Technology

116 | GlobeAsia October 2014

On September 9 as Tim Cook strode on stage at the Flint Center in Cupertino, California

he was treading the same path that Steve Jobs took over 30 years ago when Apple launched its very first product, the Macintosh 1. Fitting then, that Cook referred to the company’s debut entry into the smartwatch category as “the next chapter in Apple’s story,” because perhaps it truly is.

Indeed it is time yet again for Apple to reinvent itself, this time however with Cook at its helm.

Most exciting and certainly heavily anticipated was Apple’s announcement of the Apple Watch. Say what you will about Tim Cook’s performance, the Apple Watch is a defining moment in his reign thus far and a clear signal to the world that Cook is finally remaking Apple in his own image.

Apple didn’t invent many of the categories it is now famous for. Smartphones and tablets were around long before the iPhone and iPad. What Apple has done rather consistently is just do things better. As the proud

Why the Apple Watch will be a genre-defining product

PHOT

O SU

HAD

I AM

SAR

owner of a Kickstarter-edition Pebble (and an Android phone), I think it’s only fair to say Apple really knocked it out of the park with the Apple Watch. The product is innovative, elegant and anthropomorphic, all attributes that former CEO Steve Jobs felt were critical to good design.

Still making magicThe Apple watch is an extraordinarily well-thought-out device and while some have been disappointed, that would have been inevitable regardless

October 2014 GlobeAsia | 117

of what Cupertino put out. Apple consistently differentiates itself from its competition because it gives a supreme amount of thought to the minutest of details.

With the Apple Watch, Apple was able to take an ordinary object like a watch crown and infuse it with magic, mimicking its form but revolutionizing its function. The screen is able to detect the difference between a tap and a hard press which is really quite revolutionary when one considers that the current crop of smartwatches all use rather clunky and unsatisfying user interaction methods.

One of the hallmarks of great design is that it always seems obvious in retrospect. The digital crown and pressure-sensitive touch technology are perfect examples of thoughtful design.

Another area in which Apple has blown past its competition is the sheer level of customization available for the Apple Watch. While most smartwatches offer little variation (both the Pebble and Moto 360 have only two different versions), Apple has provided a good 34 unique possible combinations of its watch.

The key fact that Apple has grasped is that most people rarely change their watch from day to day. Given the increased interaction, it is essential that users love the design because the watch is just as much a fashion accessory or piece of jewelry. Apple’s decision to include 34 different versions (including one in gold) makes it attractive to larger subsets of the population.

Attention to detailWhile on the subject of customization, it’s worth mentioning Apple’s metal link bracelet, which is one of the most innovative watch bracelets I’ve seen in a long time. Apple’s unique straps allow one to size the watch with nothing more than a well-placed

fingernail. Its deployment buckle is also unusually well-designed and has a very slim footprint. Other Apple Watch bracelets worth another look are the sport band, made from high-performance fluoroelastomers, and the magnetic Milanese style bracelet, each marvelously constructed in their own right.

Clearly Apple took the time to think of every aspect of the Apple Watch and created it with the same attention to detail that Jobs was famous for. If you were to compare Apple’s watch bracelet choices to the options available for the Pebble, for example (as I did today), you would likely suffer an acute case of Apple envy.

Developer buy-inThe app store is another area where Apple has an advantage over competitors. Developers know the cachet that the Apple Watch will have and want to develop for it. In contrast to Apple’s strategy at the iPhone launch, this time Apple is actively encouraging development of apps for its watch and there will be no shortage of takers.

In fact Mango Health, a company

Jason FernandesTech commentator and the founder of SmartKlock.

Say what you will about Tim Cook’s performance, the Apple Watch is a defining moment in his reign thus far and a clear signal to the world that Cook is finally remaking Apple in his own image.

that makes health-related mobile applications, has already announced that it will likely be creating a mobile app for Apple’s smartwatch. The list of apps available for the Apple Watch is likely to increase at a rate much greater than that of its competitors because developers trust the brand.

The Apple Watch has another advantage over its competitors and that is because it is expected to integrate so nicely with the iPhone. Whatever you may think of the Apple Watch, the iPhone remains one of the most popular smartphones in the world and it’s unlikely other smartwatch manufacturers will be able to achieve the same seamlessness with the iPhone that the Apple Watch is sure to have.

The fact is that it is not quite a level playing field because Apple can use its dominance in the smartphone industry and parlay that into smartwatch success, solely because it provides a better overall ecosystem.

No consensus yetThe Apple Watch is not without its detractors however, especially those who find its features a bit gimmicky. The watch’s capabilities as a fitness tracker have been roundly criticized and a recent Reuters article quoted some distinctly unimpressed health experts and close observers who complained that the Jawbone UP and the Fitbit can do all that the Apple Watch can do, and more. These observers, however, ignore the massive impact a vibrant developer community can have on hardware like the Apple Watch.

While some of Apple’s competition in this space may win in a feature-to-feature comparison today, they are minimally upgradeable and here is where the capacity for future apps and an engaged development community comes in handy. The intersection of hardware and software is really what

Technology

118 | GlobeAsia October 2014

competing against a product that can do so much more. While Biver is correct in saying that Apple is unlikely to cannibalize sales of more exotic timepieces, many cheaper digital/analog and even some low-end automatic watches will be seriously at risk once Apple starts to make deep inroads into the market.

It sometimes seems expectations are so high that nothing Apple could reasonably produce would impress all camps. Part of the reason for this is that graphic artists in the lead-up to the announcement put out wackier and wackier concept drawings that always make the real thing feel like a letdown. Unlike these artists, Apple has to deal with the burden of production and design realities not shared by these Photoshop warriors.

Apple has launched a device that will come to define a category and whatever your thoughts on the Apple Watch, it’s clear we have now entered the age of the smartwatch. Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky said recently that Apple’s entry validated the market and that’s true, but what he failed to add is that with the launch of the Apple Watch, the smartwatch wars have officially begun.

Apple does best so it’s almost disingenuous when analysts fail to take this into consideration.

The aforementioned Reuters article also included a quote from a technology analyst at IDC who expressed frustration with Apple, saying: “I was expecting there to be some true healthcare applications that would take it a step further beyond wellness,” and therein lies the rub; Apple tends to be held to a higher standard when it enters new markets and so whenever it attempts something new, there are bound to be vocal critics.

Predictably, luxury Swiss watchmakers were not impressed with the Apple Watch either. The Wall Street Journal quoted the illustrious Jean-Claude Biver as saying “it looks perfect, but perfection sometimes has a lack of sexiness.” Biver, a legend in the industry (and now president of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton), added simply: “This won’t create another crisis for the Swiss watch industry.”

The fact is however that it could. The vast majority of Swatch watches also sell in the same price range and will soon find themselves

Apple consistently differentiates itself from its competition because it gives a supreme amount of thought to the minutest of details. It was able to take an ordinary object like a watch crown and infuse it with magic, mimicking its form but revolutionizing its function.

SingaporeAustraliaMalaysiaIndonesiaPhilippinesThailandTaiwanOthers

S$13.00A$9.95

RM18.00Rp50,000

P250B210

NT$210US$8

MICA (P) 142/10/2007

www.globeasia.com

THE POWER TRIO

WOMEN ON THE RISE

A

A

SI

VOLUME 8 NUMBER 10 / OCTOBER 2014INDONESIA’S NO 1 BUSINESS MAGAZINE

THREE WOMEN SIT ON TOP OF INDONESIA’S POLITICAL PYRAMID. HOW THEY WORK TOGETHER WILL

DETERMINE THE FUTURE OF THE NATION

NEW NAMES; FRESH ASPIRATIONS

SPECIAL ISSUE 99 MOST POWERFUL WOMEN

Megawati Soekarnoputri

Rini Soemarno

Iriana Joko Widodo

8 | GlobeAsia October 2014 A Media Holdings Publication

Columnists20 Steve Hanke Regime uncertainty weighs on growth 26 Jamil Maidan FloresA demand for strategies: Responses to challenges of our time

112 Wijayanto Samirin and Muhamad IkhsanThe end of MP3EI?

116 Jason Fernandes Why the Apple Watch will be a genre-defining product

120 Shamim RazaviLoosening the Gordian knot

130 Keith Loveard A world of waste

132 Scott YoungerInfrastructure, objectives and engineering

contentsVOLUME 8 NUMBER 10 / OCTOBER 2014

152

126

Entrepreneur30 Setting the global standard SAP Indonesia’s managing director explains how the well-known German information technology system can help local companies become world beaters.

Companies124 RPX: Taking a crack at the retail trailPT Republic Express is venturing into the B2C segment of the logistics market but with a twist.

126 The core comes firstFollowing a bad experience with its ownership of Mandala Airlines, Cardig International is now turning its attention to what it does best – aviation sector services. .

interview134 Michael Corbat: A focus on the world’s top citiesCitigroup’s CEO on the health ofthe banking sector and how the giant US bank sees Asia.

136 A healthy outlookAfter 20 years in the country, GE Healthcare has learned to listen to local input to improve its products and services. It believes that Indonesia’s resilient economy will propel growth.

Book review 140 Cukong extraordinaireLiem Sioe Liong was a giant among men during the 32-year rule of former President Suharto. In a rare accomplishment, authors Richard Borsuk and Nancy Chng have written a riveting book on the tycoon’s rise, fall and rise again.

143 The Power of Javanese WomanAn insight into how Javanese women can dominate while remaining in the background.

Events148 A tribute to SBY149 Cartier grand opening150 Permata Bank “Wealth Wisdom 2014”

Living the Good Life152 Swiss blissThe joys of the Swiss Alps and travelling in style on Qatar Airways.

Back Page156 Historic Tip Top restaurant

10 | GlobeAsia October 2014

Editor’s NoteEditorialEditor in ChiefShoeb K. Zainuddin

Managing Editor Yanto Soegiarto

Deputy Editors Aloysius UndituMuhamad Al Azhari

Editor at LargeJohn Riady

Senior EditorAlbert W. Nonto

Contributing EditorsFarid HariantoSteve HankeScott Younger

ContributorsSuryo Bambang SulistoWuddy WarsonoWijayanto SamirinFrans WinartaJason FernandesJohn Denton

Special ColumnistJamil Maidan Flores

ReportersArdhian NoviantoDion Bisara

Copy EditorGeraldine Tan

Art, Design and LayoutGimbar MaulanaElsid ArendraAgustinus W. TriwibowoNela RealinoWulan Tagu Dedo

Senior PhotographersM. DefrizalSuhadi

ProductionAssistantDanang Kurniadi

GlobeAsia Magazine BeritaSatu Plaza 9th FloorJl. Jendral Gatot Subroto Kav. 35-36Jakarta 12950Indonesia

Tel +62 21 29957500Fax +62 21 5200072

www.globeasia.com

For sales inquiries salesglobeasia@beritasatumedia.com

To subscribecirculation@globeasia.com

PHOT

O EN

ERGI

TODA

Y.CO

M

If change is the only constant in life, our list of the 99 Most Powerful Women for 2014

reflects the changing nature of the Indonesian political and economic landscape. But as is often the case, the more things change, the more they remain the same.

For the past seven years since we began publication, Ani Yudhoyono, due to her position as the First Lady has occupied the top spot on the GlobeAsia list. Former President Megawati Sukarnoputri, also the chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) came in second. Ibu Ani did not occupy any formal post but she exerted enormous influence in the public sphere and was often seen on the right-hand shoulder of her husband, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Now as a new president prepares to take office, a new first lady will emerge. How much influence she exerts remains to be seen but there is no doubt that two other women will be at the center of Indonesia’s public life for the next five years.

Megawati, as chairman of the PDI-P, the party in power, will no doubt want to make her voice heard. The other woman, Rini Soemarno, is back in the spotlight as the head of president-elect Joko Widodo’s transition team and a possible cabinet minister. She has also been tasked with formulating the road map for the new president’s policies.

Rini is a close confidante of

Megawati and a former trade and industry minister. She also has extensive experience in the private sector having once led Astra International, the country’s largest listed company.

With three influential women with differing backgrounds now at the highest levels of the government, there is a real opportunity for Indonesia to introduce policies that can help lift all women. While great strides have been made to include more women in public life and in the formal economy, the sad truth is that the vast majority of women in the country remain cut off from opportunities to better themselves.

Young girls are more likely to drop out from school than young boys. Many of them are forced to work in agriculture or as domestic help. Many remain trapped in poverty and their children too have very little hope of breaking free. Women make up half the population of Indonesia today and incorporating them into the workforce should be a key priority of the new government.

Doing so is not just a moral and ethical imperative but economically critical. Indonesia cannot hope to expand its economy and rise up the value chain if it keeps its girls and women downtrodden. Raising them up will also mean raising the country and the nation.

Shoeb K. ZainuddinEditor in Chief

The road to change