'Indians growing tech-savvy with gadgets, not PCs'
Adopting technology in India is increasing with more use of phones and other non-PC machines, therefore, meaning more importance to user interface.
By TNN |
MUMBAI: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has said the use of technology was spreading rapidly in India, but not so much through the conventional mode of personal computers, but through gadgets such as mobile phones, requiring software companies to enhance features of user interface.
Arriving in Mumbai on a whistle-stop tour to India, Ballmer sought to pitch Microsoft’s strengths in improving user experience and spur technology debate around the online capabilities of non-computer devices. This was a contrast from the usual uproar over the competition between open source and proprietary software that has marked the earlier visits of Bill Gates, the founder of the world’s largest software company.
“Adopting technology in India is increasing with more use of phones and other non-PC machines, therefore, meaning more importance to user interface,” Ballmer told the TechMela annual showcase event, which had a good presence of gaming and media professionals. India counts only 40 million Internet connections, but 250 million phone connections. Indians buy nearly 8-million phone connections each month, mostly encouraged by the wide availability of mobile phone service and some of the world’s lowest call rates.
In this context, the maker of venerable Windows software sought to underline its presence across platforms — the desktop, server, the internet, gaming consoles, on tools for software developers and on devices, at its annual TechMela event showcasing its technologies. The star attraction, of course, was Ballmer. “User interface and design has democratised IT all over the world,” he told a full house.
“User interface design is more important today than before because of its widespread usage,” Ballmer said, adding the same software could be used in different devices with a different interface. Even when it came to servers, it was the best interface for the IT managers that mattered, he felt.
Ballmer backed up his talk on how he saw user experience and interface as central with some heavyweight customer testimonials. HDFC Bank managing director Aditya Puri said when HDFC Securities developed an interface for trading, it realised it was not worthwhile to have only one kind of transaction enabled on it.
Now the site had a whole host of applications enabled on it, he said. “We evaluated Red Hat, Linux, Apache, Oracle but finally decided to go with Microsoft. That’s why I’m here today,” Puri said, referring to some of Microsoft’s rivals.
Arriving in Mumbai on a whistle-stop tour to India, Ballmer sought to pitch Microsoft’s strengths in improving user experience and spur technology debate around the online capabilities of non-computer devices. This was a contrast from the usual uproar over the competition between open source and proprietary software that has marked the earlier visits of Bill Gates, the founder of the world’s largest software company.
“Adopting technology in India is increasing with more use of phones and other non-PC machines, therefore, meaning more importance to user interface,” Ballmer told the TechMela annual showcase event, which had a good presence of gaming and media professionals. India counts only 40 million Internet connections, but 250 million phone connections. Indians buy nearly 8-million phone connections each month, mostly encouraged by the wide availability of mobile phone service and some of the world’s lowest call rates.
In this context, the maker of venerable Windows software sought to underline its presence across platforms — the desktop, server, the internet, gaming consoles, on tools for software developers and on devices, at its annual TechMela event showcasing its technologies. The star attraction, of course, was Ballmer. “User interface and design has democratised IT all over the world,” he told a full house.
“User interface design is more important today than before because of its widespread usage,” Ballmer said, adding the same software could be used in different devices with a different interface. Even when it came to servers, it was the best interface for the IT managers that mattered, he felt.
Ballmer backed up his talk on how he saw user experience and interface as central with some heavyweight customer testimonials. HDFC Bank managing director Aditya Puri said when HDFC Securities developed an interface for trading, it realised it was not worthwhile to have only one kind of transaction enabled on it.
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Now the site had a whole host of applications enabled on it, he said. “We evaluated Red Hat, Linux, Apache, Oracle but finally decided to go with Microsoft. That’s why I’m here today,” Puri said, referring to some of Microsoft’s rivals.
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