Saturday, June 30, 2012

Top Tech City in the USA - Seattle

Seattle is ranked at the top tech city in the USA over Silicon Valley per John Cox report; Seattle-Americas-Top-Tech-City.

Still Silicon Valley regions are ranked at top 2 and 3, but you can find Portland is now ranked top 4.

Now the technology industry business is also moving into the medical science more and more where a lot of investment seem to be on going here in Seattle led by Paul Allen.  Also, there is University of Washington.

I also see some green technology business is getting popular here in Washington state as Green State.

It will be interesting area for business start-up here in Seattle.

住んでいて感じてはいましたが、とうとうシアトルがシリコンバレーを抜いて技術ビジネスでは全米トップにランクされました。

2位と3位は相変わらず、シリコンバレー地区のサンホゼとサンフランシスコ。しかし、4位にはシアトルのお隣のポートランドがランクインしてきています。

シリコンバレーは、多くの投資家がいる所。でもお金を集めるのとビジネスを立上げ、維持するのは別物。

これからまだまだシアトル地区は面白くなりそうです。

Friday, June 29, 2012

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Microsoft Surface

They announced their own tablet PC; Surface.

What's new? Not much even after I watched their launch event over 40 min. They could not announce the price and shipment of the full line up will not be available in 3 months. Unfortunately they could not deliver any exciting news.

Complete with iPad? I do not think so because users expectations are different.

For me, the biggest news is that Micosoft came into the PC hardware business, not just for peripherals. Now, they would compete with some hardware companies in Asia.

Surface was announced with big table touch with Samsung collaboration at 2011 CES.

You can find their announcement from the following  video.


頭と心で考える

「スティーブは決して数字を気にしなかった」と言うとウソになります。しかし、スティーブはすべての利用可能な情報を吸収しつつ、最終的には人としての感情や常識に目を向けて意思決定をしました。

これはケン・シーガルのインタビュー中のコメント。インタビュー記事は上記彼の名前をクリックして下さい。

数字は正直でウソをつかないという人々は、往々にして人の心を読む努力をしていないと思います。まあ、その反対も真なりですね。

経営の二人三脚には、この左右の両脳が必要。でも最後には、右脳ではないでしょうか? 理屈で人は動けない。

信用の後にお金はついて来る!

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Korean Power - 韓国の底力

Just talked about the problem of Japan referring to Sony and Panasonic by previous blog comment.
I happened to find Korean power example by Samsung Product;
It is the security system with 8 infrared cameras with 2TB HDD recording feature.  The set-up is so easy with plug-n-play.  How much is this system?   It is less than $1,000 !

Technology wise, the Japanese companies can make the same product easily but a lot of product line-up is being missed from the Japanese companies.  For instance, I wonder why they do not market other home appliances such as laundry machines, washer & dryer, vacuum cleaners and smart phones like Samsung and LG for overseas market.

Is it just a lack of marketing?   Many Japanese business man are living in the US, but some of them do not seem to be connected well with a local community and their local staff in the office.  They live in the local Japanese community in the US.

I am afraid that the Japanese might be taking their advantages here in the US from which our seniors had built the credit with their huge efforts; I mean they are Issei - Sansei  in the US. (1st - 3rd generations of Japanese who have been living before/after WW II.)

As Japan made their good products with their continuous improvements, so called KAIZEN, they should make the same efforts to improve their relationship with mutual trust and friendship in overseas.  The Japanese problem today is not a technology but willpower.

先日、ソニーやパナソニックの例で日本の問題に触れたばかり。たまたま昨日見つけて驚いたのがSamsungのセキュリティシステムです。韓国の元気の一例です。 そのシステムは、8個の赤外線カメラに2テラバイトの録画機能までついて$1000以下で売られています。使い方はとても簡単。本当のPlug-N-Playでカメラを繋いだら即配信。

技術的には日本メーカでも簡単にできる製品。他にも韓国メーカのように白物家電や携帯電話で何故海外市場進出が出来なかったのでしょうか?

単なるマーケティングの失敗?だとしたら、日本ビジネスマンの海外での過ごし方にも問題があるのでは? アメリカ駐在中、地元コミュニティやスタッフと深く交わらず、小さな日本社会だけて生きていたら、生活に密着したビジネス戦略や製品アイデアも出るとは思えません。

例えば、アメリカにおいて日本人先駆者が築き上げた信用に甘えてはいけないと思います。つまり、戦前から移住した一世から三世日系人の方々の努力の賜物です。

製品の改善だけでなく、日本国外における信頼と友好の絶え間ない改善が大きな課題の日本だと思います。問題は、技術でなく、気力というか意地ではないかと強く感じるこの頃です。


Sunday, June 3, 2012

Japan probelm; Sony & Panasonic

Sony and Panasonic are now considering an investment from a Japanese government to form an alliance to develop organic EL TV.  An investment is from Innovation Network Corporation of Japan.


Sony was 1st Organic TV Seller in 2007 but why they became so behind from Samsung and LG.  Why didn't they make the same innovation of product like Trinitron TV?  Panasonic plan is to release 55-inch organic EL TV in 2015 which is 3 years behind from LG.

Panasonic, on the other hand, announced that they planned cutting 50% of their employee at their headquarter.

A strategy is being missed after the bubble economy in Japan for both politics and business.  South Korea almost got bankrupted before but now they are even running ahead from Japan.

Today, Japanese prime minister, Noda, announced that he was going to replace four minsters in his cabinet.

What is important to make a strategy?  Missing their guts among the Japanese leaders.