Wikipedia.org)
  

• Rue. St Jean - A street with lots and lots of stores, boutiques and restaurants. The street is half cobblestones and half tar and the boutiques are definitely worth going to.
  
• Saint Anne de Beaupre Basilica - Another beautiful church 22 kms from Montmorency falls off of the same highway 138. This church is humongous and absolutely beautiful from inside and outside. The work that is done on the walls outside and inside reminds me of the Temples in Rajasthan and other parts of India. A must see attraction when you go to Quebec city. Looks at this gorgeous picture to the right. The only bad part about this place is that there is a McDonald next to it. Why would someone need a McDonald next to a big church which is an attraction too. It is not that far away from Quebec city. About 30 mins driving at about 80 mphs. I strongly recommend this for your next visit to Quebec City, Canada
• Restaurants on Boulevard Laurier - This street has lots of restaurants that have sitting inside and outside. I like the fact that they had parking on both side of the streets and people just like to go to this street for food or just for beer. Surprisingly, you won't find that many restaurants with American Beer. Although, not a big fan of American beer, my knowledge tells me that there was only one restaurant that had Corona and Heineken. For lunch/dinner, I strongly recommend the restaurants on this street. Just bear in mind to give yourself at least 2 hours for the whole dinner/lunch to get done. Apparently french folks in Quebec knows how to take your time while eating at restaurants. They will sit you and then come after 10-15 mins for your drinks. Then they will go away and come after 10 - 15 mins to take order. They want you to take time while drinking and have fun, talk about stuff etc...etc... Thereafter, they will come with food to which you can take as much time as you want to finish. Pretty laid back life in Quebec City.

Two things to remember while visiting Quebec city:

1. Park at your hotel and walk around as it is hard to get parking on the street. The old city which is where everything is for your visit is not that far and big. It is easy to walk around the streets. Some streets don't even have parking or have street parking. We walked around a lot through each street and it is fun.
   
2. Know little bit of french. Although, the businesses do speak English when you start with English but some parts such as outskirts of quebec city do not speak English.
   

Restaurants that I like

Part of my blog I want to dedicate to the restaurants that I've visited so far and recommendations. I would like to hear any other recommendation that anyone might have.

General:

• Cheesecake factory, Burlington Mall, MA - Last week I went to Cheesecake factory for the first time. My sister dragged me in there saying that the food is absolutely tasty. Myself being very cautious on where to go for food, especially if they have about an hour or two of wait time went to Burlington Mall one day, reserved our table, went back to shopping and then came back. The food is absolutely tasty. They do have bread that they give you before your food comes up but that bread is so stiff that my jaws hurt the next day.... just kidding ... No, really they were hard to chew. I do like their cheesecake (very expensive... :-(
  

Italian:

• Olive garden, Nashua, NH - Of course this is given but I specifically love the soup, salad, breadstick lunch menu. It is so worth it
• Macaroni and Grill, Methuen, MA - Another restaurant which is just about at the same level as Olive garden. Not as good as olive garden but is right behind olive garden in ratings. Whenever I see that there is a long wait at OG, I turn to Macaroni and Grill
  

Thai:

• Pho #1, Woburn, MA - This place has one of the best Thai food that I've ever tested. I am sure there must be more fancy restaurants in Boston area but this food is just amazingly tasty.. Try it out.
• Porchai, Wakefield, MA - Another good Thai place. Although, they are not busy like Pho#1 in Woburn is, but they are absolutely the good one. As the matter of fact, the town of Wakefield has so many Pizza, Subs and Barber shops that I cannot even compare them to any other town. This town is just Pizza and Subs lover and hair styling looks like a tradition because they have hair salon at every couple of blocks.....ridiculous...
• Ginger Pad, Burlington, MA - This is actually a fusion restaurant. Their menu consists of food from all south-east Asian countries. Food is pretty good and reasonable. They just opened a Sushi bar which is also a hit. The best part about this restaurant apart from the food is their service. They are very friendly and courteous and always helpful in every way.
  

Pizza/Sub place:

• Tutto Italiano, Wellesley, MA - Best traditional italian sandwiches that I've ever had. Although the bread is not that soft but again, who cares of the softness if the stuff within it is tasty
• Papa Ginos, Woburn mall, MA - Believe it or not, this is the best place for Steak-n-cheese. I know there will be folks who would disagree with me but I have tried at least more than a dozen places and they are the best.
• David's world famous, Woburn, MA - This is another mom-n-pops sub shop that makes absolutely tasty sandwiches. I recommend you to try their steak sandwich which is not in their menu. They do not have Steak sandwich in their menu but when asked, they'll make it for you. They put bug pieces of Steak in the sub as oppose to traditional ground steak... ummmm.....yummy....

BBQ:

• Lesters BBQ, Burlington, MA - After having BBQ in Austin, TX I thought that I have now have a good sense of how traditional BBQ should taste like so we went to local BBQ place called Lesters BBQ in Burlington, MA. Try their dry ribs and pulled pork. They are absolute best and the BBQ sauce taste just the same as the sauce that you find in southern BBQ states.
  

First post ......Yohoooo !!!!

My first post after I created my account. I have so much to write regarding my past and don't know where to start...

I would welcome any comments about anything..... As long as they don't have any offensive language, you are fine.