Honey , I shrunk the PC !

For the first time , smart phones have overtaken PC

Here are the shipment statistics :

Ø   Smart  Phones

·        2010  …………………………………..  299.7   million

·        2011  ………………………………………487.7  million  (  + 62.7  %  )

Ø    PCs

·        2010   ……………………………………..361.15  million

·        2011   ………………………………………414.6    million   ( +  14.8  %  )

 Of course , no one is , as yet , writing off the PCs , but this could be the beginning of bad days for the PC manufacturers

More and more smart phone manufacturers are coming out with tablets having built-in telephoning capabilities !

How long before leading computer manufacturers re-configure their assembly lines to churn out smart phones ?

With Asian companies like FoxConn ready to make any electronic gadget given 2 weeks notice , there is no problem !

With regards

hemen  parekh

A Greek Tragedy ?

Greeks can be blamed only partially for what is hurting them so deeply now

The real culprits are those who kept on lending money to Greece !

Greek story could have been very different – and far less painful – but for ,

Ø First bailout     ( May 2010 ) ……………….. $  146  Billion

Ø Second bailout ( July  2011 )  …………..    $  157  Billion

Ø Third bailout    ( Feb 2012 )  ………………   $  170  Billion

And here is a list of those “ friendly countries “ and how much money they have lent to Greece :

Ø France  ……………………………………………………$  56.7  Billion

Ø Germany  ……………………………………………… $  33.9  Billion

Ø UK ……………………………………………………………$  14.6  Billion

Ø USA ………………………………………………………….$  7.3   Billion

Ø Italy  ………………………………………………………..$  4.0   Billion

Ø Switzerland  ……………………………………………..$  2.8  Billion

Ø Japan  ……………………………………………………… $  1.6  Billion

Ø Spain  ………………………………………………………. $ 0.9  Billion

A true friend does not serve you ready dinner – no matter how hungry you are !

He teaches you , how not to be lazy - how to fish !

With regards

hemen  Parekh

An “ Apple to Apple “ Comparison ?

Since the debut of affordable Aakash Tablet , any number of manufacturers have announced launch of similar products
This is all very good for the Indian users , since competition always brings out the best amongst the competitors in terms of quality / service etc
But for the moment , users are confused as to the price-points vs specifications of various manufacturers
It would be nice if some independent authority can develop / publish , a comparison of various tablets in terms of ,
 Network Compatibility [ WiFi – 3G – GPRS Modem etc ]
 Processor Speeds [ Over clocking / Architecture ]
 Operating Systems [ Open vs Closed ]
 USB Ports [ Full size vs Mini ]
 Screen Type [ Resistive vs Capacitive ]
 Import content vs local value addition
 Price
May be an “ Index / Score “ can be developed which can rank all competing tablets on a score of 0 – 10 , taking all the above – mentioned factors into account ( with each factor itself being ranked on a scale of 0 – 10 , to provide individual weightage )
Such an “ Apple to Apple “ comparison by a “ third party “ having no vested interest , would go a long way in helping buyers make a considered decision

With regards

hemen Parekh

Want a Patent ? Be patient !

Newspaper Pravasi ( 26 Feb 2012 ) gives following interesting – but far more distressing – info about working of India’s Patent Office in Mumbai :
 No of patent applications pending ………………………………… 100,000
 Which will take to clear ………………………………………………….. 3 years
 No of requests being examined / year ………………………….. 12,000
 Additional Patent Examiners being trained …………………….. 250
 Which will help clear no of applications / year ………………… 40,000
 New requests being received / year ………………………………… 25,000 +
 Annual growth-rate of requests ……………………………………… .. 20 %
I would not be surprised if Indian scientists working in foreign labs are filing more patent applications abroad than the Indian scientists working in Indian labs !
Innovation will get a huge boost if Patents can be granted – or even rejected – in 6 months !

With regards

hemen parekh

Half-a-Million Reasons to Cheer Amid Slowdown

This was the headline in Economics Times ( 9 Dec, 2011 )
In support , article says :
 State run banks plan to hire as many as 500,000 in the next few years
 To fill 50,000 jobs, 4,400,000 candidates will appear for common recruitment test ( for position of clerks ), by Dec 2011
 A few weeks back, some 1,050,000 candidates appeared for examination for Officers’ post
 In the meantime , private-sector banks did not fill 200,000 positions that fell vacant during last decade
 That helped private – sector banks to increase their “ business per employee “ from Rs 38 million in 2005 to Rs 1,00 million in 2011
Unanswered Questions :
When will India create enough jobs for,
 42 Million youngsters registered with 900+ Employment Exchanges ?
 3.5 Million graduates passing out of colleges every year ?
 16 Million addition to job – market every year ?
With regards
hemen parekh

Hunger is not an Issue !

India’s hunger problem is highlighted in following newspaper reports :
 2,438 children dying everyday for lack of food
( Times of India / May 13 , 2011 )
 An estimated 1.6 million children ( under 5 ) died this year, representing 23 % of global deaths in that age group
( Times of India / Sept. 25, 2011 )
 During Jan-Aug 2011, some 18,486 children ( in age group 0-6 ), died of malnutrition in the state of Maharashtra alone – ie : 77 babies dying of hunger everyday !
( DNA / Sept, 25, 2011 )
 With 21 % of Indian population undernourished ( ie: 230 Million ), nearly 44 % of under-5 children underweight and 7 % of them dying before they reach 5 years, India is firmly established among the world’s most hunger-ridden countries
( Times of India / Jan 01, 2012 )
But hunger is not an issue for any political party during the current State Elections.
How about promising “ hunger quotas “ according to age – groups ?
Model Code of Conduct does not cover this !

With regards
hemen parekh

Democracy - Elections - Voting

For last 65 years since Independence , the Indian people have been brainwashed into thinking that

Democracy…..equals……..Elections……..equals…………Voting

What else can explain the following ?

In the current Mumbai Municipal Corporation Elections,

Ø  More than 13 % of the candidates have criminal records

Ø  7 % have “ Serious Criminal Cases “ pending against them !

Ø  25 % have not passed even SSC ( School Certificate )

Ø  Only 16 % are graduates

Consolation ?

With 131 ( out of 829 ) candidates being multi-millionaires ( Crorepatis ), they might just be above getting corrupt, if elected !

How is that argument , as an “ Opium for the Masses “ ?

Situation is only worse in the current State Legislative Assembly Elections taking place in Uttar Pradesh / Punjab / Uttarakhand  etc

With regards

hemen  parekh

CHINA GROWTH STORY

Writing in Times of India ( 03 June, 2012 ), Subodh Varma provides following 

statistics about the city of Chengdu in China :

Ø  Incentives for attracting Industries from all over the Word

*  Electricity  ………………………..      $  0.13  per Kwh

*  Water  ……………………………..       $  0.70  per Cubic Meter

*  Freight  ( to Europe )……………… $  4.0   per Kg (by Air )

*  Rent ( for Workshops )…….       $   2.9  per Sq Meter

*  Rent ( for Software Park )..      $  8.0  per Sq Meter

*  No of Highways connecting..     8

*  No of International Flights….     129  per  day

*  Wages for Unskilled Worker..    $ 145  per  month

*  Wages for High Skilled Worker..$ 580 per  month

Ø  Outcome

·        207 of the Fortune 500 Companies have facilities in Chengdu

·        Every 2^nd laptop and every 5^th PC in the World ,is running on a chip processed in Chengdu

·        Concentration of heavy precision industries

·        Top Nuclear and Missile Research Centres

Ø  Wage Comparison ( for low skilled new entrant )

·        India  …………………………..  $  90  per  month

·        China  ………………………….. $  145  per  month

·        Japan  ………………………….  $  937  per  month

·        France  ………………………..  $  1734  per  month

·        USA  …………………………….. $  1740  per  month

For policy-makers of both, the Eurozone and India , there are here , a lot of lessons to be learned ! They have lived in denial for too long !

With regards

Hemen  Parekh

Creative Resumes ? Fake CVs ?

Writing in The Economic Times ( Jan 8-14,2012 ), Mishita Mehra provides following findings of a report by First Advantage , which conducts 1.5 million background checks per year in India :
 Who lies the most in resumes ?
• Senior Management ……………………. 2 %
• Middle Management ……………………. 21 %
• Associates …………………………………… 65 %
 What do they lie about ?
• False employment info …………………… 41 %
• Incorrect tenure ……………………………….. 32 %
• Inflated designation ………………………… 15 %
 Which Industry have most liars ?
• Education ………………………………………… 33 %
• Travel & Hospitality ………………………….. 25 %
• Bio-Technology …………………………………. 19 %
 Top Resume Cheat list
• Hong Kong …………………………………………. 47 %
• Singapore …………………………………………….35 %
• India ………………………………………………………11 %
No wonder , Recruiters are saying :
This is no way to Customize Resume !
With regards
hemen Parekh