雙語財經新聞 第39期:微軟會引領智能手機潮流嗎?(2)
I don’t want to have to choose between Apple and Google only to find out that one emerges as the winner. And then once again I’m stuck with a loser. I want a long term solution. So I cling to my BlackBerry, hoping that a clear choice will emerge.
Am I destined to be a smartphone loser? Should I just kneel down and give my allegiance to the Apple and Google Gods? Could there be someone out there that saves me? Actually, I think there is a savior. An unlikely savior. And it is Microsoft. Yes. Microsoft.
難道我註定成爲智能手機的失敗者？難道我真的要屈服並擁護蘋果或者谷歌 的產品?難道沒有什麼可以來拯救我?事實上，我相信有解救者,它就是微軟。是的， 微軟。The people may have given us Windows ME, but really they’re no dummies. They know that 38% of small and medium businesses depend on mobile apps. They know that the mobile app market is estimated to be at $25 billion by 2015. They know there’s a big need for small business apps for these devices. The one thing I’ve learned about Microsoft over the past twenty years: they like money. They’re not going to let this opportunity get away from them. Microsoft just entered into a partnership with Nokia. Supposedly these two companies will be churning out the next generation of cool smartphones designed to really help small business owners like me. Only Microsoft, with its billions in cash and thousands of partners can make this happen. I just hope they do three things for losers like me.
他們提供給我們Windows ME操作系統,但他們不是傻瓜。他們瞭解38%的中小 企業都依賴着手機管理服務端，他們同樣瞭解到2015年手機服務端的市場市值將達到250億美元。人們對小型服務端有着大量的需求。而過去的20年中，據我瞭解，微軟公司最大的特點就是他們很喜歡錢，因此他們不會讓任何搜錢的機會從身邊 溜走。微軟剛剛與諾基亞進行合作，試想一下,這兩大巨頭公司將在智能手機發展 的下個時代聯袂合作，計劃設計出滿足像我這樣的小客戶需要的智能手機。只有有 着幾十億現金和幾千個合作伙伴的微軟公司才能開創智能手機新的時代。我只希 望他們能對像我這樣的失敗者做三件事情。
For starters, I hope Microsoft develops the next smartphone killer app. And I hope that killer app is for making payments. Right now Google is testing an And roid based payment system in San Francisco and New York. Microsoft needs to muscle into this area and take the lead. They’re a software company. They write applications. So please write a killer payment application for the smartphone. Use your power to bring in the major card processors and retailers into the fold. Offer deep discounts for your smartphone customers. Leverage the QR code technology so that I can easily wave my phone over a scanner and buy something. Help me get rid of my credit cards. Integrate9 the data with the popular accounting software used by me and my clients. Payment processing is the application that will set smartphones apart from each other. And the market is like the wild west right now. I want to be able to whip out my phone and pay for my business and personal supplies like a 19th century gunslinger. And have my clients payme in the same manner. I can be a smartphone winner, not a loser. Microsoft can make that happen.
首先,我希望微軟可以在新的智能手機上開發終結服務端。我指的終結服務端 是指付款。前不久，谷歌剛在舊金山和紐約測試了基於安卓系統的付款系統。微軟 需要進人該領域並且當帶頭人。他們是編寫應用程序的軟件公司，所以拜託……爲 智能手機編一套終端支付程序。用你們的力量將各種卡的處理和商家的系統進行 整合，爲智能手機用戶提供更多的折扣。運用QR二維條碼系統，只要掃描一下我的 手機就可以買東西，幫助我脫離信用卡的苦海，將所有的信息與我及我的客戶常用 的財務軟件整合起來。支付處理系統將使微軟的智能手機與衆不同，脫穎而出。現 在的市場就像是未拓荒的美國西部一樣。我希望我能像19世紀的神槍手一樣輕輕 —揮我的手機，就能支付我所有業務的費用，而我的客戶支付給我費用時也一樣。 我可以稱爲智能手機的贏家，而不是失敗者。微軟會讓這一切成爲現實的。The second way Microsoft can make me a winner is by doing what they did so well back in the 90’s. Those were the days when they ruthlessly took over markets, brutally stomping on companies like Netscape, Lotus and WordPerfect. They underpriced and out-developed their rivals. They can do this again in the smartphone market. I don’t want to pay hundreds for a new iPhone. I already pay hundreds every freaking month incell phone bills! I should be given a smartphone. So should my employees. For free. Of course I realize that I Ml be paying for the price of the phone ten times over through a bunch of hidden fees. But hey that’s the cool way to do it. Microsoft and Nokia should change their pricingmodels and make it easier for losers like me to get hold of their new phones. Cheap. They should make these phones available for next to nothing to their vast partner channel too, encouraging them to play and develop new applications.
第二,我希望微軟公司可以像他們20世紀90年代那樣，瘋狂且毫不留情的佔據 市場，殘酷地將同類公司，例如Netscape,Lotus和WordPerfect等都踩在腳下0當時的 微軟通過打價格戰，推陳出新戰勝他們的對手。如今,他們可以在智能手機市場上 再展宏圖。我不想花幾百美元買新的蘋果手機,我巳經每個月都交幾百美元的電話 費了。我應該得到一部智能手機，我的員工也一樣。我當然知道事實上我們付的隱 形費用10倍於我們的手機價格，但是這還是讓我們覺得很酷。微軟公司和諾基亞應該改變他們的價格模式,使像我一樣的落伍者堅決擁護新手機。價廉是一個很重要 的方面，他們應該運用他們廣闊的合作渠道，更積極地開發新的軟件。And these developers should be allowed to do again what they did with Windows: create a new standard. The technology industry exploded because of Windows. Of course there were better operating systems. But Windows was standardized on just about every workstation around. Developers didn’t have to worry about writing different applications for different operating systems. The smartphone industry needs standardization. Today, there are different app versions for the BlackBerry, the Droid, the iPhone and Windows devices. Apple and Google are so territorial6. Right now no one seems to care because apps are just toys. But as these phones grow in importance to the business community, compatibility will be critical. Microsoft can take the lead by making sure their smartphones support applications from any platform. Open it up. Be friends with all! We want the ability to choose the best application around and have it run on our device. We shouldn’t have to worry about whether it’s compatible or not. Is this feasible? Apple makes devices. Google does search. Microsoft you’re a software company. And this is a software issue.
這些曾經爲Wind麵系統設置標準的人，也應該爲手機程序設置標準。技術行 業之所以會爆發就是因爲Windows系統的出現。當然，曾經有更好的操作系統，但是 Windows對每一個操作設定了標準。軟件開發者不用爲對不同的操作系統寫不同 的軟件而擔心，智能手機行業需要這樣的標準。今天,黑莓,Dried,蘋果,Windows# 自有各自的服務端版本。蘋果與谷歌都有自己的地盤，目前他們似乎都不擔心,因 爲服務端就像是玩具。然而隨着手機在商務上重要性的增加，兼容性就顯得格外重 要了。微軟可以引領其他品牌,確保他們的智能手機支持各個平臺的軟件使用。說 得更形象些，與所有人做朋友！我們想挑選最好的軟件安裝到手機上，我們不想爲 手機的兼容性而擔憂。這是否可行呢？蘋果主做機身,谷歌主做搜索引擎。微軟，你 是一家軟件公司，這些都是軟件問題。I am a BlackBerry loser. But I can one day become a smartphone winner. If Microsoft chooses to be a winner too.
我在選擇黑莓時失敗了，但是我希望有朝一日我能成爲智能手機的成功選擇 者。如果微軟也選擇成爲成功者，我的夢想就會成真的。
