News
Negroponte slams handset complexity
Tim Green in Valencia Apr 25 2008, 11:49am
Comments (3)
Tech guru Nicholas Negroponte told the Zed Symposoium that feature pile-up in phones is "out of control".
The founder of the MIT research labs was the star speaker at the conference organised by Spanish value added services specialist Zed. He addressed around 200 delegates from over 30 countries.
Negroponte described the complexity of phones as 'ridiculous', attributing it to the desperation of handset companies to retain RRPs in the face of falling technology costs. He referred to Moore's Law, which states that costs halve every 18 months.
"Simplicity is the biggest challenge that handset makers face," he said.
"Some devices are so packed with features that they are becoming charicatures." He also believes power consumption needs a re-think. "Why can't I just shake my phone to get a few extra minutes when the battery is nearly flat?"
Meanwhile Negroponte urged operators to explore ways to get more SIM cards into users' hands. "They must stop thinking of ARPU as a per-SIM card idea and think more about ARPU in terms of their customers. Get multiple cards out there!"
Comments
“At last!”
Posted: Apr 25, 12:03pm
Let's have more handsets tailored to specific type of content. The phrase 'jack of all trades, master of none' is all too applicable for most devices.
“Re: At last!”
Posted by: Cod_Pants - Apr 25, 12:51pm
I used to be a devoted Nokia fan until the phones just got too damn complicated to use. I'll use some of the features - camera, surfing the web, possibly mp3. But everything else seems a little superfluous. Video and TV? 3D gaming? No ta. And the amount of times I've had to show my mum how to do something that should be relatively simple, like writing a text or changing her ringtone. Manufacturers should not underestimate the public's stupidity.
“Re: At last!”
Posted by: LF - Apr 25, 3:46pm
Very interesting points from Negroponte but as a consumer I can't agree on his view that features have become "out of control" - I ditched my iPod over 3 years ago in favor of my mobile handset, which has also replaced my digital camera and many other gadgets. As a telecom professional it's always been about creating demand where before it did not exist. Novelty only lasts so long before a feature or technology is deemed irrelevant - it either helps and works or it does not. In the end, it IS all about simplicity, keeping it simple and stupid - Negroponte is right there - but it doesn't mean your mobile can't be a swiss army knife at the same time. More power to us...