Many parts of Asia have leaped ahead of the developed world in adopting high-bandwidth wireless networks and business models to put devices into the hands of consumers. This Singapore Sessions featured a discussion amongst some of the smartest technology entrepreneurs, developers, venture capitalists and big company executives on the next wave of technology products, and how they aspire to make Asia their next big market.
Regardless of one’s business emphases, success in Asia requires a thorough understanding that is simultaneously broad-based and deep, based on experience, direct or otherwise.
It must take into consideration the heterogeneous nature of the continent’s constituent countries and subregions. It demands a sense both of history and culture. Such an understanding will help enable the successful development of technology-related products, strategies and investment approaches across this increasingly essential part of the world.
The panelists focused on different areas in predicting the one major trend to watch. Mr. Tudor (Chief Cloud Strategist, Hewlett-Packard) indicated that “fatter” data centers will be required to support the growth in sharing activities across a multitude of new, thinner devices. This additional back-end infrastructure will be cloud-based, he said, and he expects to see very high growth rates in that area.
According to Mr. Chao (Co-Founder and General Partner, DCM), the next two years in Asia will be about the pad form. He has especially high expectations for cheaper Android pads and more generally expects the devices to replace most laptops in Asia, with their larger screens offering considerable consumer appeal.
Ms. Lau (Developer Relations Lead, Southeast Asia, Google) focused on the content that these devices will showcase. She believes that the Asian culture is highly social and grounded in sharing, especially opinions, and thus foresees—indeed, is already seeing—relevant information passing among those in one’s social circle as where things are headed.