RAZZLE DAZZLE: THE ART OF PRESENTATION
More subliminal messages from…
… THE OBJECT THAT FELL ON NEWTON’S HEAD
Spot the dodgy and cheap headlines that says the iPhone 5 is the handset to beat… Hahahahaha! Anyway, let's talk presentations...
WHO HAS IT AND WHO HAS NOT
What a year it has been so far for the mobile industry! That’s mostly what I have been blogging about! No computers, hardly any software… Mobile devices rule this year! But more than the actual devices it’s been the actual presentation that has been the talk on and offline! In ascending order… Drum roll please…
APPLE iPHONE KEYNOTE, SAN FRANCISCO 12 SEPT
Yes, the techno-trouble makers kick off the Presentation Charts. When Jobs held the reins he was flawed yet likeable somehow. Jobs introduced the iPhone (and other iDevices) as though he was introducing a new born child into the world! I guess for the UK it was something different to see a man who was so self-satisfied and proud of it. Our American cousins are used to being great! It’s a birthright! The Apple iPhone keynote was a juggernaut but when Cook sat in the driving seat the wheels fell off! 4S, ‘S’ standing for Siri, wasn’t quite what the devotees where expecting but babies are easily pleased with the equivalent of a rattle! Ooooh! Meouch!
This year the iPhone 5 keynote was OTT and I suspect this was to hide the abomination that is version 6!
“We sensed our followers longed for an iPhone that was in keeping with modern times (Green Robot) and although 4S was a milestone in that iPhone users could now talk to the handset we knew that 4S users were longing for the iPhone 5. We couldn’t let them down; together with the design team we took a long hard look at how we could deliver an iPhone that 4S users were longing for. We knew that it had to deliver because 4S users were patient and waited a long, long time. We’ve spent a lengthy time on it; the design was crucial… It had to fit in the hand… Your hand is amazing, it’s beautiful and sensuous… … we had to make the iPhone fit into your hand like a human appendage: we made it longer.”
Then came some inaccuracies regarding the “thinnest” mobile phone in the world, which became, “…the thinnest iPhone we’ve ever made. We dared to make the screen bigger (Green Robot) but not too big so that it can fit in your hand… Your hand is a beautiful feat of engineering… Your thumb…” Cue rambling videos…
Add some competition bashing and drop some weird phrases that don’t make sense to anyone – not even Apple fans! Oh, the sh!t that Cook says… “We’re living in a post PC world…” Here’s some non-descript hardware including a new connector that will cost you more! “Who says lightning doesn’t strike in the same place twice? iOS 6 is amazing, we’ve made it better than anything we’ve done before (Green Robot)… Look at our maps that aren’t as good as Google’s but it is ours! And instead of showing emailed tickets / boarding passes and deleting the email when you’re done we now have Passbook! When you’re done with your ticket just press a button and shred it! See?”
Moving on to iTunes, iPod and Nano… Ok… All that was missing was a priest to read the last rites… Instead we got a tired Phoey Fighters to finish it off! If Kurt could have seen his former band mate… Nothing like a bit of corporate Rock ‘n’ Roll! I am going to start a band called ‘The Wall Street Gang’ I am going to sell you singles / albums with my shares!
MOTOROLA RAZR i, LONDON 18 SEPT
I haven’t seen many Motorola media product launches, the RAZR i is the second one that I have seen. But I have to say that we Brits don’t have it – we lack the flair! Ok, there were some American representatives yet the presentation was sooooooo stiff and awkward. That said, it is better than listening to a load of claptrap, documentary film about the lengthy thought process behind the product and bitching on the competition. Facts! But did it have to be sooooooo boring?
Did Motorola feel a little silly launching the same product with a different chip – Intel inside! Here’s some intel: Don’t sell the same handset as different on another date for the sake of another chip! What would have been wrong with announcing the Intel version at the same New York event? Or at least do another design! Also, where were the details on 4G LTE? Odd!
A Google related company needs to show a bit of flair – nothing OTT but it can’t be a couple of guys and a PowerPoint presentation! Come up with some entertaining buzzwords! Ok, one buzzword will do! Not everyone likes Techno music!
MOTOROLA DROID RAZR FAMILY, NEW YORK 5 SEPT
Unlike the dour British press event Motorola New York was a whole lot better! Why? Ok, I will tell you why!
It was a good move for Motorola to invite an unknown band (I still don’t know who they are) to warm up the audience. Well done! Musically, the band was ok – quite middle of the road but on the better side of it! I actually enjoyed the music as I waited to see what Motorola was going to bring upon the Earth!
I was delighted to see Eric Schmidt because he’s very articulate and when he opens his mouth you ought to be listening! One of the things he mentioned was that Android was slow to enter the tablet market; it made me wonder what would have happened if they had gotten out a tablet before Apple.
I got a reminder of Motorola’s history, how they paved the way for wireless phone mobility! I took it for granted as to what Google have bought into!
The presenters, Dennis Woodside (CEO Motorola mobility) and Rick Osterloh used pictures / video to great effect without going overboard! They gave a great amount of information on the handsets that I was lacking in the London presentation! I became enthusiastic about the Droid RAZR family, RAZR M, RAZR HD and RAZR HD Maxx!
Overall I thought the presentation was expertly timed, not too long to wait and the presentation itself was not overbearing (unlike one I could mention). Again, I appreciated that there was no bitching towards other competitors – well, just a little fun poked at Samsung’s display of magic! There’s a nice ‘Feel Good’ factor about Motorola USA!
SAMSUNG GALAXY SIII, LONDON 3 MAY
This was the one event that I had been waiting for ever since I got to grips with my wonderful SII! Samsung got everything right! They got former Gadget Show host, Suzi Perry, to MC and she was flawless as is beautiful! Perry knows how to reach an audience and it was nice to hear her enthusing over a product that wasn’t the iPhone! Wink, wink! Ha ha! Needless to say that she did a smashing job!
What I love about Samsung presentations is that they don’t use modern music such as Dance / Techno, etc. No! Samsung uses Classical music and they play that famous theme of theirs that I have come to like very much! When JK Shin takes the stage it is almost as though royalty is bestowed upon the event! Controlled enthusiasm – very statesman-like!
Another thing that I love about Samsung presentations is the supporting representatives of this vast electronic empire! By the time they have finished with their section you – well, me – I wanted the SIII in my hands then and there! The other presenters do a magnificent job of presenting how the SIII works – they show it in all its practical glory! There were no hitches! They are super-smooth! What you see on the video is what you see live!
They are one of the best presenters on the planet!
SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 10.1 TABLET, NOTE II PHABLET, ATIV 8 PHONE & TABLETS,
BERLIN 30 AUGUST
Whether you like their products or not you have to take your hat off to Samsung for knowing how to put on a show! Their product press launches of late have been nothing short perfection! To my mind, my bias is no secret; their products warrant such perfectly measured presentations! They understand the emotions that we invest with our tech! How we love it when it innovative and we love it even more when it works to enhance our lives! And, yes, we curse it when it glitches occasionally! Ha ha! But Samsung knows how to share their vision of the way in which their products can be used to enhance your life! They also manage to get decent celebrities / artists, etc to open up the ceremony and to present!
Acclaimed German director, Win Wenders, opened up the ceremony by talking about filmmaking, art and accessibility and that somehow the Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet will give you some access to the heady world of creativity in the audio / visual arts as a creator not just a consumer! I was convinced! I still am! Maybe I will be completely sold once I have reviewed the Note 10.1 tablet! We’ll see! I enjoyed the short film that he introduced – made with the aid of the Galaxy Note 10.1! Wow! Inspirational stuff!
The theme Samsung chose was magic and it took me a while to get it… Not to say that I didn’t enjoy that aspect of the presentation, I was just awestruck by the event in general! Usually, Samsung just do not present a phone or tablet and that’s it! Uh-uh! You ought to know by now that they pack in so much usability in it / them! In my opinion, well, it’s my blog, Samsung tries to make products that you can really use in ways that you never thought of or had thought about it and hoped that it or they would manifest. I think they have done that! Sometimes the competition can beat them on technical details: a richer display, premium materials to realize the handset – cut with diamonds, expensive earphones, etc. Samsung makes up for these things with functionality to the extreme!
I loved the Galaxy Note and I just couldn’t wait to see what was going to be its successor! The video of the magician magically producing the Note II was fantastic – genius! Then came the practical demonstration from the other presenters from Samsung and it clicked that the “magic” is the all new and improved S Pen! It’s a magic wand! Together with the Note II it is magic! Ha ha! Yeah, I know… …it’s cheesy but very true!
Cheesy or not Samsung put together unforgettable presentations!
GOOGLE I / O 2012, SAN FRANCISCO 27 JUNE
Once again my bias comes out… I hope you will understand why when you read this…
What I absolutely LOVE about Google is that they see technology as an adventure! Technology is something to explore! A representative of Google admitted that they should have been more aggressive with patenting their developments. Whereas a certain corporation would take someone else’s idea, develop it and then patent the idea as theirs. Ruthless and money making! It’s harsh, but that is business for you!
As an Android fan I couldn’t wait to find out what Google was going to reveal! I knew that there was a tablet coming – that was the worst kept secret! And all that talk about Android 5 got me curious!
The presentation had that buzz about it that Apple will probably never have (unless they stop litigating the competition)! The speakers were very jovial and optimistic without all that slimy smugness from you know what and who! Wink, wink! Ha ha! I’m terrible! Anyway, when the Nexus 7 was revealed I was a little disappointed… …no, I wasn’t expecting the iPad killer! What I am looking for this year is a means of surfing the web on the go, reading some digital magazines (including my own to check for mistakes hee hee hee), watch video, etc. Entertainment! Even I can do with a break! Ha ha! But the Nexus 7 is just the ticket and they way it was introduced was nice! The device makes sense to me! Then there was the squiddy-thing, Nexus Q! Ok, so it’s not quite ready yet! But it will be one day soon! It looks like fun!
I was also thrilled by Android 4.1! You’d think I’d be disappointed that it wasn’t the full blown version 5, but I wasn’t! If this is 4.1 then what will 5 be like?
Then later on came the show stopper: Google Glass! That helicopter jump live was just something out of a Sci-Fi movie! The only thing missing was one of the Google guys landing on the podium wearing a red ‘n’ gold metal suit!
The event left me wanting more and feeling optimistic about the future of Android and its devices! I look forward to the next Google I / O event in 2013! Before that I am looking forward to Android’s 2nd birthday celebration!
Note: This is a blog in progress! I intend to add to it in due course…
What do you think? Have I got it in the right order?
Thank you so much for reading!
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Best wishes!
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