Comments on: betaworks / offsite http://www.borthwick.com/weblog/2007/08/04/betaworks-offsite/ occasional thoughts by john borthwick Sat, 22 Nov 2008 16:57:25 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: John http://www.borthwick.com/weblog/2007/08/04/betaworks-offsite/#comment-19388 John Fri, 24 Aug 2007 15:14:19 +0000 http://www.borthwick.com/weblog/2007/08/04/betaworks-offsite/#comment-19388 Gen / Next time would love to have you join. I do think product and services in Europe and Asia are starting, just starting to evolve independent of US based innovation. The lack of true broadband in the US -- vs. the proliferation of a middleband (3-5mbs) -- is effecting the innovation cycle. Cyworld, Tencent, Mixi, Item Mania, Habbo Hotel are displaying content, services and community models that are very different to what we see in the US -- even monetization models, beyond the US. Gen / Next time would love to have you join. I do think product and services in Europe and Asia are starting, just starting to evolve independent of US based innovation. The lack of true broadband in the US — vs. the proliferation of a middleband (3-5mbs) — is effecting the innovation cycle. Cyworld, Tencent, Mixi, Item Mania, Habbo Hotel are displaying content, services and community models that are very different to what we see in the US — even monetization models, beyond the US.

]]> By: Gen Kanai http://www.borthwick.com/weblog/2007/08/04/betaworks-offsite/#comment-19298 Gen Kanai Thu, 23 Aug 2007 10:41:12 +0000 http://www.borthwick.com/weblog/2007/08/04/betaworks-offsite/#comment-19298 John- would have loved to have participated if you would have had me join (albeit I'm still in Tokyo so I doubt I could have.) re: "Is the US falling behind Europe and Asia in terms of infrastructure and innovation?" Those are two separate discussions. Wrt infrastructure, the US is way far behind. In Japan and Korea, new buildings come default with 100 Mb/sec fiber optic connections. Even DSL over POTS is up over 50 Mb/sec. in Japan (Japan's urban geography helps.) Wrt innovation, the West, the US, Silicon Valley (and your efforts on the East Coast) lead by leaps and bounds. Asia often merely copies business models and Internet services from the West and launches them in Asia. Mobile is the differentiator. Mobile in East Asia is far and away beyond the US to the point where young kids in Japan spend more time on their phones than on their PCs (to their own detriment, as mobile phones are still walled gardens.) I see Asia leading in Internet infrastructure for some time to come. Heavy broadband applications and mobile will innovate in Asia whereas technology innovation will continue to be lead from the West (these are very broad general brushstrokes but that's my take.) John- would have loved to have participated if you would have had me join (albeit I’m still in Tokyo so I doubt I could have.)

re: “Is the US falling behind Europe and Asia in terms of infrastructure and innovation?”

Those are two separate discussions. Wrt infrastructure, the US is way far behind. In Japan and Korea, new buildings come default with 100 Mb/sec fiber optic connections. Even DSL over POTS is up over 50 Mb/sec. in Japan (Japan’s urban geography helps.)

Wrt innovation, the West, the US, Silicon Valley (and your efforts on the East Coast) lead by leaps and bounds. Asia often merely copies business models and Internet services from the West and launches them in Asia.

Mobile is the differentiator. Mobile in East Asia is far and away beyond the US to the point where young kids in Japan spend more time on their phones than on their PCs (to their own detriment, as mobile phones are still walled gardens.)

I see Asia leading in Internet infrastructure for some time to come. Heavy broadband applications and mobile will innovate in Asia whereas technology innovation will continue to be lead from the West (these are very broad general brushstrokes but that’s my take.)

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