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Thanks to mobile computing, America is about to be reborn.
This growing technological wave will make the dollar stronger, spread American values throughout the globe, and establish English as the single most important language on Earth.
In fact, our leading position in the rise of smartphones and tablet computers makes it certain that the United States will undergo a major revival and rebranding.
Along the way America will re-emerge as the dominant force in technology and economics in the world – by far – as soon as the end of this decade.
This new breed of American-made tech will also improve the lives of billions of people around the world by providing them with better health care and education.
Now, admittedly you've heard this bullish story from me before. But here's the thing: these aren't my insights.
They belong to a hard-hitting high-tech executive who is a renowned expert on the subject. His name is Michael Saylor, and he is the CEO of MicroStrategy Inc. (NASDAQ:MSTR), a leader in business intelligence.
More to the point, Saylor is the author of the hot new nonfiction book called "The Mobile Wave: How Mobile Intelligence Will Change Everything."
In the book, he makes the case that we've passed the tipping point in bringing cutting-edge software to the world. From healthcare apps to text books, it's all on your smartphone or tablet.
The book is a fast and compelling read. If you want to take a look for yourself, you can find "The Mobile Wave" on Amazon.com.
As befits the topic, I read Saylor's book on my iPad…
Michael Saylor on the Promise of America
Intrigued by what he had to say, I got in touch with Saylor by phone, and we chatted for nearly an hour.
Some of you may find his comments controversial. After all, it's the "in" thing these days to bash America as a once-great nation losing its technical lead to China and India.
But Saylor disagrees. He believes mobile software and the wireless Web are major trends that will give the U.S. its high-tech rebirth and bring billions out of poverty in the Third World at the same time.
Here's how he sees it…
"If you look at the cost, you know the cost to run software on an iPad, you might be $500 in capital, maybe $1,000. The cost to run software on a PC is 10 times that much, maybe 20 times that much. Think about how expensive it is to put a cubicle on a concrete pad, wire it with electricity and fluorescent lighting with a roof over your head, you know, with Ethernet cable running to you with all of the things that make up a Class B or Class A office space. That stuff's all so capital intensive as to be impossible.
"There are 1.5 billion PCs on the planet. I think we're at the peak. We're not going to see a lot more. I think we'll actually see them stagnate and maybe start to slide off. On the other hand, I think we'll see tablet computers go to five billion, maybe more.
"If that's the case, then the question is, who's going to write the software that's going to run on those things? And the answer is, probably English-speaking American companies.
"So the mobile wave is about the rise in power of American software companies exporting their ways in English, sold in dollars, running on American technology controlled by companies like Apple and Google to everybody else on Earth. And by the way, we're going to spread the American language, the American currency, and also American values."
The Long Reach and Power of Mobile Tech
America's mobile tech is already spreading at least the idea of democracy to the Middle East, Saylor notes. Just look at the key role of social media in the so-called Arab Spring.
Protesters used software networks like YouTube, Google, Twitter, and Facebook to spread their message and organize the revolution that turned a dozen nations upside down. Indeed, those uprisings have shaken Arab nations to the core, toppling leaders in Egypt and Libya and causing mass protests in Iran.
No doubt, radical Islam remains a threat to freedom. But Saylor seems to think that movement is reaching its zenith as the mobile wave bears down upon repressive regimes. This trend will greatly enhance women's rights in the Middle East and developing nations, Saylor told me.
Smartphones and tablets are like a Pandora "s Box: Once the masses gain exposure to the Western world's knowledge and way of thinking about women, there's just no turning back.
I'll have more of Saylor's insights to share with you in my next two reports. We'll deal with what investors must know about Apple Inc.'s (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPad and three ways to make mobile commerce more secure as we convert to digital money.
For now, let me close with one more of Saylor's big-picture views about the impact of the mobile wave:
"Fifty percent of the gross world economy is being remade by the software, and that software is American software. And when it rolls through everybody's country, it's addicting them to our technology, our values, our language.
"It's chiseling away at the Chinese walls. It's chiseled away at the Russians. It's chiseled away at all the walls in the Middle East. And as a result, it's making America the cultural, intellectual center of the Earth. Nobody has critical mass to stand against that."
Like I keep saying, technology will save America. Stay tuned for the next two reports…
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About the Author
Michael A. Robinson is one of the top financial analysts working today. His book "Overdrawn: The Bailout of American Savings" was a prescient look at the anatomy of the nation's S&L crisis, long before the word "bailout" became part of our daily lexicon. He's a Pulitzer Prize-nominated writer and reporter, lauded by the Columbia Journalism Review for his aggressive style. His 30-year track record as a leading tech analyst has garnered him rave reviews, too. Today he is the editor of the monthly tech investing newsletter Nova-X Report as well as Radical Technology Profits, where he covers truly radical technologies – ones that have the power to sweep across the globe and change the very fabric of our lives – and profit opportunities they give rise to. He also explores "what's next" in the tech investing world at Strategic Tech Investor.
fallacy in your thesis: you do not understand arab countries from your desk.
the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt that took over or has the most power so far, has already shut down magazines and one tv station. the so-called freedom our american technology brought them through twitter etc. could be shut down if they start closing cellular towers etc.
so, what freedom are you talking about, what success?
how will reality, not just theory in your thesis or points, make us be reborn exactly?
let's be realistic please in all this mickey-mouse positivity about America being grand again and so quickly after we're in such deep debt, with the worst western infrastructure and the most convoluted, corrupt political system that enables success or not, with the most undemocratic educational & medical care systems in the west etc., as we're closest to the brink of decadence so far? no asteroid mining will save us either.
what is needed is germany-like fiscal responsibility, vocational education, less corruption, thinking different and in the name of the people, not government or corporations. there's no point in competition if we kill the competition on the other side or foreign countries, since then our buyers have no means to pay for our exports.
the epitome of our self-destructive competitive edginess: 911 happened as even our own government agencies compete with each other, so that we missed the communication flow and were not able to prevent what was preventable – what a neurotic, silly, inefficient system we have! we killed 1000s due to a mistake that didn't have to be! very democratic and free we are!
your arguments are always lopsided, one-sided. we're not the only country that is worthy, inventive, dynamic. we're no longer the richest. with all the police state control, we're no longer the freest. being the only nation with worldwide taxation, we have the least choice with our hard-earned money. i can go on and on with more negative points than your disneyesque positivity.
it's not to believe we can't do it, but realistically, the buck does not stop with us people, but with corrupt politics & corporate favoritism. the world already mocks as more than in our entire history. but we still do everything with such hubris, arrogance, that we don't know how to quit the ugly habits we have. this is not the way to win the world game.
let's please use some manners, etiquette, real intelligence, not just hype and big loud annoying chatter. let's have some grace, real heart, real solidarity, real freedom.
Quite a bit has been said about software, yet I did not read anything in this article, about Microsoft. Microsoft, is coming out with a tablet, of it's own. And their software, is used by many. There must be a spot for Microsoft, in the mobile venue. What is your opinion of future success, for Microsoft?
Thanks,
John
And WHERE? is the energy to fuel this transformation going to come from?
Firstly, only God can save America, not technology.
These "American companies" will be hiring English speaking Chinamen in their ('American') factories in China to write the "English software" you speak of, ALL BECAUSE OF LOVE OF MONEY AND GREED ! (to save a few bucks and make the most of communist China – an oppressive regime that the media never criticises, while they criticize Iran.) If American companies have the rights to that software, or hardware, they can use any worker anywhere in the world to implement their blueprints ! It's their choice !
US modern democracy is a sham and a shadow of what is used to be before the Federal Reserve was created and before the constitution started being watered down and destoyed piece by piece. Before the media controlled the minds of the American public with their lies and propaganda !
You say: "No doubt, radical Islam remains a threat to freedom."
Maybe, but radical Zionism remains FAR MORE of a threat to America in more ways than one!
There would be no "terrorism" if America stopped supporting Israel!
America might not be going bankrupt if it weren't donating BILLIONS to Israel!
There is no longer such thing as "American values" (for the most part), unless you want to include greasy fast food, blind support for Israel, internet sensorship, trillion dollar taxpayer bailouts of the banks, contraventions of International laws on warfre, etc. as "American values".
he,s dead wrong,,soon time will tell…
I read an article showing how nearly ever other nation in the world was ahead of the USA in the % of users who use each of the advanced features. Not exactly a leadership role.
Also, how is a smart phone going to get better healthcare for anyone except to call an ambulance?
I read an article showing how nearly ever other nation in the world was ahead of the USA in the % of users who use each of the advanced smartphone features. Not exactly a leadership role.
Also, how is a smart phone going to get better healthcare for anyone except to call an ambulance?
RE: Michael Saylor's predictions: While I hope that the salvation of the world will be found in the power of the hand held computing device (tablet, smartphone, whatever), I'm not as sanguine as Mr. Saylor. Technology is value-neutral. It can as easily be used to transmit lies and deception as facts and truth. Mindless chauvinistic Christian fundamentalist religion is on line – right here in the USA. Extreme right wing big lie propaganda is on line – right here in the USA. Technology can transmit images of women that are respectful, and uplifting, or it can exploit them with the most debasing pornography. It's all on line – right here in the USA. US companies will write the software – whoopee. So what? How much of that software will be written by contractors in India and China? These firms will simply offshore the work and the profits. Steve Jobs told President Obama to get over it – the Foxconn jobs are not coming back. Syria is bombing civilian neighborhoods while the world yawns. Tablets do not magically deflect bullets. Don't misunderestimate evil – it can be very flexible.
Although I would prefer that Mr. Saylor is correct in his predictions, several flaws in his reasoning come to mind:
Other countries DO NOT want to adopt American values. Obesity, poor education standards, appalling health care for its people, a popular culture centred around the exploitation of women and the glorificaton of the violence of young men, the sexualization of the very young, oh my word!
Democracy has become an empty word in a country where the richest candidate becomes the President. Or the worst candidate becomes the President even though the majority didn't vote for him but rather his brother oversaw the final count in the deciding state.
If this happened in any other country in the world, you can bet 'America' would send in election overseers.
It would be 'nice' if software saves the world. First, I think. we should focus on getting people enough quality water to drink and food to eat.
Fewer American sponsored wars would be good, too. Although invading other countries is good for the American economy, this is what actively kills women and children and the men who defend their families.
These are not 'values' I care to espouse.
Sophia, Canada
Yea and Micky Mouse runs Canada!
MOBILE wave no.
SERVER wave yes.
Don't forget that a mobile device is not much better than a dumb terminal, the analogue to yesterday's CRT terminals. A mobile device, although a pocket computer, is a device designed to CONSUME content. The real interesting stuff, all that data, all those secrets, all that consumer profile information, the data are sitting on SERVERS. Servers are not terribly new, however, with the availability of inexpensive storage, it now makes sense to pile lots and lots of data as never before. Like it was with the advent of the cassette tape, one no longer needs a bulky device to use it.
True, mobile devices certainly increased the REACH of data. Not that different from a pocket sized TV really. It was the cheap telecommunications, increases in processor cost, speed, and number, and memory, hard disk or otherwise, which made this all possible. I read once that on average the size of a human's memory is around 10TB (Tera Bytes). 1TB disk is well under $100. Talk about being marked down.
As for what this has to do with America? Nothing. These mobile devices are in use all over the world. Not only in America. Are any mobile devices manufactured in America? Nope. And Servers can be located anywhere in the world there is cheap decent broadband service, like Russia. Not only in America. Imagination? Is it that only Americans have imagination? Don't think so. Whenever there are currency symbols flying around, imagination tends to be unleashed, irrespective of location. Programmers? They are a commodity. Perhaps when the USD falls a bit more, US programmer prices will be competitive with India. Software? Angry Birds at the End of the Universe? Angry Birds is from Finland. Apple? Overpriced and trendy. Putting an eraser on top of a pencil did not qualify for a patent, pairing a computer and a phone won't either.
I don't live in America but see lots of people walking around with mobile devices. In fact, it is getting to be a rarity to see people WITHOUT one. Another mass addiciton.
Michael Saylor hasn't traveled enough.
Glad to see the new mobile technology gives even idiots a place to talk.