d9

Tech goliaths outmaneuvered at D9 conference

I saw every interview, save one, live at the D9 tech conference (full coverage). All were well worth the attention. At this event, invited speakers are interviewed by either Walt Mossberg or Kara Swisher, or sometimes both together. The format effectively cuts through the bluster and prepackaged messaging you might otherwise get from the powerful CEOs on the stage.

It was a great format for CEOs of emerging companies, like Groupon's Andrew Mason, Twitter's Dick Costolo, and Square's Jack Dorsey. But it was murder on the men running embattled old-school tech companies. Let's look at two.

First, Leo Apotheker, CEO of HP, the largest technology company in the world, according to Apotheker. An experienced CEO (from SAP), in the hot seat at D9 he came across as not just ambitious, not just audacious, but borderline deluded. He claimed that HP will be able to build an end-to-end consumer technology infrastructure as Apple has done, but at Microsoft's scale, all based on the WebOS operating system that he's sheltering at HP, out of the way of the standard bureaucracy, lest the WebOS team get infected by what has apparently become The HP Way. Nobody I talked to at the conference had a kind word for Apotheker's performance.

Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen started his interview by showing a funny video of himself getting some fake stage presence training. How he managed to convince the D9 team to play this is beyond me, but it was good fun. Listening to Narayen speak, however, left one unconvinced that Adobe can make a healthy transition to a world in which its non-standards-based rendering and online programming technologies (PDF, Flash) are no longer so important.

As with HP, one gets the impression that Adobe is trying to cling to a past that was very, very good to it. HP and Adobe are Innovator's Dilemma poster children, unable to give up old models for a variety of reasons. At a future-focused conference like D9, lumbering companies stand out.

One CEO who did appear to be comfortable in the modern world: Disney CEO Robert Iger. Disney has made its share of mistakes in digital media, which Iger admitted before he laid out not just some realistic product plans for Disney's future but also a healthy openness when it comes to dealing with new distribution partners for its content. Of the old-company CEOs, he seemed most tuned in to what customers actually want, especially when talking about online (cloud) storage of their digital media. One person said to me after his session, "I could work for him."

It's worth noting that Apple's Steve Jobs is on Iger's board. But both HP and Adobe have, in several ways, positioned themselves as direct competitors to Apple. Steve Jobs was not at D9, but his presence loomed over almost every talk. … Read more

New technology beams power over sound waves

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, Calif.--Meredith Perry and Nora Dweck, two freshly minted University of Pennsylvania graduates, were at the exclusive D9 tech conference this week showing off their compelling technology demo: Ultrasonic power transfer.

uBeam, the company they created around their tech, uses sounds waves beyond the range of human (and dog) hearing to transmit power. In a proof-of-concept demo (see video), Perry was able to move 5 volts at 50 milliamps, or a quarter of a watt, over three feet. She says that with custom components, not the off-the-shelf piezo speakers roughed into the tech demo, she'll be able to send 25 watts over ten feet.

Engineers I talked to at D9 were skeptical that the science will scale up to this theoretical transfer wattage. There may also be challenges on health grounds, although Perry says that the transmission method is OSHA-approved and that similar technology is safely used in directed sound products. She also says that unlike microwaves, which can be used to transfer power but that are dangerous when absorbed by living tissue, uBeam ultrasound is reflected, not absorbed. But 25 watts is a lot of energy to pump through the air, and to be fair, Perry does say she got the idea for uBeam by reading about how sound waves (granted, of different frequencies) can be used as weapons. … Read more

This Day in Tech: Groupon IPO, Sony sites hacked, Twitter sex scandal

Too busy to keep up with the tech news? Here are some of the more interesting stories from CNET News for Thursday, June 2.

At D9, Windows 8 makes debut, and more (roundup) The gathering of tech CEOs and other bigwigs also puts the spotlight on Twitter's new photo-sharing service, Google's social-networking efforts, HP's WebOS ambitions, and then some. More

Zuckerberg calls Facebook contract a 'fraud' New York man's alleged contract and e-mails that supposedly give him 50 percent ownership of the social network are forgeries, new court filing from Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg claims. More… Read more

AT&T Mobility CEO: Shared data plan coming

Editor's note: At the end of a discussion on stage at the D9 tech conference, AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega confirmed that the company is working on a shared data plan for multi-device customers. That news is at the end of this as-it-happened interview report.

PALOS VERDES, Calif.--Data usage is growing so fast, AT&T had no choice but to buy up another carrier (T-Mobile) to keep up with demand, AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega said at the D9 conference today. Also, overlaying the networks in dense cities (like … Read more

At D9, Windows 8 makes debut, and more (roundup)

The gathering of bigwigs puts the spotlight on CEOs and other top execs from the likes of Microsoft, Google, Twitter, and Netflix.

Windows 8, iOS 6 set for tablet face-off in 2012 Microsoft says the next version of Windows will not be out this fall, making 2012 a better candidate. Will Apple be on iOS 6 by then? • Windows 8 premiere raises more questions than answers • Microsoft shows Windows 8 to hardware makers (Posted in Apple Talk by Josh Lowensohn) June 1, 2011 8:20 PM PDT

Sinofsky shows off Windows 8 President of Windows Steven Sinofsky demonstrates … Read more

Adobe CEO dances around Flash's declining importance

PALOS VERDES, Calif.--"We produce the world's content," Adobe's Shantanu Narayen said today when D9 conference host Walt Mossberg asked him, "What's up with Flash?"

"Flash is really a small part of the company," Narayen said, offering no comfort to the world of Flash developers. Referring to the dust-up with Apple over Flash on the iPad, he added, "it's clear that it's not a technology issue...We allow people to author once," and publish anywhere. "It's a business model issue," he continued. "… Read more

Disney CEO: Disney.com to sort of compete with Netflix, Hulu

PALOS VERDES, Calif.--"I don't speak for Hollywood," Disney boss Robert Iger said when questioned by Kara Swisher here today at the D9 conference

But from Disney's perspective, Iger sees new platforms (the cloud, the Net, social platforms) as great opportunities for the company. "We're in the content business," he said. "There's no question it provides challenges to old business models, but we were in businesses that were relatively low-growth, and had not changed in a long time."

When he saw the emergence of new tech platforms--Iger used the term "the video iPhone"--he said his realizing was, "Wait a minute, this is VHS," referring to the last non-Internet sea change to hit the television industry.

"There's going to be displacement of consumption...the opportunities to be entertained in the home are so much greater today." But, he said, they're all incremental opportunities for content companies.

So how will Disney keep its content profitable on these new media platforms?

"We view Netflix positively," he began, "It's a good provider for our content to be accessible on," even though some content goes through Disney's deal with Starz on the way to Netflix. Disney also has a direct relationship with Netflix. Also, "We like Hulu for a number of reasons, and not just because we're an equity partner." Iger said that the more content distribution… Read more

Marc Andreessen at D9: What bubble?

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, Calif.--Marc Andreesen, partner at the Andreessen-Horowitz venture firm and developer of the original Mosaic Web browser, sees a healthy future for mobile Web apps, but not an indefinite one. "Apps make sense as long as bandwidth is limited," he said at the D9 conference here, "and that will be for a long time."

True to his roots as a browser entrepreneur, Andreessen talked about the browser market as being extremely dynamic at the moment. "500 million people have switched browsers," he said, mentioning that, in addition to Microsoft Internet Explorer, … Read more

Windows 8 premiere raises more questions than answers

The successor to Windows 7 debuted today at the D9 conference, and so far it appears to be Windows Phone 7's interface and tile-style of app management bolted on top of Windows 7.

Code-named "Windows 8" by Microsoft, the next-generation operating system is notable for two features: it's the first major attempt by the operating system giants to elevate a mobile OS to desktop status, and it's expected to be touch-friendly and work seamlessly on tablets, desktops, and laptops.

This Windows 8 preview video from Jensen Harris, director of program management for Windows, certainly looks … Read more