Apple picker The first day of the Prague iCON festival offered a paid block of iCON Business lectures and discussions and the slogan "Apple is changing the market, take advantage of it". Czech and international experts had the task of showing Apple software and hardware as suitable tools for corporate use to those interested mainly from a corporate environment. I will briefly walk you through everything that was discussed during the day.
Horace Dediu: How Apple Shapes the Market and Corporate Environment
The world-renowned Asymco analyst was undoubtedly the biggest celebrity at iCON. He is known for conjuring compelling stories out of something as boring as statistical data and spreadsheets. This time he surprisingly started with an engraving of Olomouc besieged by the Swedes from 1643. He explained that he would understand the city walls as a metaphor for the current transformation of the mobile world. This was followed by several glimpses into the past (e.g. how Apple in the business sphere rose in sales from 2% to 26% in less than six years; how it happened that in 2013 it will probably earn more than the entire traditional PC industry - Wintel - combined, etc. ).
But all of this led to the realization that we are not witnessing an Apple miracle, but a fundamental transformation of the entire industry, where mobile operators play a major role as a historically new and unprecedentedly successful sales channel. He pointed to the paradox, when mobile phones are getting bigger and closer to tablets (so-called phablets), while tablets are getting smaller and closer to mobile phones, yet the sales of both are significantly different - because tablets are sold "old-fashioned", through traditional "PC channels", while mobile phones through operators.
Dediu also touched on the iPad's privileged position: it's a device that can do much of what traditional platforms (PCs) can do, but often in ways it couldn't before, and it's also "cool" and "fun."
And we are at those walls from the beginning. Dedia sees the future in so-called persuasive computing, when platforms do not have to attack each other and overcome walls, because people inside and behind the walls have agreed that they no longer need the walls. Those convinced for the platform themselves convince others and others. The iPad is successful not so much by advertising and pressure from Apple, but by convincing users of each other and voluntarily entering the world of the ecosystem that is tied to iOS.
Physical and even metaphorical walls have lost their meaning. An interesting idea was then heard in the discussion: input devices drastically change the market over time - it happened with the mouse (the command line gave way to windows), with touch (smartphones, tablets), and everyone is curious what the next milestone will be.
Tomáš Pflanzer: The mobile life of Czechs in the network
The next lecture marked a drastic change in speaking style and approach. Instead of a prudent and matter-of-fact speaker, a glossator has taken the place of a similar starting point ("a package of data") in a different way: instead of contextual analysis, he picks out pearls and surprises and amuses the audience with them. You could have learned, for example, that 40% of Czechs are already on the Internet on their mobile phones, 70% of their phones are smartphones, and 10% of them are iPhones. More people would buy a Samsung than an iPhone if they could get one for free. 80% of people think that Apple inspires others (and even the same percentage of "samsungists" think so). According to 2/3 of Czechs, Apple is a lifestyle, according to 1/3, Apple is a cult. And so on to the poll, what do we reach for first in the morning, the phone or our partner (the phone won with 75%), or the magic of crossword puzzles, which for example reveals that there are twice as many cheese lovers among iPhone owners as among owners other OSes.
In conclusion, Pflanzer addressed the trends – NFC (known only by 6% of the population), QR codes (known by 34%), location services (known by 22%) – and told companies that the mantra of today is to be mobile.
Unlike Horace Dediu, who mentioned his company in a single sentence, he presented his (TNS AISA) with a strong profile at the beginning, at the end and in the form of a book competition in the middle of the presentation. Despite the different approach to self-presentation, in both cases they were excellent and inspiring lectures.
Matthew Marden: Mobile devices and the Czech market for mobile network services
The third and final approach to working with data followed: this time it was research by IDC on the facts and trends in the use of mobile technologies in Europe by end users and companies and a comparison with the situation in the Czech Republic. Unfortunately, Marden presented a boring presentation that seemed to have fallen out of the prehistoric days of Powerpoint (tables and a boring template), and the resulting findings were so general that one did not know what to do with them anyway: everything is said to be moving towards mobility, the market is changing from voice-oriented internet-oriented, devices play a key role, we want more and more connectivity, the trend in companies is BYOD - "bring your own device" etc. etc.
When the listeners hopefully asked Marden in the discussion if, thanks to the amount of data he had processed, he could reveal more accurate numbers about iPhone sales in the Czech Republic, they only got a general answer about the importance of iPhones.
The fact that the lecture left the listeners cold is also evidenced by the fact that during it, instead of quotes and comments (as was the case with Dediu and Pflanzer), Twitter lived more like a prepared lunch...
Patrick Zandl: Apple - the road to mobiles
According to feedback on Twitter, the lecture thrilled the listeners. Zandl is an excellent speaker, his style is based on advanced work with language, where seriousness is often interspersed with exaggeration, expressiveness and provocative disrespect for authority.
Despite all that, I think that the lecture did not belong in the Business block at all. On the one hand, in it the author just retold chapters from his book of the same name and explained how Apple changed after Jobs' return to the company, how the iPod and then the iPhone were born, on the other hand, in my opinion, she missed the definition of the block (orientation on professionals, application development, content sales , business models on Apple's platform, corporate deployments)—the only thing that really related to the corporate environment was Zandla's closing witty gloss on how the success of the iPhone caught companies thinking they knew what users wanted and were completely off. Otherwise, it was a kind of "cheerful stories from the past", which is a great genre if it can be presented (and Zandl really can), but paying several thousand for it (when the book costs 135 CZK) doesn't seem like good... business to me.
In the discussion, Zandla was asked why he had an iPhone in his pocket and not an Android. He replied that he likes iCloud and that he sees too much legal oversight and fear of patent disputes trumping functionality with Android.
Does the Apple platform still represent an opportunity?
The panel discussion on the future of the market, business opportunities for companies, Apple and its influence on consumer preferences was moderated by Jan Sedlák (E15), and Horace Dediu, Petr Mára and Patrick Zandl took turns.
The participants agreed that where Android wins in number of users, Apple beats in user loyalty, their significant willingness to pay for content and applications, and use a wide ecosystem. Zandl mentioned the freedom that Apple brought: not only the freedom of data in the cloud, but also the freedom to cut away from MS Office and make do with alternatives, which no one had dared to do before and everyone (including Microsoft) thought was impossible. There was also talk about the phenomenon where a platform is not driven to success by investment and mass, but mainly by vision and charisma. Zandl then capped it off with the lines that sizzled through the Twitter comments: "If you want to do business, you have to be agnostic." "Android is for the poor and for the geeks."
And the harsher statements didn't end there: Mára argued that the computer is a tool for "hard work", while the iPad is for "creative work", and Dediu, in turn, appreciated the importance of Windows 8 and Surface as a mere defense, a means to prevent companies from buying iPads . To which Zandl added that the new OS from Microsoft does not have the basic: a clear target group - the device is copied, old clients are angry that what they were used to has changed, and new clients do not go and do not go...
The participants enjoyed the discussion and not only: Dediu boasted on Twitter that one of the best things about performing in Prague is that you can stand on stage with a beer in your hand...
How not to drop hundreds of thousands on apps
One panel discussion was replaced by another: this time moderated by Ondřej Aust and Marek Prchal, and with Ján Illavský (among other things, winner of AppParade), Aleš Krejčí (O2) and Robin Raszka (via Skype from the United States of America) they talked about how it is being prepared from different perspectives application, how to collect data for its appearance and functioning, how it is programmed and debugged, how it gets to the App Store and how to ensure that it retains attention there. Often different approaches stood against each other: on the one hand, a demanding, multinational client (O2), which has teams and strict rules for what it wants, on the other hand, Raszko's approach, which amused the audience: "Mainly, don't let the client decide how his application will look and work.”
The audience could get an idea of the different prices in the field of creating mobile applications (400 to 5 CZK per hour) or the time needed to launch an application (three months to six months). Other topics were also addressed: primitive advertising in applications does not work, it is necessary to be creative and directly involve one of the functions of the application in marketing; application relationship for different mobile OS vs. unified mobile web and more.
The panel discussion was interesting, but somewhat lengthy and unstructured. The presenters should have been stricter and had a clearer vision of what to get from their guests.
Petr Mára: Use and integration of the Apple platform in companies
An informative presentation about what is involved when you want to deploy an iOS device in a company. The introduction was more of a general explanation of terms in the context of iOS (Exchange, VPN, WiFi), followed by an explanation of all levels of security that iOS devices offer (the device itself, data, network and applications) and finally the main topic: what are the tools for managing multiple iOS devices impact. Mára introduced Apple Configuration, a free application that can do this, and can also, for example, assign numbers and names to individual devices, add profiles to them (i.e. synchronize the settings of individual items in Settings) and mass install free applications.
An alternative to this tool are various solutions at the server level (so-called mobile device management): Mára presented some of them Meraki and wide options for its settings. The mass purchase of applications for the company turned out to be a problematic point: it is not possible directly with us, there are rather ways to (legally) circumvent it: by donating applications (max. 15 per day - a limitation given directly by Apple) or even financial subsidies to employees, and they then buy the applications themselves. A big debt for the future.
Mobile applications and banks - real experiences
Can you imagine a greater security challenge than offering customers access to their finances via a mobile app? Another panel discussion with representatives of several banks from the Czech Republic was about this. The only presentation I missed because it was too specialized and narrowly focused. However, according to the response of the participants, it is quite interesting.
iPad as a superior management tool
The last lecture was to be given by Petr Mára (on time management, applications, procedures and examples of techniques for working with them) together with Horace Dediu (modern iPad presentation). In the end, only Dediu spoke without explanation: at first he spoke interestingly about the essence of presenting, when a good presentation is not made by software or a template, but by a trio of assumptions that the speaker must take into account and use - "ethos" (respect for the audience), "pathos" (empathic contact with an audience) and "logos" (logical order and rational arguments). He compared the iPad to Twitter: its limitation to a precise number of characters forces us to consider each word especially well, and the strict environment and rules given by iOS work similarly, according to Dediu, helping concentration and organization of thoughts.
But then, after a long day, not only the audience ran out of energy: Dediu presented his iPad presentation application called Perspective, which is free (with various extensions costing from $0,99 to $49,99). Unlike working with data, it was a rather mediocre demonstration of the various functions that Dediu remembered with a leap.
It is clear that having such a personality in Prague is a win and the organizers wanted to give him as much space as possible, but perhaps the original duel between the two speakers would have been happier. This is how Icon's program director Jasna Sýkorová had to literally wake up the audience and tell them that it was over and that they were going home.
Behind the scenes and service
Conferences do not stand and fall only with the speakers: how did the organizers hold up? In my opinion, it was not bad for the first time: the venue was well chosen (the modern architecture of the National Technical Library simply suited the Apple theme), the refreshments, coffee and lunch were above standard and without queues (I myself experienced two years of the already established WebExpo, and only the most stubborn), beautiful and omnipresent hostesses. The consistent feedback system was excellent: after each lecture, all you had to do was send an SMS or scan a QR code and write a grade to each of the lecturers, as in school, or short comment.
The attitude of the sponsors also deserves praise: they had their stands in the hall and were generally kind and willing to demonstrate their products to everyone and answer the most impossible questions. External keyboards for the iPad mini, external drives with cloud access and security films were undoubtedly a hit. He was an admired curiosity BioLite Camp Stove, which can charge your phone from burning sticks.
But of course there were also problems: the organizers were obviously not clear about the WiFi. Depending on who you asked, you were either referred to Petr Mára's opening speech, which should have also mentioned the access data, or they immediately gave you the password to a completely different network (for example, I was connected to the WiFi designated for production :). In addition, the start had an annoying 15-minute slide, and as far as I could see, that was long enough for many to get "WiFi abs".
The application was a huge disappointment iCon Prague for iOS. Although it came out the day before the conference with scratched ears, it offered nothing but the program: it was not even possible to vote on it, and nothing appeared in the news and updates section for the whole day. A typical example of how not to make an application in any case.
I would also recommend adding at least one proofreader for the next year: the graphic designer who prepared the trailers and the program obviously had no idea what the difference between a hyphen and a hyphen was, how to write dates, spaces, etc.
But what: no one can avoid childhood diseases. So let's look forward to the second year and perhaps a new, long-term tradition.
I attended iCON Business and I have to admit that I couldn't describe my feelings the whole time after it was over. Both Twitter and FB were abuzz with enthusiasm and I didn't share it. I wasn't sure if I misunderstood the topic or if I was just expecting something different (no more, just different). I definitely expected more from the last lecture, which was held only as a promo for the Perspective application. That's why I'm glad for this article, which describes my feelings very accurately. I thank the organizers, I am a fan and I will certainly participate next year. I'll just be more careful about choosing and especially paying for the program. PS I have been an active user of Apple products since 1992.
Thanks for the wonderful summary. And also the speed: to have a long, analytical and critical text a few hours after the event; you just don't see that in our area. I've been to Icon and I also think it was a great event except for the entrance fee. (I've been working with Apple since 99.)