Hero’s Journey Essay Essay

The hero’s journey is an aspect that’s found in many books and even movies. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is a very famous book read by many English classes based on a hero’s journey. The characters in this book struggle to find out what their journey is, especially the main character Amir. Refusal of the call means the hero attempts to refuse the adventure because he is afraid. Amir holds back from doing a lot in the book because he is afraid of the outcome that comes along with it. Even though Amir refuses the call he later accepts and winds up doing good deeds; however, I still don’t believe he’s the hero because he doesn’t protect Hassan; he frames Hassan because he feels guilty about not protecting him when he should have, and he lets class and race get in the way of their friendship. Refusal of the call plays a big role in The Kite Runner because most of the characters refuse to do something. Baba refuses to get treatment for his c ancer; Amir at first refuses to go back to Kabul; and Hassan refuses to stay in Kabul. In hero’s journey tales, the hero feels unsure and afraid of the adventure ahead of them, which is why they refuse the call. Rahim Kahn is the one who tries to get Amir to accept the biggest call of his life by telling him â€Å"there’s a way to be good again†(192) if he goe back to Kabul. After awhile, Amir finally put his fear aside and heads back to Kabul. Even though Amir eventually accepts the call and has done some good deeds throughout the book, he is not a full on hero. The good deed that Amir has done was go back to Kabul to adopt Hassan’s son Sohrab because Hassan and his wife have been murdered. Amir goes to the Taliban who has Sohrab and tries to get them to give him Sohrab. The Taliban in the room was giving Amir a really hard time about getting to Sohrab and kept asking Amir questions. Amir finally figured out who the Taliban really was. Assef wouldn’t let Amir take Sohrab due to do â€Å"unfinished business†. Assef then turns the music up really loud and starts beating up Amir while Sohrab just stood and watched. Sohrab told Assef to stop hurting Amir but he didn’t. Sohrab then shot Assef in the eye with his slingshot and when Assef fell to the floor, Amir and Sohrab escaped to freedom (286-292). This is an example of a good deed because at first, Amir refused to go back to Kabul to save Sohrab but then finally realizes that Hassan would of done it for him, so he ended up leaving his family in America to save Sohrab for Hassan. The first  time Amir refuses the call is when Amir wins The Kite Runner tournament for the first time with Hassan’s help. After Amir cuts the other persons kite, Hassan goes to chase the blue kite down for Amir. Amir exclaims that Hassan doesn’t need to do that for him and as Hassan is running for the kite, he shouts â€Å"for you a thousand times over† and proceeds to get the kite (67). Amir goes to look for Hassan and finds Hassan talking to the bully Assef and his friends but what Amir didn’t know was the worst was about to happen. Since Hassan refused to give Assef the blue kite because it was Amir’s, Assef said, â€Å"I’ve changed my mind, I’m letting you keep the kite, Hazara. I’ll let you keep it so it will always remind you of what I’m about to do†(73). Assef and his friends quickly raped Hassan and then run off. Amir had to watch the whole thing. This is an example of refusing the call because Amir refused to stand up for Hassan and say something because he was scared they’d do the same thing to him and that doesn’t make Amir a hero. The second time Amir refuses the call is when Amir did nothing to protect Hassan as he watched Assef and his friend’s rape him. Amir’s cowardliness also gets in the way, so he ends up framing Hassan. Amir feels so guilty and can’t take the guilt anymore to where he waits for Hassan and his dad Ali to leave the house and he frames Hassan by putting the watch that Baba gave him and the money he got for his birthday under Hassan mattress that way Baba would ask them to leave so Amir didn’t have to deal with the guilt anymore. What Amir was least expecting happened; Baba confronted Hassan and Ali about stealing the watch and money. Baba came right out and said, â€Å"Did you steal that money? Did you steal Amir’s watch, Hassan?†(105). Hassan replies saying, â€Å"yes†(105). Amir was not expecting Hassan to actually say yes so he was very shocked when Hassan said yes. Since Baba said the only sin was theft, Amir thought that Baba would surely dismiss them. Baba’s response shocks everyone. Baba says, â€Å"I forgive you†(105). Amir was so shocked because Baba said the worst sin to do was theft. Ali then said that him and Hassan are leaving and couldn’t stay here any longer because of what happened. Baba was crying hysterically begging them not to go. Amir refused the call of not stepping up and protecting Hassan and felt so guilty he framed him to get them to leave. In the end everything worked out in Amir’s favor and they left Kabul, which doesn’t make Amir a hero, it makes him a coward. Amir is not a full on hero because he refuses to call Hassan his  friend due to race, class issues and because Hassan was Amir’s servant. Amir at first didn’t even consider him and Hassan as â€Å"friends†. â€Å"I never thought of Hassan and me as friends either†(25). Later throughout the book Amir starts to realize that Hassan is more than just his servant. Hassan has always called Amir his friend and brother but Amir could never come out and say it back. Once Amir finally realized that Hassan was actually his best friend and even brother, Amir regrets everything once Hassan died because he couldn’t go back and change it. Amir was considered high class and Hassan was a Hazara, which was name for a lower class afghan, so their class differences made it hard for Amir to call Hassan his friend because he was scared of what others would think of him. Because others new Hassan as Amir’s servant, it also made it hard for Amir to tell people that Hassan and him were actually friends. This is an example of refusing the call because Amir had always wanted to call Hassan his friend, but was always scared of what others would think because Hassan was a Hazara and Amir’s servant. Because Amir was so scared of what others thought, that doesn’t make him a hero. In conclusion, I would like to say that through the hero’s journey aspect of refusal of the call, even though Amir has done some good deeds, like go back to Kabul to save and adopt Sohrab, he still wasn’t a true hero because he doesn’t protect Hassan from getting raped and after watching it happen, he frames Hassan because he feels so guilty about not doing anything to protect him when he should have, and he lets class and race issues get in the way of their friendship. Hosseini portrays Amir in The Kite Runner by making him go through a lot of tough obstacles throughout the book especially when he was younger and having to make life-changing decisions. Amir refused to face most of the obstacles he was given in the book, but as he grew up, he accepted the fact that he needed to overcome his fear and complete those obstacles. When we’re younger we get scared to do certain things, but as we get older we realize that we need to do the things that scare us in order to become the hero. Though one might refuse the call because of fear, as you grow older you end up accepting the fact that you need to face the call and go through with whatever obstacle is put in your pathway just like Amir did when he had to face going to save Sohrab. Whether you face your obstacles or not, that is what makes you a true hero. Citations Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. New York: Riverhead, 2003. Print.

Evaluating and Engaging Wal-Mart Argument

He believes t is best for our economy. Malaria provides a much stronger argument than author Dan Levine. This assumption is supported by various rhetorical strategies. In contrast, Levine consistently commits fallacies. Author Dan Levine of â€Å"Wall-Mart's Big City Blues† argues against Wall-Mart because it does not abide by the Miming wage ordinance of Hartford, CT. The use of rhetorical strategies and fallacies In both essays will be evaluated to better determine if one author's argument Is more legitimate than the other. Mulligan's essay is well composed of legitimated claims with purported reasoning.He expresses his thoughts very clearly along with the use of rhetorical strategies. Rhetorical strategies are tremendously useful when making claims or arguments. The first rhetorical strategy Malaria uses is citing experts. When he declares, â€Å"Wall-Mart has led a productivity revolution In re-tattling which supercharged the economy,† Malaria emphasizes that Warren Buffet himself declares that Wall-Mart has contributed more than any other business to the health of the economy (688) to further help his argument that Wall-Mart has provided more bobs and cheaper way of living.Citing experts is an effective way to convince someone because doing so provides the reader with insight that someone with experience agrees with the argument made. This creates logos which is a logic. Analogies are also valuable when arguing. This strategy helps the reader better understand a difficult topic by comparing It to, a more simple situation. Malaria references Wall- Mart as company that has been â€Å"pulverize† unionized grocery stores. Malaria also uses extended illustrations, providing examples, and anticipating arguments as a strategy.He demonstrates truth behind his claims by acknowledging that unions attempted to boycott the company as a â€Å"Merchant of Shame. † The boycott go no results, but the coalition has more effectively waged legisla tive battles around the country. In anti-Wall-Mart coalition has successfully lobbied more than a dozen cycles and towns to pass ordinances to keep Wall-Mart out, while dozens of other such bills are in the legislative hopper (Malaria 688). Although his essay includes a wide variety of strategies, it is not an example of a perfect essay.He includes problematic sentences in his text also known as a fallacy. Fallacies are often identified to point-out flaws and weaknesses in one's argument. The fallacy that was most evident in his text would be considered to be card-stacking. Malaria displays card stacking by expressing how Los Angles Economic Development Council estimated that Wall-Mart would save Southern California shoppers $3. 76 billion annually and create up to 36,000 new Jobs. Just because this one study supports his claim, it does not mean this is true in every other state. Dan Levine commits many fallacies throughout his text.He begins his first arcograph by asserting that â €Å"Wall-Mart is setting its sights on unfamiliar urban territory: a grassy lot in Hartford, Connecticut (685). † This fallacy is called scare tactics. This tactic is based around the ethical appeal which deals with morals (right from wrong. ) The second fallacy he commits is bandwagon. Levine bandwagon's activist by affirming that they have published a living-wage ordinance in 110 cities and country since the mid-sass. This fallacy focuses on the common saying majority rules. On the following page he references Jon Green who is a director of the Working Families Party in Connecticut.Green asks â€Å"should Wall-Mart provide living- wage Jobs and [affordable] health benefits, or not? (686)† Green then says â€Å"that's a different kind of question than, ‘should there be nothing, or should there be a massive retail development? Politically, we think that's a better wedge for us† (686). Levine is using Jon Green in his text to commit the testimonial fallacy. Authors use testimonials to sale themselves by citing experts in their text to Justify one to believing their claim. Olivine's essay is not completely compelled with fallacies though. He also incorporates useful rhetorical strategies.The first strategy that was brought to attention was dividing and explaining. He explains how activist created a living-wage ordinance in 110 cities and countries. â€Å"Typically those laws require companies seeking city contracts, property tax abatements or other public subsidies to pay their employees a living wage, which can come to several dollars above hourly minimum-wage rates† (685). This strategy is extremely useful to incorporate in an essay. Broad topics can be misleading and hard to comprehend. Making steps or simplifying their evaluation helps the reader follow what he or she is trying to say.Another strategy he uses is stats and facts. Levine declares that Wall-Marts static are remarkable and compares their annual sales to gross do mestic product of Austria. Austria is a big rich European country, so to be compared to that specific country means a lot. Both Levine and Malaria displayed strengths and weaknesses throughout their essays. Malaria exhibited many rhetorical strategies along with a couple of fallacies while Steven Levine displayed the exact opposite. Aside from the rhetorical strengths that were used Malaria held a better argument.

Boundaryless Organizations

In deciding issues such a distribution of authority, reporting relationships, span of control and centralization/decentralization, the structure of the organization will result. It is worth noting that the current tendency is to move to flatter organization having fewer hierarchical levels and more flexible reporting arrangements. This is what a boundaryless organization is about. As a different view of organizational structure, it is not defined by, or limited to, the boundaries imposed by a predefined structure. Boundaries in this context can be external and internal in nature.Internal boundaries are horizontal boundaries imposed by work specialization and departmentalization and vertical boundaries that separate employees into organizational levels and hierarchies. The external boundaries are those that separate the organization from its customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders. The boundaryless organization breaks down the artificial boundaries created by a design such as dep artmentalization and hierarchies, and the external boundaries separating the organization from its suppliers, customers and other stakeholders.General Electric’s former chairman, Jack Welch, coined the term boundaryless organization to describe is idea of what he wanted GE to become (Ashkenas, Ulrich, Jick and Kerr (1995). It has been called by different names since: the 21st century network organization, modular corporation, the new corporate model, the new corporate architecture or virtual corporation, to name a few. And because it relies heavily on information technology, some have turned to calling this structure the T-form (or technology-based) organization.Industries and Organizations Suitable for a Boundaryless Organizational Structure From its foundation, more than one hundred years ago, the learning of organizations has rested on a single conjecture: that there is and/or should be a sole ‘right’ structure of organization. This ‘one-size-fits-allâ⠂¬â„¢ thought still keeps on until today. What is offered as the ‘one right’ business structure has altered on more than one occasion, but the exploration for the one-size-fitting-all organizations continues these days.Probably the most suitable organization for a boundaryless organizational structure is manufacturing companies which operate on a global scale. However, it may be noted that no one structure meets all the business requirements under all conditions. It is always important to periodically evaluate the organization structure to determine whether it is still appropriate to the changing needs. The decision maker should list the strengths and weaknesses of each structural alternative and also develop business priorities for attributes such as cycle-time reduction or scale/scope of manufacturing, etc.Then the choice of structure can be made to meet the top priorities. Advantages In recent years, many organizations have attempted to become more boundaryless by ma intaining flatter structures and allowing a more free flow of communication and influence with customers and suppliers. As an example, a boundaryless organization might encourage the contracting of services across functional or product-line boundaries. With such contracting comes closer contact and natural development of customer-supplier relationships between previously separated groups.One specific example increasingly common in recent years involves the contracting of human resource services between an HR department and other units of an organization. The boundaryless organization aims to do away with pecking order, have unlimited span of control, and substitute units with empowered teams. The breaking down of boundaries between an organization and its external customers has also caused those customers to take a more active role toward the organization and its management.For example, in service settings that have adopted boundaryless orientations, external customers increasingly become more involved in the design and delivery of the company’s HRM practices. By taking away vertical boundaries, the management evens out the chain of command. Status and rank are minimized and becomes flexible and responsive. Another advantage is that it dissolves temporal, geographical, hierarchical, legal and economic boundaries.The extent to which an organization has attempted to reshape its boundaries structurally toward boundarylessness coincides with the appropriateness of 360 ° degree feedback. For example, a flatter structure would increase the need for upward appraisals and feedback, as managers attempt to gauge the effectiveness of their leadership behaviors. Disadvantages Any discussion of the benefits or transcendence of the boundaryless organization should, however, consider the limitations and disadvantages of this new structure.These may include lack of control due to the increase in its span, communication difficulties due to personality and cultural dif ferences, stifling of innovation, ambiguities in the nature of relationships, asymmetric commitment, conflict in control, loss of autonomy and security, time lags, managing complexity, structural constraints, narrow managerial perspectives, manipulation and ulterior motives, mismatched or incomplete knowledge and competence, increased dependencies and so on. Also, the fact that people are motivated by different things and in different ways is something that managers are constantly conscious of.Thus, there are times when delayering and the flattening of hierarchies can create insecurity and lower staff morale (Peters, 1992). During the process, employees usually feel that they are being stripped off their responsibilities, interpreting it as lack of trust on the part of the management. Creating a Boundaryless Organization Picot, Reichwald and Wigand (2008) observed that there have been copious cases of businesses delayering their organizational structures in recent years. According t o advocates of the structure, one of the most effective ways of building responsiveness into organizations is to eliminate layers of management.The benefits gained from delayering could be fully realized only through a number of significant accompanying organizational changes. Looking more into internal training to meet the firms’ needs, citing cost pressures to cut back on spending for occupational training and outsourcing, which pushes the costs of training lower down the supply chain, often onto small and medium size enterprises which are in no position to finance such training are a number of ways to overcoming any problems that the delayering process creates.The managers’ and leaders’ role into this process, since they are the management people coming in closest contact with the employees, is to communicate, consult and plan on the measures that need to be taken in order for the delayering process to become beneficial to the organization as a whole.Cross-hi erarchical teams (which includes top executives, middle managers, supervisors and operative employees), participative decision-making practices, and the use of 360-degrees performance appraisals (in which peers and others above and below the employee evaluate his or her performance) are examples of what a boundaryless organization should be doing to break down vertical boundaries. Conclusion Many factors have contributed to the rise of the boundaryless organization. One is the need to respond to rapidly changing, highly competitive global markets.Another factor is new technology, such as computers and telecommunications that permits organizations to work more effectively. Employees then have a vast amount of information at their fingertips through an intranet. This idea may sound odd, yet many of today’s most successful organizations are finding that they can operate more effectively in today’s environment by remaining flexible and unstructured: that the ideal structur e for them is not having a rigid, predefined structure.WORKS CITED Ashkenas, R. , Ulrich, D. , Jick, T. & Kerr, S. (1995). The Boundaryless Organization: Breaking the Chains of Organizational Structure. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Peters, T. (1992). Liberation Management: Necessary Disorganization for the Nanosecond Nineties. London: Macmillan Picot, A. , Reichwald, R. & Wigand, R. (2008). Information, Organization and Management. Berlin: Springer-Verlag.

High Strangeness Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

High Strangeness - Research Paper Example Blocks used for construction of these pyramids were obtained from quarries by use tools made of copper and stones; in fact, this has been identified through examples concerning each stage of block extraction regarding existing ancient quarries. On the other hand, granite was applied in thumping the stones of dolerite; in fact, some of these stones were discovered in these quarries (ScienceDaily, 1). Furthermore, transportation of these blocks to location where the pyramids were contracted involved use of barges and wooden sleds from the local and remote quarries. There are no wheels applied during the process of building these pyramids; in fact, this invention would not have been of any help since they were transporting a heavy load on a soft ground; therefore, this involved manual dragging of sleds and they would be assisted beasts of burdens. Furthermore, there were lubricants poured upon the roads, thereby reducing the friction while moving their loads. The process of building the se pyramids commenced in 2700 B.C, whereby they were constructed as a way of extending royalty for other thousands years, up to 1700 B.C (ScienceDaily, 1). ... building of great pyramids has been done by numerous people; in fact, some people contend that they were constructed through a possession of technology, which was lost though ages. So therefore, this indicates that creation of this pyramids was a complicated process; for instance, there are contentions that these pyramids might have been built by twenty thousand to thirty thousand laborers in order to complete Great Pyramid at Giza, which took approximately twenty there years to be constructed (ScienceDaily, 1). Construction of pyramids by pharaohs commenced after taking their throne; in fact, the pharaoh focused on establishment of a committee, which entailed a group of people considered as overseers of the construction process, a chief engineer and architect. On the other hand, these pyramids were located at the western side of the Nile, whereby the pharaoh’s soul was believed to have a chance of meeting with the sun disc as it descended prior to continuing with the sun in i ts eternal round. Apparently, two deciding factors were applied in determining the location where this pyramid would be built; in fact, these factors included course to the western horizon, the location of the sunset and immediacy to Memphis and this made the central city of ancient Egypt (ScienceDaily, 1). Composition of nucleus among these pyramids included local limestone, which was of finer quality, and this was composed of outer layer of the pyramids; thus, this led to a white sheen that is noticeable from miles away, and there were other capstone, which was usually made of basalt, granite and other hard stones (ScienceDaily, 1). In fact, they were planted with precious metals such as gold and silver, a combination or an alloy of both, thereby causing a shiny reflection during bright sunny

Report on marine engineering industry in the uk Coursework

Report on marine engineering industry in the uk - Coursework Example million and total employees exceeding 410,000, it is the leading marine sector across Europe; it outshines aerospace, automotive and agricultural sectors (Stem Choices 2010). This report explores the marine engineering sector of United Kingdom covering industry trends, development opportunities, development constraints and main players. Marine sector encompasses numerous activities ranging from sub-se technology to shipping, aquaculture to ports, commercial fishing to royal navy; and leisure to maritime financial and legal services (Smith, H. & Lalwani 1999: 398). These activities can be divided into four subsectors relative to marine engineering activities namely marine resource-based, marine-related equipment and service, marine operations and shipping and marine system design and construction. Marine resource-based sub-sector involves activities for recovery of marine resources such as seabed mining and oil and gas exploration (Taylor 2013). Marine-related equipment and service sub-sector involves manufacture of equipment and provision of supportive services for marine activities; they include machinery, marine electronics, software development and instrumentation (Tooley 2012: 2-7). Marine operations and shipping sub-sector involves activities such as waste disposal and dredging whereas marine system design and construction involve coastal and offshore engineering and design, construction and design of ships (Tooley 2012: 2-7). UK is among the major countries leading in boat building sector across the globe. There has been a shift in preference in the market from sailing yachts to motor yachts hence booming of the powerboat sector of which UK holds a significant share; some UK motor boat builders recoded a minimum of 90% of their production (SEEDA 2007). Also, demand from China and Russia have driven high the demand of superyacht. Further, marine equipment industry boasts a good share of the world market (Highley et al. 2007); however, it faces stiff

How the Black Plague Changed Europe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

How the Black Plague Changed Europe - Essay Example The aristocracy wealth was based on ownership of land. The death of millions of people due to the Black Plague, therefore, meant that there was an acute shortage of labour. The peasants were particularly affected by the Black Plague because of the poor conditions in which they were living; the poor conditions coupled with close quarters in which the peasants were living provided a conducive environment for the spread of the Black Plague (The Flow of History,n.p. Web.). The shortage of labour led to drastic reduction in agricultural produce. The reduction of agricultural produce was a real disaster in the economy of medieval Europe. Apart from reduced agricultural produce, the few available peasants/labourers started demanding higher wages because the demand of their services was very high (Herlihy, 8-9). This led to increase in the cost of production of agricultural products. This in turn led to inflation because the aristocrats had to sell their produce at higher prices because of the high cost of production. Another factor that led to the inflation of the economy was the prohibitive trade measures that were instituted by some monarchs, these measures made procurement of goods through trade quite difficult (Zapotoczny, 2-3). This meant that there was insufficient supply of goods in the market leading to inflation. The crumbling of the Agricultural sector in the 14th century Europe due to the Black Plague depleted the tax base of the European states. The medieval European states were therefore forced, as it were, by the economic constraints occasioned by the Black Plague to increase taxes. The increase in taxes exacerbated the already high inflation in medieval Europe. The Black plague therefore caused economic recession in the medieval Europe. The economic recession ultimately led to complete change of economic system in Europe from Feudalism to capitalism as we shall see later in this paper. The second

Analysis of Wimps, Whiners, and Weekend Warriors Essay

Analysis of Wimps, Whiners, and Weekend Warriors - Essay Example He cements his claim by pointing at the mythical hero in of ‘true men’ exemplified in Rambo, Wayne and Superman. He furthers his point of reason by George Bush’s sentiments in 1984 debate in which he said that he kicked had a little ass the previous night. Lastly, he postulates that, the males apparent wild tendencies is more than mere feelings but it is also a fervent such for the â€Å"would be† lost boyhood. In the above discos, kimmel’s argument is a farce because it satirizes boyhood. For example, he alludes to bullying in his schools, assenting to a specified dietary detail for a true man and giving import to Bush’s retrogressive sentiments which taint rather than build a descent image of males. Finally, from the movies such as close encounters and full metal jack he draws a conclusion that men leave their families in the desperate search of their lost inner childhood man. In conclusion the excerpt is ridicule on perception of male chauvinism an endeavors to liberate the male dominant society by asserting the relevance of feminism while he defangs the critical crisis masculinity per

Starbucks Coffee Marketing Plan Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Starbucks Coffee Marketing Plan - Research Paper Example From the discission it it clear that the company aspires to provide an extraordinary service. The company has used several strategies, including increasing the size of its workforce so that it can increase the speed of serving its clientele. Although many view, the focus on the quality of service delivery may ruin the business because the company may end up producing low-quality products. However, this is a shallow analysis of the operations underlying service orientation. This is because, apart from focusing on methods of how to present the service better to the clientele, the concept includes ways of making a satisfactory product. In essence, the service-oriented operations at Starbucks equate the operations and components of a working marketing strategy. The following is Starbucks Coffee marketing plan.As the study stresses the main target market for Starbucks is people of all genders aged between 18-40 years. The fact that Starbucks products are relatively expensive means that mo st of its clientele are people of medium to upper class although the company has tried to bring down its prices. Starbucks Coffee is a brand that is synonymous with higher status social groups. This was the focus of the company for many years. This implies that the company targeted the young people who cared about their image and status. Although this supposition is still present when one utters the name of Starbucks, the company marketing strategy is changing. These are the main target markets for Starbucks Coffee.

Price discovery in American and British Property Markets Essay

Price discovery in American and British Property Markets - Essay Example On the other hand, real-estate taxes accounted for 17.1 per cent of home-owners' housing costs in Britain in 1983, compared to only 7.6 per cent in the United States. These home-ownership costs provide a simple cash-flow comparison of family housing cost, but they do not take into account a variety of other important factors, including, most importantly, the impact of mortgage interest tax relief and the appreciated value of the house. The results suggest that actual cost is extremely sensitive to the rate of appreciation. However, using the average annual appreciation over the 1978-83 period, we calculate that, as a percentage of income, the real annual cost of home-ownership (excluding property tax and maintenance) was significantly lower in Britain than in the United States. Indeed, given that interest rates were lower than the rate of inflation of house prices, the real annual cost of purchasing a new home in Britain in either 1981 or 1983 was actually negative.

The American Civil War Essay Example for Free

The American Civil War Essay In analysis of the debate of whether wars are always wrong since they are violent or if they are a necessary evil sometimes, it is important to study both sides of the argument, pro and anti war. War is seen as a resolution of conflicts which could not be solved in any other way, a common example given being the American Civil War. This war was fought to abolish slavery and to eliminate racism in the country and succeeded in giving blacks their rights. War is said to part of the system of nature, where an everlasting struggle to survive persists, in relation to Darwin’s theory. As only the fittest survive, war is said to be a way in which mankind progresses. It also is said to control the population which is continuing to grow in rapidly. It balances the population and resources available. It is also argued that war gives the economy a boost and helps develop infrastructure. War is also seen to play a unifying role in countries which had been previously divided. An example lies in the English Civil Wars. War has a great number of negative effects as well and is not a necessary evil. It is stated that the American Civil War was completely unnecessary as there are a number of other countries which successfully abolished slavery without a war taking place. The possibility of nuclear wars is a very great threat to the peaceful existence of mankind. The possible negative effects are tremendous and under speculations must be avoided at all costs. Overall, war devalues human lives. It compares them to material things and degrades human beings. The anti war stance is humane and helpful for humanity and its good as war has devastating effects on its victims. Are All Wars Since They Are Violent Wrong, Or Are They At Times a Necessary Evil? War is an occurrence that mankind has been faced with every few years, sometimes being apparently inevitable and sometimes being viewed as wholly unnecessary. Always being outright gloomy and terrifying due to the loss of lives and the suffering caused, there are also some effects of war which are seen as being positive and are thus stated to be in favor of war. This has caused for two different opinions, one being that war is always unjustified and should be avoided and the other being that war is essential. As the eternal debate of the necessity of war has been sparked by thousands of years of bloodshed, some argue that it is a necessary evil, while those who keep in mind the value of every single human life claim that war must be avoided at all costs. As both sides of the argument have humongous implications, it is essential to examine each proposal with the utmost care before forming an opinion. It is argued that some conflicts cannot be resolved in any other way. For example, the American Civil War. Had it not been for this war, the black people of the country would have been forced into continued existence as slaves. Their families were being torn apart and they were being deprived of their basic rights. Some say that there was no other way to make the white people give the blacks their basic human rights as they would not choose to pay their workers when they clearly benefitted from slavery. Thus in the case of eradication of discrimination, war seems to have been necessary. There are also those who call attention to the fact that war is required as it is the law of nature. It is said that it is an essential component of nature’s design of the world. As Darwin has proposed that there is an everlasting struggle for survival, this is used as evidence that war is inevitable. It is said that with war mankind progresses as in the struggle for survival only the fittest survive and the weak, who may have been obstacles to progress, are removed. War gives the opportunity for heroism and self-sacrifice and thus human development takes place. (SINGH, n. d. ) War is also said to be needed to control overpopulation. As the population of the world grows rapidly and resources grow scarcer by the minute, war is said to keep the population in check. (SINGH, n. d. ) Population and resources are thus forced to be balanced in this way. Also an attributed to war is the growth of an economy and also the development of an infrastructure. People are provided with a number of job opportunities and thus the rate of unemployment declines favorably. It forces the citizens of a country to rally its resources and work hard of their country. (How wars are good For an economy, 2005) However, this point is highly debated and claimed to be completely untrue by a number of anti-war activists. The arms and ammunition industries may flourish but this may benefit only a small section of the population and is thus frowned upon. War is also said to help in the unification of a country as many wars throughout history have proved to do so. An example lies in the English Civil Wars which took place between 1642 and 1652, which is the time when the country of England was divided. The king of England at that time was Charles I who deprived the people of sovereignty although it was a constitutional monarchy and the people felt that their voice was remaining to be unheard in parliament. The war was forced to begin when Charles I tried to take over Scotland despite having no approval whatsoever of the parliament. In reaction, the parliament constructed and raised its own army in order to stop that of the king. The war lasted nine entire years and after much suffering and severe losses the army of the parliament were found to have victory. Subsequently, the king faced a trial and was found guilty of crimes against the people of England and was thus executed. The war was in the interest of the English people and benefitted them greatly throughout the years as there were many positive long term effects. In result of these wars, the citizens of England were reunited with their sovereignty. Also, the commonwealth took shape and the entire Great Britain was united under it. (war as an evil necessity, 2006) In light of this example it can be said that war indeed does have effects which results in the ultimate unification of a country. The statement that war is a necessary evil is thus further highlighted as war was necessary for the unification of the country but also cost a great number of lives and caused much pain and suffering as well. On the other hand, there are those who claim that war is not an unnecessary evil. They state that war is a wholly unmixed evil in its purest form. Countering the example of the American Civil War are the examples of all the other nations which successfully removed slavery from their countries without the occurrence of horrifying large-scale wars. For example, the Parliament in Britain passed the Slavery Abolition Act on August 24, 1833 which became the law on August 1, 1834. Subsequently, an average of about eight hundred thousand black people who were oppressively held in the British colonies became freed. In order to balance off the loss the previous slave owners faced, the British Parliament set aside the monetary total of one hundred million dollars. Slavery was thus abolished throughout the British lands. ‘Emancipation Day’ is celebrated as a public holiday in a lot of countries which were previously British colonies, marking the date of freedom. Another example is in the instance of France abolishing slavery on 27 April 1848, under the Second Republic. In order to compensate the previous slave owners, the state bought the slaves from the colonists and then they were freed. Similar examples of a war-less abolishment of slavery are seen in the histories of Argentina, Chile, Mexico, etc. Thus, in this regard war was not necessary. Slavery could have been abolished through other various means such as education and buying and freeing of slaves instead of the costly American Civil War. (Is War a Necessary Evil? , 2009) A point worth mentioning in favor of the anti war side of the debate is the existence of nuclear weapons. If a nuclear war were to take place in this day and age, any possible benefits would have been eliminated as it is. The effects of a nuclear war would be devastating. For example, the countries of Pakistan and India have been rivals ever since Pakistan’s independence and have had wars of their own. In a model of what might happen if there were to be a nuclear war between the two countries has been created by the scientists at the University of Colorado. According to them, â€Å"A limited nuclear weapons exchange between Pakistan and India using their current arsenals could create a near-global ozone hole, triggering human health problems and wreaking environmental havoc for at least a decade, according to a study led by the University of Colorado at Boulder. The computer-modeling study showed a nuclear war between the two countries involving 50 Hiroshima-sized nuclear devices on each side would cause massive urban fires and loft as much as 5 million metric tons of soot about 50 miles into the stratosphere, said CU-Boulder Research Associate Michael Mills, chief study author. The soot would absorb enough solar radiation to heat surrounding gases, setting in motion a series of chemical reactions that would break down the stratospheric ozone layer protecting Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation, said Mills. † (Nuclear War is Bad for You, 2008). Also, an estimate of about one hundred million people are to die in the blasts or in the aftermath of the radiation poisoning. It is clear from this example that nuclear war would be wholly unacceptable and the countries must decide some other means of settling their disputes. It also shows that nuclear war must never be resorted to by any other countries in the world as well. War is said to be, in most situations, mostly needed in order to gain material things. By this the value of a human life is being compared to material wealth. It is being considered unimportant and worthless. For when a war takes place and an army of thousands is formed, one single life is nothing in comparison to those thousands. War has taken place for territorial expansion, reducing the value of lost lives to be beneath the value of land. It has also taken place in order to unrightfully gain other nations resources, where fruitful trade could have taken place instead. As war leads to the devaluation of any number of human lives, it is a terrible thing to occur at any point in time in any place and should be avoided at all costs. As for the argument that war leads to human development, it is said that human development is in fact inhibited by the occurrence of war. War leads to death, which leads to pain, suffering, and frustration. This is as if for example, a family’s breadwinner dies at war, the family will be subject to a great amount of helpless pain and a series of negative emotions. They will also have to struggle for survival. War is thus unhelpful in the area of human development. The debate of whether war is always wrong due the violence that inevitably results or if it is a necessary evil has continued for quite a while and seems as if it shall persist in the years to come as well. However, when keeping in sight the above discussed information, the arguments against war prove to be more humane and compassionate, which are necessary traits in today’s world to prevent cruelty and injustice. References How wars are good For an economy. (July 14). Retrieved 5 13, 2010, from rediff. com: http://www. rediff. com/money/2005/jul/14perfin. htmIs War a Necessary Evil? (2009). Retrieved May 13, 2010, from CreateDebate: http://www. createdebate. com/debate/show/Is_War_a_Necessary_Evil Nuclear War is Bad for You. (2008). Retrieved May 13, 2010, from Sandwalk: http://sandwalk. blogspot. com/2008/04/nuclear-war-is-bad-for-you. html SINGH, R. (n. d. ). 101 War Books. Retrieved 5 13, 2010, from Rajput Brotherhood: http://www. rajputbrotherhood. com/eng/articles/101-war-books. html war as an evil necessity. (2006). Retrieved May 13, 2010, from oppapers: http://www. oppapers. com/essays/War-Evil-Necesity/93065

History and overview: Catalytic converter

History and overview: Catalytic converter A catalytic converter (colloquially, cat or catcon) is a device used to decrease the toxicity of emissions from an internal combustion engine. A catalytic converter works by using a catalyst to stimulate a chemical reaction in which toxic by-products of combustion are converted to less-toxic substances.First widely introduced on series-production automobiles in the U.S. market for the 1975 model year to comply with tightening EPA regulations on auto exhaust, catalytic converters are still most commonly used in motor vehicle exhaust systems. Catalytic converters are also used on generator sets, forklifts, mining equipment, trucks, buses, trains, airplanes and other engine-equipped machines. History The catalytic converter was invented by Eugene Houdry, a French mechanical engineer and expert in catalytic oil refining[1] who lived in the United States. Around 1950, when the results of early studies of smog in Los Angeles were published, Houdry became concerned about the role of automobile exhaust in air pollution and founded a special company, Oxy-Catalyst, to develop catalytic converters for gasoline engines an idea ahead of its time for which he was awarded a patent (US2742437). Widespread adoption had to wait until the extremely effective anti-knock agent tetraHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetra-ethyl_lead-HYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetra-ethyl_leadethylHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetra-ethyl_lead HYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetra-ethyl_leadlead was eliminated from most gasoline over environmental concerns, as the agent would foul the converter by forming a coating on the catalysts surface, effectively disabling it.[2] The catalytic converter was further developed by JohnHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_J._Mooney J. HYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_J._MooneyMooney and CarlHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_D._Keith D. HYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_D._KeithKeith at the EngelhardHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engelhard_Corporation HYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engelhard_CorporationCorporation,[3] creating the first production catalytic converter . Metal-core converter Ceramic-core converter The catalytic converter consists of several components: The core, or substrate. The core is often a ceramic honeycomb in modern catalytic converters, but stainlessHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stainless_steel HYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stainless_steelsteel foil honeycombs are also used. The honey-comb surface increases the amount of surface area available to support the catalyst, and therefore is often called a catalystHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalyst_support HYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalyst_supportsupport. The ceramic substrate was invented by RodneyHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodney_Bagley HYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodney_BagleyBagley, IrwinHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irwin_Lachman HYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irwin_LachmanLachman and RonaldHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ronald_Lewis_(scientist)action=editredlink=1 HYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ronald_Lewis_(scientist)action=editredlink=1Lewis at Cor ningHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corning_Glass HYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corning_GlassGlass, for which they were inducted into the NationalHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Inventors_Hall_of_Fame HYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Inventors_Hall_of_FameInventorsHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Inventors_Hall_of_Fame HYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Inventors_Hall_of_FameHallHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Inventors_Hall_of_Fame of HYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Inventors_Hall_of_FameFame in 2002. The washcoat. A washcoat is used to make converters more efficient, often as a mixture of silica and alumina. The washcoat, when added to the core, forms a rough, irregular surface, which has a far greater surface area than the flat core surfaces do, which then gives the converter core a larger surface area, and therefore more places for active precious metal sites. The catalyst is added to the washcoat (in suspension) before being applied to the core. The catalyst itself is most often a precious metal. Platinum is the most active catalyst and is widely used. It is not suitable for all applications, however, because of unwanted additional reactions and/or cost. Palladium and rhodium are two other precious metals used. Platinum and rhodium are used as a reduction catalyst, while platinum and palladium are used as an oxidization catalyst. Cerium, iron, manganese and nickel are also used, although each has its own limitations. Nickel is not legal for use in the European Union (due to reaction with carbon monoxide). Copper can be used everywhere except North America, where its use is illegal due to the formation of dioxin. How Catalytic Converters Work James L. Amos/National Geographic/Getty Images A large pile of platinum lined catalytic converters. See more green living pictures. There are millions of cars on the road in the United States, and each one is a source of air pollution. Especially in large cities, the amount of pollution that all the cars produce together can create big problems. To solve those problems, cities, states and the federal government create clean-air laws that restrict the amount of pollution that cars can produce. Over the years, automakers have made many refinements to car engines and fuel systems to keep up with these laws. One of these changes came about in 1975 with an interesting device called a catalytic converter. The job of the catalytic converter is to convert harmful pollutants into less harmful emissions before they ever leave the cars ­ exhaust system. Catalytic converters are amazingly simple devices, so it is incredible to see how big an impact they have. In this article, you will learn which pollutants are produced by an engine and how a catalytic converter deals with each of these pollutants to help reduce [edit] Types [edit] Two-way A two-way catalytic converter has two simultaneous tasks: Oxidation of carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide: 2CO + O2 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 2CO2 Oxidation of unburnt hydrocarbons (unburnt and partially-burnt fuel) to carbon dioxide and water: CxH2x+2 + [(3x+1)/2] O2 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ xCO2 + (x+1) H2O (a combustion reaction) This type of catalytic converter is widely used on diesel engines to reduce hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions. They were also used on gasoline engines in USA market automobiles until 1981. Due to their inability to control nitrous oxide NOHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NOxx, they were superseded by three-way converters. [edit] Three-way Since 1981, three-way catalytic converters have been used in vehicle emission control systems in North America and many other countries on roadgoing vehicles. A three-way catalytic converter has three simultaneous tasks: Reduction of nitrogen oxides to nitrogen and oxygen: 2NOx à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ xO2 + N2 Oxidation of carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide: 2CO + O2 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 2CO2 Oxidation of unburnt hydrocarbons (HC) to carbon dioxide and water: CxH2x+2 + [(3x+1)/2]O2 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ xCO2 + (x+1)H2O These three reactions occur most efficiently when the catalytic converter receives exhaust from an engine running slightly above the stoichiometric point. This point is between 14.6 and 14.8 parts air to 1 part fuel, by weight, for gasoline. The ratio for LPG, natural gas and ethanol fuels is slightly different, requiring modified fuel system settings when using those fuels. Generally, engines fitted with 3-way catalytic converters are equipped with a computerized closed-loop feedback fuel injection system using one or more oxygen sensors, though early in the deployment of 3-way converters, carburetors equipped for feedback mixture control were used. While a 3-way catalyst can be used in an open-loop system, NOx reduction efficiency is low. Within a narrow fuel/air ratio band surrounding stoichiometry, conversion of all three pollutants is nearly complete. However, outside that band, conversion efficiency falls very rapidly. When there is more oxygen than required, the system is said to be running lean, and the system is in oxidizing condition. In that case, the converters two oxidizing reactions (oxidation of CO and hydrocarbons) are favoured, at the expense of the reduction of NOx. When there is excessive fuel, the engine is running rich; the reduction of NOx is favoured, at the expense of CO and HC oxidation. [edit] Oxygen storage Three-way catalytic converters can store oxygen from the exhaust gas stream, usually when the air fuel ratio goes lean.[5] When insufficient oxygen is available from the exhaust stream, the stored oxygen is released and consumed (see cerium(IV) oxide). This lean-ness occurs either when oxygen derived from NOx reduction is unavailable or certain maneuvers such as hard acceleration enrich the mixture beyond the ability of the converter to supply oxygen. [edit] Unwanted reactions Unwanted reactions can occur in the three-way catalyst, such as the formation of odiferous hydrogen sulfide and ammonia. Formation of each can be limited by modifications to the washcoat and precious metals used. It is difficult to eliminate these byproducts entirely. Sulfur-free or low-sulfur fuels eliminate or reduce hydrogen sulfide. For example, when control of hydrogen sulfide emissions is desired, nickel or manganese is added to the washcoat. Both substances act to block the adsorption of sulfur by the washcoat. Hydrogen sulfide is formed when the washcoat has adsorbed sulfur during a low temperature part of the operating cycle, which is then released during the high temperature part of the cycle and the sulfur combines with HC. [edit] For diesel engines For compression-ignition (i.e., diesel) engines, the most commonly used catalytic converter is the diesel oxidation catalyst. This catalyst uses O2 (oxygen) in the exhaust gas stream to convert CO (carbon monoxide) to CO2 (carbon dioxide) and HC (hydrocarbons) to H2O (water) and CO2. These converters often operate at 90% efficiency, virtually eliminating diesel odor and helping to reduce visible particulates (soot). But they cannot reduce NOx because chemical reactions always occur in the simplest possible way, and the existing O2 in the exhaust gas stream would react first. To reduce NOx on a compression ignition engine, the chemical composition of the exhaust must first be changed. Two main techniques are used: exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) and selective catalytic reduction (SCR). NOx trapping (with NOx absorbers) is a third method, but as of yet (2010), is not widely used. Diesel engine exhaust contains relatively high levels of particulate matter (soot), consisting in large part of elemental carbon. Catalytic converters cannot clean up elemental carbon, though they do remove up to 90% of the soluble organic fraction[citation needed], so particulates are cleaned up by a soot trap or diesel particulate filter (DPF). In the United States, all on-road heavy-duty vehicles powered by diesel and built after 1 January 2007 must be equipped with a catalytic converter and a diesel particulate filter.[6] Instead of catalysis, a reagent such as ammonia pyrolyzed in situ from urea, is sometimes used to reduce the NOx into nitrogen. One trademark product to do this is AdBlue. [edit] For lean-burn engines For lean burn spark ignition engines, an oxidation catalyst is used in the same manner as in a diesel engine. [edit] Installation Many vehicles have a pre-catalyst located close to the engines exhaust manifold. This unit heats up quickly due to its proximity to the engine, and reduces cold-engine emissions by burning off hydrocarbons from the extra-rich mixture used in a cold engine. Many three-way catalytic converters utilize an air injection tube between the first (NOx reduction) and second (HC and CO oxidation) stages of the converter. This tube is fed by a secondary air injection system. The injected air provides oxygen for the catalysts oxidizing reaction. These systems also sometimes include an upstream air injector to admit oxygen to the exhaust system before it reaches the catalytic converter. This precleans the extra-rich exhaust from a cold engine, and helps bring the catalytic converter quickly up to operating temperature. Some newer systems do not employ air injection. Instead, they provide a constantly varying mixture that quickly and continually cycles between lean and rich to keep the first catalyst (NOx reduction) from becoming oxygen loaded, and to keep the second catalyst (CO oxidization) sufficiently oxygen-saturated. They also utilize several oxygen sensors to monitor the exhaust, at least one before the catalytic converter for each bank of cylinders, and one after the converter. Some systems contain the reduction and oxidation functions separately rather than in a common housing. [edit] Damage [edit] Poisoning Catalyst poisoning occurs when the catalytic converter is exposed to exhaust containing substances that coat the working surfaces, encapsulating the catalyst so that it cannot contact and treat the exhaust. The most notable contaminant is lead, so vehicles equipped with catalytic converters can only be run on unleaded gasoline. Other common catalyst poisons include manganese primarily from the gasoline additive MMT, and silicone which can enter the exhaust stream if the engine has a leak allowing coolant into the combustion chamber. Phosphorus is another catalyst contaminant. Although phosphorus is no longer used in gasoline, it (and zinc, another low-level catalyst contaminant) was until recently widely used in engine oil antiwear additives such as ZDDP. Beginning in 2006, a rapid phaseout of ZDDP in engine oils began.[citation needed] Depending on the contaminant, catalyst poisoning can sometimes be reversed by running the engine under a very heavy load for an extended period of time. The increased exhaust temperature can sometimes liquefy or sublimate the contaminant, removing it from the catalytic surface. However, removal of lead deposits in this manner is usually not possible due to leads high boiling point. [edit] Meltdown Any condition that causes abnormally high levels of unburned hydrocarbons raw or partially-burnt fuel to reach the converter will tend to significantly elevate its temperature, bringing the risk of a meltdown of the substrate and resultant catalytic deactivation and severe exhaust restriction. Vehicles equipped with OBD-II diagnostic systems are designed to alert the driver of a misfire condition, along with other malfunctions, by means of the Check Engine light on the dashboard. [edit] Regulations This section does not citeany references or sources. Please help improve this articleby adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challengedand removed. (March 2009) Emissions regulations vary considerably from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. In North America, most spark ignition engines of over 25 brake horsepower (19 kW) output built after January 1, 2004 are equipped with three-way catalytic converters. In Japan, a similar set of regulations came into effect January 1, 2007, while the European Union has not yet enacted analogous regulations. Most automobile spark ignition engines in North America have been fitted with catalytic converters since the mid-1970s, and the technology used in non-automotive applications is generally based on automotive technology. Regulations for diesel engines are similarly varied, with some jurisdictions focusing on NOx (nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide) emissions and others focusing on particulate (soot) emissions. The regulatory diversity is challenging for manufacturers of the engine as it may not be economical to design an engine to meet two sets of regulations. Regulations of fuel quality vary across jurisdictions. In North America, Europe, Japan, and Hong Kong, gasoline and diesel fuel are highly regulated, and CNG and LPG are being reviewed for regulation. In most of Asia and Africa, the regulations are often lax in some places sulfur content of the fuel can reach 20,000 parts per million (2%). Any sulfur in the fuel can be oxidized to SO2 (sulfur dioxide) or even SO3 (sulfur trioxide) in the combustion chamber. If sulfur passes over a catalyst, it may be further oxidized in the catalyst, i.e. (SO2 may be further oxidized to SO3). Sulfur oxides are precursors to sulfuric acid, a major component of acid rain. While it is possible to add substances like vanadium to the catalyst wash coat to combat sulfur oxide formation, such addition will reduce the effectiveness of the catalyst. The most effective solution is to further refine fuel at the refinery to produce ultra-low sulfur diesel. Regulations in Japan, Europe, and North America tightly restrict the amount of sulfur permitted in motor fuels. However, the expense of producing such clean fuel make it impractical for use in many developing countries. As a result, cities in these countries with high levels of vehicular traffic suffer from acid rain, which damages stone and woodwork of buildings and damages local ecosystems. [edit] Negative aspects Some early converter designs greatly restricted the flow of exhaust, which negatively affected vehicle performance, driveability, and fuel economy.[7] Because they were used with carburetors incapable of precise fuel/air mixture control, they could overheat and set fire to flammable materials under the car.[8] Removing a modern catalytic converter in new condition will only slightly increase vehicle performance without retuning,[9] but their removal or gutting continues.[7]HYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalytic_converter#cite_note-9[10] The exhaust section where the converter was may be replaced with a welded-in section of straight pipe, or a flanged section of test pipe legal for off-road use that can then be replaced with a similarly fitted converter-choked section for legal on-road use, or emissions testing.[9] In the US and many other jurisdictions, it is illegal to remove or disable a catalytic converter for any reason other than its immediate replacement[citation need ed]; vehicles without functioning catalytic converters generally fail emission inspections. The aftermarket supplies high-flow converters for vehicles with upgraded engines, or whose owners prefer an exhaust system with larger-than-stock capacity.[11] [edit] Warm-up period Most of the pollution put out by a car occurs during the first five minutes before the catalytic converter has warmed up sufficiently.[12] [edit] Environmental impact Catalytic converters have proven to be reliable and effective in reducing noxious tailpipe emissions. However, they may have some adverse environmental impacts in use: The requirement for a rich burn engine to run at the stoichiometric point means it uses more fuel than a lean burn engine running at a mixture of 20:1 or less. This increases the amount of fossil fuel consumed and the carbon dioxide emissions of the vehicle. However, NOx control on lean burn engines is problematic. Although catalytic converters are effective at removing hydrocarbons and other harmful emissions, they do not solve the fundamental problem created by burning a fossil fuel. In addition to water, the main combustion product in exhaust gas leaving the engine through a catalytic converter or not is carbon dioxide (CO2).[13] Carbon dioxide produced from fossil fuels is one of the greenhouse gases indicated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to be a most likely cause of global warming.[14] Additionally, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has stated catalytic converters are a significant and growing cause of global warming, due to their release of nitrous oxide (N2O), a greenhouse gas over 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide.[15] Catalytic converter production requires palladium or platinum; part of the world supply of these precious metals is produced near the Russian city of Norilsk, where the industry (among others) has caused Norilsk to be added to Time Magazines list of most polluted places.[16] [edit] Theft Due to the external location and the use of valuable precious metals including platinum, palladium, and rhodium, converters are a target for thieves. The problem is especially common among late-model Toyota trucks and SUVs, due to their high ground clearance and easily-removed bolt-on catalytic converters. Welded-in converters are also at risk of theft from SUVs and trucks, as they can be easily removed.[17]HYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalytic_converter#cite_note-17[18] Theft removal of the converter can often inadvertently damage the cars wiring or fuel line resulting in dangerous consequences. Rises in metal costs in the United States during recent years have led to a large increase in theft incidents of the converter,[19] which can then cost as much as $1000 to replace.[20] [edit] Diagnostics Various jurisdictions now legislate on-board diagnostics to monitor the function and condition of the emissions control system, including the catalytic converter. On-board diagnostic systems take several forms. [edit] Temperature sensors Temperature sensors are used for two purposes. The first is as a warning system, typically on 2-Way catalytic converters such as are still sometimes used on LPG forklifts. The function of the sensor is to warn of catalytic converter temperature above the safe limit of 750  °C (1,380  °F). More recent catalytic converter designs are not as susceptible to temperature damage and can withstand sustained temperatures of 900  °C (1,650  °F).[citation needed] Temperature sensors are also used to monitor catalyst functioning usually two sensors will be fitted, with one before the catalyst and one after to monitor the temperature rise over the catalytic converter core. For every 1% of CO in the exhaust gas stream the exhaust gas temperature will rise by 100 °C.[citation needed] [edit] Oxygen sensors The Oxygen sensor is the basis of the closed loop control system on a spark ignited rich burn engine, however it is also used for diagnostics. In vehicles with OBD II, a second oxygen sensor is fitted after the catalytic converter to monitor the O2 levels. The on-board computer makes comparisons between the readings of the two sensors. If both sensors give the same output, the computer recognizes the catalytic converter is not functioning or removed, and will operate a check engine light and retard engine performance. Simple oxygen sensor simulators have been developed to circumvent this problem by simulating the change across the catalytic converter with plans and pre-assembled devices available on the internet, though these are not legal for on-road use.[21] Similar devices apply an offset to the sensor signals, allowing the engine to run a more fuel economical lean burn that may however damage the engine or the catalytic converter.[22] [edit] NOx sensors NOx sensors are extremely expensive and are generally only used when a compression ignition engine is fitted with a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) converter, or a NOx absorber catalyst in a feedback system. When fitted to an SCR system, there may be one or two sensors. When one sensor is fitted it will be pre-catalyst, when two are fitted the second one will be post catalyst. They are utilized for the same reasons and in the same manner as an oxygen sensor the only difference is the substance being monitored.

Open Source vs Closed Source Systems

Open Source vs Closed Source Systems INTRODUCTION For many years, proprietary software has been the dominating business approach used by the commercial software firms. Industry giants like Microsoft proved this strategy to be successful, building their multibillion dollar empires based on the proprietary software platform. Over the past decade, a new business approach called open source model which involves contributors from around the globe to create, share and distribute software code for free had come into practice (Pal, N Madanmohan, TR., 2002). Although the roots to this practice of sharing code evolved since early 60s, the widespread usage of internet and the technology developments in past two decades opened new opportunities for open source projects (CNET news, 1998). A number of Open Source Software (OSS) products such as Apache web server, BIND and SendMail have dominated their product categories ever since then (Pal, N Madanmohan, TR., 2002). In the past decade, several researchers (Wheeler, DA., 2007; Mockus, et al., 2000) have taken interest in studying how open source can be applied to modern business strategies. However, a concern exists that in this area of study that there is no substantial evidence that the practices followed are effective in the business environment (Bitzer Schrà ¶der, 2004). For economists like Lerner Tirole (2000), the altruism shown by commercial companies and programmers involved in an open source software project is surprising. They stated altruism hasnt played a major role in any other industry than software. Several others like Freeman Rogers (2008) and Goetz (2003) contradict this statement by illustrating altruism exist in any industry provided there is proper exposure of the problem towards the contributing community. But most of the researches surrounding open source model considered software industry as the base for their studies. 1.0 SCOPE OF THE PROJECT 1.1 Objective This project work focuses on the study of the Open Source ecosystem (Android) how it differs from Closed source sustems such as those surrounding the iPhone. This project includes the study of the Android Market, (online mobile application store for Android users) application developers, and which factors developers consider for selecting a platform for application development. To understand business strategy development trends across Android and iPhone platforms, we compared the Android market with the iPhone App Store, the leading application store in current mobile market. Apple launched an online application marketplace called the â€Å"iPhone App Store† before launching iPhone 3G. Currently, this store has more than 195,000 applications. To match or surpass the success of iPhone App Store, Apple rivals such as Google and Blackberry introduced their own application downloading stores called â€Å"Android Market† and â€Å"Blackberry App World† respectively. T he Android Market is similar to the iPhone App Store or to any other application store; it boasts a catalog of applications,  services and tools available for the user to purchase download and use. Today, the Android Market also has around 49,000 applications. Thus, the comparison between iPhone and Android application stores will help explain the new challenges faced by these two application stores, and also the demand for these stores in the near future. This study will help understand why Android choose Open Source System and why Apple doesnt, what determines their success, which large companies are directly involved in developing applications for Android, and which factors they consider for developing an application. 1.2 Experimental Procedures This project is based on a semi-automatically collected application database and   surveys to obtain necessary information for proving the hypothesis. (A) Website Data Firstly, application data were collected semi-automatically from the Android Market and iPhone App Store (iTunes store) and other mobile applications related websites, for e.g., Androlib.com, iPhoneapplicationlist.com. This gathered application database includes a list of the application categories on both platforms, number of applications in each category, and application information for the selected categories. (B) Interview Data Next, we interviewed mobile application developers to understand and know their views about Android/iPhone platforms and the ecosystem. To get in touch with mobile application developers, we attended the mobile conferences where they gather to share their views. (C) Survey Data Lastly, all the relevant facts about application developers from the interview data helped us prepare a survey. This web-based survey was prepared and conducted using Survey Monkey. 1.3 Resources Utilized The main resources used during this project were our industrial advisor, our academic reader, Android and iPhone application database, interviews and surveys from mobile application developers. 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction of Literature Review In order to achieve success in project implementation, the first step is to research and find information already available. During research, we found many articles related to our topic. This paper is based on the content from these articles. We have divided this section in four main areas: Overview of the Open Source Operating Systems (Android). Overview of the Closed Source Operating Systems (Apple IOS). Fundamentals behind the Open Source Platform. Introduction to the Smartphone. 2.2 Overview of the Open Source Operating Systems (Android). Google has achieved something remarkable with its open-source Android operating system. SinceApples iPhonerevolutionised thesmartphonein June 2007, bringing touchscreens and a beautiful user experience to the masses, its been without a rival. Sure, theres a small legion of BlackBerry fans, and a few Nokia die-hards, but the critical consensus up until about a year ago was that the iPhones achievements were peerless. EnterAndroid. The free, open-source mobile operating system was introduced to consumers with theHTC Dream(also known as theT-Mobile G1) in late 2008, but didnt start gaining steam until the release of theHTC Heroin July 2009. The Hero, armed with a custom user interface called Sense that HTC built in-house, gained rave reviews for its high-end specs and faultless user experience, and appeared on many critics lists of the best gadgets of 2009. The whispers began: Had Google managed to create a platform that genuinely rivalled the iPhone for the best smartphone experience around? This success is starting to show in the numbers. In February 2010, Google announced that more than 60,000 phones with Android on were shipping each day. The Android App Market is also booming, housing more than 30,000 downloadable applications in March 2010, although thats still comparably small when set beside the 185,000 or so Apple has in its App Store. But where once companies had to have an iPhone app, its now understood that they need to offer both an iPhone and an Android variant. Manufacturers havent let the opportunity pass them by, either. At the time of writing, there are around 35 mobile phones, five tablet PCs, three e-book readers and a netbook available that come with Android installed a total of about 43 devices. But thats nothing compared to the amount of gadgets that are purportedly in the works. If you tot up the rumours, statements of intent, leaked documents and roadmapped products from manufacturers, you can add at least another 15 smartphones, 19 tablet PCs, two e-book readers and three more netbooks to the pile. When you combine the totals, you arrive at a figure of at least 82 Android devices either released or in development. The platform has received four major updates since the HTC Dream launched with Android 1.0. Version 1.5 brought camcorder functionality and the ability to use homescreen widgets. Version 1.6 added voice search and a better Android App Market. Then version 2.0 revamped the user interface, added new, larger screen sizes, as well as navigation support in Google Maps. The latest update is version 2.1, which debuted on theNexus One a handset built by HTC but to specifications dictated by Google itself. Android 2.1 brings additional homescreens, animated wallpapers and the ability to use voice recognition to type in all text fields very useful if youre in a situation where you cant use an on-screen keypad, such as when driving. Other devices are starting to appear with version 2.1 as well the Motorola Droid, known as theMilestone in Europe, recently received an update to 2.1, and HTCs forthcoming Legend and Desire handsets come with it installed. Oldhardware=nonewtricks However, the new features available in 2.1 come with increased demand on the relatively weak processors found in most smartphones, particularly in the earlier Android devices. As a result, some handsets cant run later versions of Android at satisfactory speed. Even in those that can, manufacturers have been exceptionally slow at rolling out updates to their device owners, with HTC still not having delivered any update above 1.5 for its Hero at the time of writing. Its difficult to fault Google for wanting to update its core platform as fast as it can. The problem is that its going so fast that manufacturers cant roll out updates to their own software at a speed to match. The upshot for users is that early Android adopters are stuck on two-year contracts looking mournfully at all the fun that new device owners can get, with no knowledge as to whether theyll eventually have access to the new features themselves. This isnt anything new in most cases other manufacturers dont grant older gadget owners access to new features but its tough on Android users in particular because the pace of the updates is so fast. A phone can be out-of-date within months of its release, and in some cases handsets are still arriving with Android version 1.6 installed. App developers suffer, too. Many of Googles home-grown applications Maps, Earth, Goggles and Gesture Search were initially only released for the 2.0 and 2.1 platforms. Some have since gained backwards compatibility to 1.6, but HTC Hero owners, running 1.5, still cant use them. App developers have a tough choice to make: support as wide a range of phones as possible, or offer an app with superior features, but only to those running the latest Android builds. Situationnormal: Allforkedup So what can Google do about the problem? The company is stuck with four slightly different variants of its platform in the wild, and its got a splintered marketplace where one Android user cant necessarily access the same apps that another can, and its confusing and frustrating for end users. The obvious way ahead is to try and force manufacturers to update the software on their devices. Any device running 1.5 should be able to cope with 1.6, and a 2.0 device will manage 2.1. While that still leaves the problem of devices that cant quite cope with the most recent updates, Google should be able to merge its four shards into two a set of 1.6 devices and a set of 2.1 devices simplifying the situation somewhat. However, that relies on the goodwill and resources of a diverse set of companies, and some of those will only have dipped a toe into the waters of Android, meaning that they might be less keen to start devoting significant staff time to mucking around with operating system updates. So Googles got another trick up its sleeve. Recent rumours suggest that the company, in the upcoming version 2.2 update, is planning to de-couple the various applications that run on the device from the operating system itself. The browser, email apps, contacts, input methods and various other components will be downloadable and, crucially, updatable through the Android market rather than needing to wait for a full OS update to be upgraded. When Google wants to update the Gmail app, it can just push a market update, rather than forcing customers to wait for HTC, Dell, Samsung or other manufacturers to approve it. If Google fails to unify the Android platform, a future looms where Android is stuck in a series of ghettoes, with no guarantee that one Android user will be able to run the same apps as another unless they buy a new device every six months. Thats good news for manufacturers, but very bad news for Google and for consumers. If Google manages the transition successfully however, then a unified (or at least consolidated) platform could be easily updated by both Google and phone-makers, depending on whether the update is a critical security issue or a new feature in an application. Time is pressing. The fate of Android rests on what Google does over the summer of 2010. Will the platform fall by the wayside, or will it instead grow to be the Windows of smartphones, carefully balancing openness to app developers with a superior user experience and mass-market appeal? On past form, it seems foolish to bet against Google. Let us also look at the SORT analysis for android: Being a self declared Google and Android fanboy, Im constantly reading and studying about cloud computing and the mobile marketplace whenever I have the opportunity. Ive even begun the very first steps of beginning to learn programming Java for the Android platform, although this is a ‘free time endeavor which is going to take quite some time for me to get even the basic level of proficiency achieved. 2.2.1 SWOT Analyses for GOOGLE ANDROID But one area where I feel comfortable in discussion and analysis is in the business realm, which is why I decided to do a basic SWOT analysis for Google Android. It is a tool used in strategic planning to evaluateStrengths,Weaknesses,Opportunities, andThreats involved in a project or business. A companys Strengths and Weaknesses are generally internal, while the Opportunities and Threats are external factors. To spare most of the readers of this analysis, this SWOT is going to be a little less in depth than a typical SWOT analysis. However, it will be detailed enough to outline and discuss what I feel are the key items in each area of the analysis. STRENGTHS The Google Brand-Google is one of the most well known and respected technology companies on the planet. The fact that they are behind the Android platform gives it credibility and viability in the eyes of potential partners, vendors, and developers. Device Selection-Unlike the Apple iPhone where you dont have any options of hardware suppliers other than Apple itself, the Android OS is open-source and any hardware manufacturer who chooses to do so can use it on their handset. This gives consumers a great deal of selection from which to choose from while also decreasing the lead time to the use of the latest hardware and technological advances in mobile electronics. Competitive Pricing-The Android OS is very cost effective to develop for since it is open source and the licensing arrangements are very vendor friendly. Thus, handsets utilizing the Android OS tend to be prices very aggressively. Google application and services integration-The fact that the Android platform integrates so many of the Google services and applications into its base only strengthens its core capabilities and usefulness. Google items such as GMAIL, Calendar, Reader, Listen, and of course GPS and Maps to name a few integrate seamlessly with the Android OS and make it very simple for users to synchronize their data across platforms from the desktop to the cloud and mobile platforms. Open Source-The Android OS is built from a Linux base using the JAVA Programming language. You can go directly to the http://source.android.com website and find the information and source code you need to build a compatible device for Android. Additionally, Android is a core part of the OHA (Open Handset Alliance) which is a group of companies working together to develop Android as an open and free mobile platform. Google Assets-The Android team(s) has all the intellectual, economic, and influential resources of Google at its disposal to make it a dominant player in the mobile marketplace. WEAKNESSES Multimedia Support-Unlike the Apple iPhone which has the enormously popular iTunes application and marketplace, Android does not have a central or cohesive source of multimedia material nor a centralized player. Although there have been some improvements in applications on the Android platform in this area, at this time there is no â€Å"the† place to go that comes even slightly close to what Apple can offer on this front. However, there are numerous rumors to what exactly Google has in store for a music service of its own to be released sometime in late 2010. Whatever it is, it needs to be extremely well executed to come close to what iTunes offers Apple iPhone users. The one large asset Google has going for it is YouTube, and their recent announcement ofWebM(VP8) could become a lever for multimedia influence in video delivery for Google and the Android OS. Reliance on hardware makers to upgrade-Apple controls the when and how iPhone users will get not only new hardware, but upgrades to the OS and core functionality. With Android, even when Google releases a new version of its OS, it has to wait for the manufacturers to thoroughly test and modify code to make sure it works properly on their specific hardware configuration. Google is addressing this issue as it has announced that it plans to implement more of the core features of its services into the Android OS itself instead of as applications, and to slow down the upgrade releases as the OS matures in the marketplace. Less Mature-Android is not as mature or as polished as the iPhone at this point. It improves with every release, but it hasnt reached the same level of overall user friendliness in its interface that Apple has achieved. Lack of Enterprise Support-Blackberry and even Microsoft still get most of the support when it comes to Enterprise usage. Although both Apple and Google have made some inroads in this marketplace, Android has a very small market share here. It needs to continue to develop Google Apps and its integration abilities with Microsoft Exchange. OPPORTUNITIES The Android OS has a â€Å"HUGE† opportunity to get into the Tablet and e-book reader platform market right now. It cannot afford to sit back and watch Apple dominate the tablet market and eat up the market share as it had done when it released the iPhone. To date, that is exactly what is happening as no major hardware ‘mover and shaker has released an Android based tablet which is a fantastic opportunity if it is executed properly. I want one NOW! There have been several minor releases of Android tablets over the last few months, but none of them are what I would consider a significant product. Either Google itself or someone such as HP, Dell, ASUS, or ACER need to release a killer Android tablet in order for it to gather any traction. These waters only became murkier when HP acquired PALM. Developing Countries-Google has a huge opportunity to develop inexpensive devices using the Android platform in developing countries. The licensing is extremely developer friendly and the upfront cost investments are significantly less than other platforms. The integration with so many of Googles other free services is a natural fit in this marketplace. Developer Friendly-Unlike the recent activities of Apple which has alienated and ticked off much of the developer community, developing for Android is very open and developer friendly. Google needs to take this opportunity to help developers continue to monetize their efforts through improved advertising revenue models and app sales. Growth of smartphone market-The smartphone market is still very immature and there is still a huge amount of growth to take place over the next several years to decade. Google needs to continue to work hard to position itself with its cloud computing applications and services in support of the Android OS. The marriage of these two areas is key to the maintained growth rate and increased market share potential of the Android platform. Embedded electronic devices-The Android OS has huge potential to be a major player in the embedded electronic market as a dominate embedded operating system. With so many devices becoming embedded with smart technologies and connectivity to the cloud, the Android OS is primed to be a major winner there. THREATS iPhone unleashed-If the iPhone is unleashed from the beaten down ATT network and appears on other networks such as Sprint and in particular, Verizon, it could be a real threat to the sustained rate of future market share growth for the Android OS. A significant amount of potential smartphone customers said they would buy an iPhone if it werent on the ATT network. (I was once in this camp, until I discovered the world of Android.) Apple dominance-Apples market share gives it a great influence over developers and old media companies who are dying for a revenue model that will work for them. The ever growing walled garden that Apple is building is a false panacea that the old media companies are holding onto with both hands-the ability to charge users for access to premium content. Apples recent changes in policy and functional restrictions make it the ideal platform to launch such a strategy and recruit the power brokers from this old model. Additionally, the â€Å"theres an app for that† and Im willing to pay for it behavior of Apple iPhone users is of great appeal to developers who see the dollar signs in this market. (Ive yet to pay for an application on Android) This gives Apple influence over developers and makes their huge market share very difficult to walk away from, even when they adopt very unfriendly developer policies. Increased Competition-Obviously, companies like RIM and Microsoft are going to fight for their share of the market and arent going to just give up. In particular, the Blackberry platform which still has huge support in the enterprise market. Platform Fragmentation-This is a huge threat to the Android platform. Although I listed the numerous devices as a strength above, the risk of fragmentation is a real and significant one. This is why Google has recently put a lot of effort into developing ways to minimize this problem. Google does not want numerous custom version of Android to emerge or fork off from their core platform, which is something you see in the Linux distribution network. Google is developing a set of baseline standards for compatibility for its platform. Since Google controls the Android Market, it can maintain significant influence over device vendors to meet the compatibility requirements. If you do a little research on this topic, you will see that Googles standards are fairly rigid, maybe more so than one would expect. Google also plans to adopt aonce-per-yearrelease schedule as well. None the less, managing this risk is a major and real threat to the Android platform. So there you have it, my basic SWOT analysis for Google Android. One underlying issue I feel is worth noting is that Google does not have to dominate, and as much as so many of us would love to see it, it does not have to â€Å"beat† Apple in market share or any other core metric. The only thing Google needs to do is to make sure there is an open platform large enough in the mobile market for its advertising business. Lets face it; Google is not about selling Android devices. Google is about search and advertising, and Apples closed system was a threat to that model which has become even more self-evident over the last six to nine months of Apple policies and maneuverings. Apple recently announced their own Ad network for the iPhone and iPad which could be viewed as a shot across the bow of Google which puts even more necessity on the Android platforms success. The clear advantage that Google has going for itself right now is that Apple (Steve Jobs) is either being indignant o ver what cloud computing actually does and means, or he truly doesnt understand or hasnt figured out how its suppose to work. Considering how intelligent Steve Jobs is, I find it highly unlikely that the second option is the reason, and that his stubbornness and willingness to maintain personal grudges as the likely culprit. 2.3 Overview of the Closed Source Operating Systems (Apple IOS). If theres one company that is the envy of the high-tech community these days, its Apple. Steve Jobs is hailed as a genius CEO and lauded for a string of hit products. Apples market capitalization is over $200 BILLION dollars currently, easily ranking it in the top 10 companies in the world by market cap, and just shy of Microsoft for biggest technology company. Everyone wants to understand the secrets of Apples success and hopefully emulate them. The reasons given by people for Apples success are many. The following are a few of the arguments made: Vertical integration- Apple owns most of, if not the entire, technology stack for its key products, and thus gives it advantages over other less vertically integrated products. NOTE: â€Å"Vertical integration† used to be called â€Å"being proprietary† and was given as the reason for Apples relative lack of success against Microsoft in the OS/PC battles of the 80s and 9os. But phenomenal success has a way of changing peoples minds. Making markets vs. addressing markets- Some claim that Apple doesnt ask people what they need but gives them products they decide theywant. Does anyone NEED an iPhone or iPad? Not really, but a lot of people seem to want them. The Cool Factor- Lets face it, Apple does make â€Å"cool† products. Attention to design and detail-fit and finish as they say-really distinguishes Apples products from competitors. Entering markets after theyve developed— Contrary to #2 above, some people claim that Apple doesnt make markets but enters existing markets once theyre growing and takes advantage of latent demand. The iPod was not the first digital music player and the iPhone was not the first smart phone, and the iPad is not the first portable computing device. In the case of the iPad, products like the Kindle and Netbooks actually paved the way for the market to accept small computing devices, and Apples iPad is riding that wave. Differentiated business models- whether it was iPod+iTunes or the iPhone+App Store, Apple innovates not just on technology, but on the business model. This makes it difficult for competitors to play catch up, let alone overtake Apple once it establishes itself in a dominant position. People care about the experience not technology— Apple has always been about the user experience, but for a long time, the majority of the market didnt care about that. The majority of desktop computer users cared about â€Å"techs and specs†. Now the tables have turned, and the majority dont care about the specs, they care about the experience. The iPod, with its â€Å"1000 songs in your pocket† motto and iTunes which radically simplified purchasing music latched onto the experience wave, and Apple has been riding it ever since. Simple product offerings- Apple has a very clear and simple set of products. Its easy to understand the differences between their products, product families and the various configurations. This makes it easy to buy an Apple product if you want to. A lot of companies complicate things unnecessarily. How many iPhone models are there? How many Blackberry models are there? How many Nokia smart phone models are there? See the difference between Apple, RIM and Nokia? The same is true for the iMAc, the iPod and the iPad. Granted, there are actually a number of iPod models (Nano, Shuffle, Touch etc.) but they are very distinct amongst themselves. This cant be said for digital music players from other companies. 2.3.1 Apple Competitive Analysis: Future Goals Apple has been and continues to focus on what its competitors are doing in order to keep a competitive strategy. Steve Jobs wanted to create a brand loyal name and to also produce a personalized computer with many features that would allow your life to be easier. Apple needed to keep up with rapid price cuts of its competitors personalized computers that were based on other operating systems. They wanted to focus on the rapid technological advances in both hardware and software that would boost their computers performance and provide its own operating systems. By doing so, the iMac-personalized computer was introduced in 1997 and they were able to create the brand loyalty they were looking for. They want to continue to build the brand loyal name and keep giving the consumer what they want to make their lives easier. Current Strategy Steve Jobs has recognized that many of its competitors have been providing computers that rely heavily on other operating systems to run their computers. For example, Dell computers rely on windows XP, and many of their software products rely on other partys. What Steve Jobs has managed to do is to incorporate its own operating systems, hardware, and software programs for its entire product line. The software that they have created would allow the user to edit videos, download and play music, edit pictures, etc. with all of their own products and applications. While other competition relied on outside companies introducing their own digital and distribution music product services, subscription services, and free peer-to-peer music services; Apple has created a way to counter the constant changing competitive market. They have done so by effectively integrating all three services that its competitors have to choose from by creating the iPod for hardware, iTunes for software, and iTune s Music Store for the third party distribution services. Apple has been able to eliminate its reliance on outside companies and to keep on creating specialized programs for consumers. Another factor that has helped keep Apples future thriving is by introducing the Apple Store. Customers are now able to take their products into the store and have an apple specialist examine/work on the products that they are heavily invested in. Most competitors would have the consumer take computer/product to a tech department of a store or would have to send to a third party. Assumptions and Capabilities Apple has done a tremendous job of knowing and anticipating what his competitors are doing. Apple was able to develop its iPhone and music player technology into a mobile phone. The Rokr was the mobile phone device that was developed by Motorola. The device contained quality sound and included an advanced camera system. A version of Apples iTunes music store has been developed for the iPhone so users can manage music and can download other applications that Apple has to offer. An Apple consumer can browse the web faster than its competitors. These capabilities make the iPhone ideal for both business and travel. By knowing the competitors moves and capabilities Apple was able to perfect a phone that could offer more programs and applications than any other phone. The company was then able to then focus on the strengths and weakness of its competition and compare it to the products they provide. The company believes in the highest quality of products. Thes e products will continue to provide what every customer wants and needs, a computer company that continuously makes life easi Open Source vs Closed Source Systems Open Source vs Closed Source Systems INTRODUCTION For many years, proprietary software has been the dominating business approach used by the commercial software firms. Industry giants like Microsoft proved this strategy to be successful, building their multibillion dollar empires based on the proprietary software platform. Over the past decade, a new business approach called open source model which involves contributors from around the globe to create, share and distribute software code for free had come into practice (Pal, N Madanmohan, TR., 2002). Although the roots to this practice of sharing code evolved since early 60s, the widespread usage of internet and the technology developments in past two decades opened new opportunities for open source projects (CNET news, 1998). A number of Open Source Software (OSS) products such as Apache web server, BIND and SendMail have dominated their product categories ever since then (Pal, N Madanmohan, TR., 2002). In the past decade, several researchers (Wheeler, DA., 2007; Mockus, et al., 2000) have taken interest in studying how open source can be applied to modern business strategies. However, a concern exists that in this area of study that there is no substantial evidence that the practices followed are effective in the business environment (Bitzer Schrà ¶der, 2004). For economists like Lerner Tirole (2000), the altruism shown by commercial companies and programmers involved in an open source software project is surprising. They stated altruism hasnt played a major role in any other industry than software. Several others like Freeman Rogers (2008) and Goetz (2003) contradict this statement by illustrating altruism exist in any industry provided there is proper exposure of the problem towards the contributing community. But most of the researches surrounding open source model considered software industry as the base for their studies. 1.0 SCOPE OF THE PROJECT 1.1 Objective This project work focuses on the study of the Open Source ecosystem (Android) how it differs from Closed source sustems such as those surrounding the iPhone. This project includes the study of the Android Market, (online mobile application store for Android users) application developers, and which factors developers consider for selecting a platform for application development. To understand business strategy development trends across Android and iPhone platforms, we compared the Android market with the iPhone App Store, the leading application store in current mobile market. Apple launched an online application marketplace called the â€Å"iPhone App Store† before launching iPhone 3G. Currently, this store has more than 195,000 applications. To match or surpass the success of iPhone App Store, Apple rivals such as Google and Blackberry introduced their own application downloading stores called â€Å"Android Market† and â€Å"Blackberry App World† respectively. T he Android Market is similar to the iPhone App Store or to any other application store; it boasts a catalog of applications,  services and tools available for the user to purchase download and use. Today, the Android Market also has around 49,000 applications. Thus, the comparison between iPhone and Android application stores will help explain the new challenges faced by these two application stores, and also the demand for these stores in the near future. This study will help understand why Android choose Open Source System and why Apple doesnt, what determines their success, which large companies are directly involved in developing applications for Android, and which factors they consider for developing an application. 1.2 Experimental Procedures This project is based on a semi-automatically collected application database and   surveys to obtain necessary information for proving the hypothesis. (A) Website Data Firstly, application data were collected semi-automatically from the Android Market and iPhone App Store (iTunes store) and other mobile applications related websites, for e.g., Androlib.com, iPhoneapplicationlist.com. This gathered application database includes a list of the application categories on both platforms, number of applications in each category, and application information for the selected categories. (B) Interview Data Next, we interviewed mobile application developers to understand and know their views about Android/iPhone platforms and the ecosystem. To get in touch with mobile application developers, we attended the mobile conferences where they gather to share their views. (C) Survey Data Lastly, all the relevant facts about application developers from the interview data helped us prepare a survey. This web-based survey was prepared and conducted using Survey Monkey. 1.3 Resources Utilized The main resources used during this project were our industrial advisor, our academic reader, Android and iPhone application database, interviews and surveys from mobile application developers. 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction of Literature Review In order to achieve success in project implementation, the first step is to research and find information already available. During research, we found many articles related to our topic. This paper is based on the content from these articles. We have divided this section in four main areas: Overview of the Open Source Operating Systems (Android). Overview of the Closed Source Operating Systems (Apple IOS). Fundamentals behind the Open Source Platform. Introduction to the Smartphone. 2.2 Overview of the Open Source Operating Systems (Android). Google has achieved something remarkable with its open-source Android operating system. SinceApples iPhonerevolutionised thesmartphonein June 2007, bringing touchscreens and a beautiful user experience to the masses, its been without a rival. Sure, theres a small legion of BlackBerry fans, and a few Nokia die-hards, but the critical consensus up until about a year ago was that the iPhones achievements were peerless. EnterAndroid. The free, open-source mobile operating system was introduced to consumers with theHTC Dream(also known as theT-Mobile G1) in late 2008, but didnt start gaining steam until the release of theHTC Heroin July 2009. The Hero, armed with a custom user interface called Sense that HTC built in-house, gained rave reviews for its high-end specs and faultless user experience, and appeared on many critics lists of the best gadgets of 2009. The whispers began: Had Google managed to create a platform that genuinely rivalled the iPhone for the best smartphone experience around? This success is starting to show in the numbers. In February 2010, Google announced that more than 60,000 phones with Android on were shipping each day. The Android App Market is also booming, housing more than 30,000 downloadable applications in March 2010, although thats still comparably small when set beside the 185,000 or so Apple has in its App Store. But where once companies had to have an iPhone app, its now understood that they need to offer both an iPhone and an Android variant. Manufacturers havent let the opportunity pass them by, either. At the time of writing, there are around 35 mobile phones, five tablet PCs, three e-book readers and a netbook available that come with Android installed a total of about 43 devices. But thats nothing compared to the amount of gadgets that are purportedly in the works. If you tot up the rumours, statements of intent, leaked documents and roadmapped products from manufacturers, you can add at least another 15 smartphones, 19 tablet PCs, two e-book readers and three more netbooks to the pile. When you combine the totals, you arrive at a figure of at least 82 Android devices either released or in development. The platform has received four major updates since the HTC Dream launched with Android 1.0. Version 1.5 brought camcorder functionality and the ability to use homescreen widgets. Version 1.6 added voice search and a better Android App Market. Then version 2.0 revamped the user interface, added new, larger screen sizes, as well as navigation support in Google Maps. The latest update is version 2.1, which debuted on theNexus One a handset built by HTC but to specifications dictated by Google itself. Android 2.1 brings additional homescreens, animated wallpapers and the ability to use voice recognition to type in all text fields very useful if youre in a situation where you cant use an on-screen keypad, such as when driving. Other devices are starting to appear with version 2.1 as well the Motorola Droid, known as theMilestone in Europe, recently received an update to 2.1, and HTCs forthcoming Legend and Desire handsets come with it installed. Oldhardware=nonewtricks However, the new features available in 2.1 come with increased demand on the relatively weak processors found in most smartphones, particularly in the earlier Android devices. As a result, some handsets cant run later versions of Android at satisfactory speed. Even in those that can, manufacturers have been exceptionally slow at rolling out updates to their device owners, with HTC still not having delivered any update above 1.5 for its Hero at the time of writing. Its difficult to fault Google for wanting to update its core platform as fast as it can. The problem is that its going so fast that manufacturers cant roll out updates to their own software at a speed to match. The upshot for users is that early Android adopters are stuck on two-year contracts looking mournfully at all the fun that new device owners can get, with no knowledge as to whether theyll eventually have access to the new features themselves. This isnt anything new in most cases other manufacturers dont grant older gadget owners access to new features but its tough on Android users in particular because the pace of the updates is so fast. A phone can be out-of-date within months of its release, and in some cases handsets are still arriving with Android version 1.6 installed. App developers suffer, too. Many of Googles home-grown applications Maps, Earth, Goggles and Gesture Search were initially only released for the 2.0 and 2.1 platforms. Some have since gained backwards compatibility to 1.6, but HTC Hero owners, running 1.5, still cant use them. App developers have a tough choice to make: support as wide a range of phones as possible, or offer an app with superior features, but only to those running the latest Android builds. Situationnormal: Allforkedup So what can Google do about the problem? The company is stuck with four slightly different variants of its platform in the wild, and its got a splintered marketplace where one Android user cant necessarily access the same apps that another can, and its confusing and frustrating for end users. The obvious way ahead is to try and force manufacturers to update the software on their devices. Any device running 1.5 should be able to cope with 1.6, and a 2.0 device will manage 2.1. While that still leaves the problem of devices that cant quite cope with the most recent updates, Google should be able to merge its four shards into two a set of 1.6 devices and a set of 2.1 devices simplifying the situation somewhat. However, that relies on the goodwill and resources of a diverse set of companies, and some of those will only have dipped a toe into the waters of Android, meaning that they might be less keen to start devoting significant staff time to mucking around with operating system updates. So Googles got another trick up its sleeve. Recent rumours suggest that the company, in the upcoming version 2.2 update, is planning to de-couple the various applications that run on the device from the operating system itself. The browser, email apps, contacts, input methods and various other components will be downloadable and, crucially, updatable through the Android market rather than needing to wait for a full OS update to be upgraded. When Google wants to update the Gmail app, it can just push a market update, rather than forcing customers to wait for HTC, Dell, Samsung or other manufacturers to approve it. If Google fails to unify the Android platform, a future looms where Android is stuck in a series of ghettoes, with no guarantee that one Android user will be able to run the same apps as another unless they buy a new device every six months. Thats good news for manufacturers, but very bad news for Google and for consumers. If Google manages the transition successfully however, then a unified (or at least consolidated) platform could be easily updated by both Google and phone-makers, depending on whether the update is a critical security issue or a new feature in an application. Time is pressing. The fate of Android rests on what Google does over the summer of 2010. Will the platform fall by the wayside, or will it instead grow to be the Windows of smartphones, carefully balancing openness to app developers with a superior user experience and mass-market appeal? On past form, it seems foolish to bet against Google. Let us also look at the SORT analysis for android: Being a self declared Google and Android fanboy, Im constantly reading and studying about cloud computing and the mobile marketplace whenever I have the opportunity. Ive even begun the very first steps of beginning to learn programming Java for the Android platform, although this is a ‘free time endeavor which is going to take quite some time for me to get even the basic level of proficiency achieved. 2.2.1 SWOT Analyses for GOOGLE ANDROID But one area where I feel comfortable in discussion and analysis is in the business realm, which is why I decided to do a basic SWOT analysis for Google Android. It is a tool used in strategic planning to evaluateStrengths,Weaknesses,Opportunities, andThreats involved in a project or business. A companys Strengths and Weaknesses are generally internal, while the Opportunities and Threats are external factors. To spare most of the readers of this analysis, this SWOT is going to be a little less in depth than a typical SWOT analysis. However, it will be detailed enough to outline and discuss what I feel are the key items in each area of the analysis. STRENGTHS The Google Brand-Google is one of the most well known and respected technology companies on the planet. The fact that they are behind the Android platform gives it credibility and viability in the eyes of potential partners, vendors, and developers. Device Selection-Unlike the Apple iPhone where you dont have any options of hardware suppliers other than Apple itself, the Android OS is open-source and any hardware manufacturer who chooses to do so can use it on their handset. This gives consumers a great deal of selection from which to choose from while also decreasing the lead time to the use of the latest hardware and technological advances in mobile electronics. Competitive Pricing-The Android OS is very cost effective to develop for since it is open source and the licensing arrangements are very vendor friendly. Thus, handsets utilizing the Android OS tend to be prices very aggressively. Google application and services integration-The fact that the Android platform integrates so many of the Google services and applications into its base only strengthens its core capabilities and usefulness. Google items such as GMAIL, Calendar, Reader, Listen, and of course GPS and Maps to name a few integrate seamlessly with the Android OS and make it very simple for users to synchronize their data across platforms from the desktop to the cloud and mobile platforms. Open Source-The Android OS is built from a Linux base using the JAVA Programming language. You can go directly to the http://source.android.com website and find the information and source code you need to build a compatible device for Android. Additionally, Android is a core part of the OHA (Open Handset Alliance) which is a group of companies working together to develop Android as an open and free mobile platform. Google Assets-The Android team(s) has all the intellectual, economic, and influential resources of Google at its disposal to make it a dominant player in the mobile marketplace. WEAKNESSES Multimedia Support-Unlike the Apple iPhone which has the enormously popular iTunes application and marketplace, Android does not have a central or cohesive source of multimedia material nor a centralized player. Although there have been some improvements in applications on the Android platform in this area, at this time there is no â€Å"the† place to go that comes even slightly close to what Apple can offer on this front. However, there are numerous rumors to what exactly Google has in store for a music service of its own to be released sometime in late 2010. Whatever it is, it needs to be extremely well executed to come close to what iTunes offers Apple iPhone users. The one large asset Google has going for it is YouTube, and their recent announcement ofWebM(VP8) could become a lever for multimedia influence in video delivery for Google and the Android OS. Reliance on hardware makers to upgrade-Apple controls the when and how iPhone users will get not only new hardware, but upgrades to the OS and core functionality. With Android, even when Google releases a new version of its OS, it has to wait for the manufacturers to thoroughly test and modify code to make sure it works properly on their specific hardware configuration. Google is addressing this issue as it has announced that it plans to implement more of the core features of its services into the Android OS itself instead of as applications, and to slow down the upgrade releases as the OS matures in the marketplace. Less Mature-Android is not as mature or as polished as the iPhone at this point. It improves with every release, but it hasnt reached the same level of overall user friendliness in its interface that Apple has achieved. Lack of Enterprise Support-Blackberry and even Microsoft still get most of the support when it comes to Enterprise usage. Although both Apple and Google have made some inroads in this marketplace, Android has a very small market share here. It needs to continue to develop Google Apps and its integration abilities with Microsoft Exchange. OPPORTUNITIES The Android OS has a â€Å"HUGE† opportunity to get into the Tablet and e-book reader platform market right now. It cannot afford to sit back and watch Apple dominate the tablet market and eat up the market share as it had done when it released the iPhone. To date, that is exactly what is happening as no major hardware ‘mover and shaker has released an Android based tablet which is a fantastic opportunity if it is executed properly. I want one NOW! There have been several minor releases of Android tablets over the last few months, but none of them are what I would consider a significant product. Either Google itself or someone such as HP, Dell, ASUS, or ACER need to release a killer Android tablet in order for it to gather any traction. These waters only became murkier when HP acquired PALM. Developing Countries-Google has a huge opportunity to develop inexpensive devices using the Android platform in developing countries. The licensing is extremely developer friendly and the upfront cost investments are significantly less than other platforms. The integration with so many of Googles other free services is a natural fit in this marketplace. Developer Friendly-Unlike the recent activities of Apple which has alienated and ticked off much of the developer community, developing for Android is very open and developer friendly. Google needs to take this opportunity to help developers continue to monetize their efforts through improved advertising revenue models and app sales. Growth of smartphone market-The smartphone market is still very immature and there is still a huge amount of growth to take place over the next several years to decade. Google needs to continue to work hard to position itself with its cloud computing applications and services in support of the Android OS. The marriage of these two areas is key to the maintained growth rate and increased market share potential of the Android platform. Embedded electronic devices-The Android OS has huge potential to be a major player in the embedded electronic market as a dominate embedded operating system. With so many devices becoming embedded with smart technologies and connectivity to the cloud, the Android OS is primed to be a major winner there. THREATS iPhone unleashed-If the iPhone is unleashed from the beaten down ATT network and appears on other networks such as Sprint and in particular, Verizon, it could be a real threat to the sustained rate of future market share growth for the Android OS. A significant amount of potential smartphone customers said they would buy an iPhone if it werent on the ATT network. (I was once in this camp, until I discovered the world of Android.) Apple dominance-Apples market share gives it a great influence over developers and old media companies who are dying for a revenue model that will work for them. The ever growing walled garden that Apple is building is a false panacea that the old media companies are holding onto with both hands-the ability to charge users for access to premium content. Apples recent changes in policy and functional restrictions make it the ideal platform to launch such a strategy and recruit the power brokers from this old model. Additionally, the â€Å"theres an app for that† and Im willing to pay for it behavior of Apple iPhone users is of great appeal to developers who see the dollar signs in this market. (Ive yet to pay for an application on Android) This gives Apple influence over developers and makes their huge market share very difficult to walk away from, even when they adopt very unfriendly developer policies. Increased Competition-Obviously, companies like RIM and Microsoft are going to fight for their share of the market and arent going to just give up. In particular, the Blackberry platform which still has huge support in the enterprise market. Platform Fragmentation-This is a huge threat to the Android platform. Although I listed the numerous devices as a strength above, the risk of fragmentation is a real and significant one. This is why Google has recently put a lot of effort into developing ways to minimize this problem. Google does not want numerous custom version of Android to emerge or fork off from their core platform, which is something you see in the Linux distribution network. Google is developing a set of baseline standards for compatibility for its platform. Since Google controls the Android Market, it can maintain significant influence over device vendors to meet the compatibility requirements. If you do a little research on this topic, you will see that Googles standards are fairly rigid, maybe more so than one would expect. Google also plans to adopt aonce-per-yearrelease schedule as well. None the less, managing this risk is a major and real threat to the Android platform. So there you have it, my basic SWOT analysis for Google Android. One underlying issue I feel is worth noting is that Google does not have to dominate, and as much as so many of us would love to see it, it does not have to â€Å"beat† Apple in market share or any other core metric. The only thing Google needs to do is to make sure there is an open platform large enough in the mobile market for its advertising business. Lets face it; Google is not about selling Android devices. Google is about search and advertising, and Apples closed system was a threat to that model which has become even more self-evident over the last six to nine months of Apple policies and maneuverings. Apple recently announced their own Ad network for the iPhone and iPad which could be viewed as a shot across the bow of Google which puts even more necessity on the Android platforms success. The clear advantage that Google has going for itself right now is that Apple (Steve Jobs) is either being indignant o ver what cloud computing actually does and means, or he truly doesnt understand or hasnt figured out how its suppose to work. Considering how intelligent Steve Jobs is, I find it highly unlikely that the second option is the reason, and that his stubbornness and willingness to maintain personal grudges as the likely culprit. 2.3 Overview of the Closed Source Operating Systems (Apple IOS). If theres one company that is the envy of the high-tech community these days, its Apple. Steve Jobs is hailed as a genius CEO and lauded for a string of hit products. Apples market capitalization is over $200 BILLION dollars currently, easily ranking it in the top 10 companies in the world by market cap, and just shy of Microsoft for biggest technology company. Everyone wants to understand the secrets of Apples success and hopefully emulate them. The reasons given by people for Apples success are many. The following are a few of the arguments made: Vertical integration- Apple owns most of, if not the entire, technology stack for its key products, and thus gives it advantages over other less vertically integrated products. NOTE: â€Å"Vertical integration† used to be called â€Å"being proprietary† and was given as the reason for Apples relative lack of success against Microsoft in the OS/PC battles of the 80s and 9os. But phenomenal success has a way of changing peoples minds. Making markets vs. addressing markets- Some claim that Apple doesnt ask people what they need but gives them products they decide theywant. Does anyone NEED an iPhone or iPad? Not really, but a lot of people seem to want them. The Cool Factor- Lets face it, Apple does make â€Å"cool† products. Attention to design and detail-fit and finish as they say-really distinguishes Apples products from competitors. Entering markets after theyve developed— Contrary to #2 above, some people claim that Apple doesnt make markets but enters existing markets once theyre growing and takes advantage of latent demand. The iPod was not the first digital music player and the iPhone was not the first smart phone, and the iPad is not the first portable computing device. In the case of the iPad, products like the Kindle and Netbooks actually paved the way for the market to accept small computing devices, and Apples iPad is riding that wave. Differentiated business models- whether it was iPod+iTunes or the iPhone+App Store, Apple innovates not just on technology, but on the business model. This makes it difficult for competitors to play catch up, let alone overtake Apple once it establishes itself in a dominant position. People care about the experience not technology— Apple has always been about the user experience, but for a long time, the majority of the market didnt care about that. The majority of desktop computer users cared about â€Å"techs and specs†. Now the tables have turned, and the majority dont care about the specs, they care about the experience. The iPod, with its â€Å"1000 songs in your pocket† motto and iTunes which radically simplified purchasing music latched onto the experience wave, and Apple has been riding it ever since. Simple product offerings- Apple has a very clear and simple set of products. Its easy to understand the differences between their products, product families and the various configurations. This makes it easy to buy an Apple product if you want to. A lot of companies complicate things unnecessarily. How many iPhone models are there? How many Blackberry models are there? How many Nokia smart phone models are there? See the difference between Apple, RIM and Nokia? The same is true for the iMAc, the iPod and the iPad. Granted, there are actually a number of iPod models (Nano, Shuffle, Touch etc.) but they are very distinct amongst themselves. This cant be said for digital music players from other companies. 2.3.1 Apple Competitive Analysis: Future Goals Apple has been and continues to focus on what its competitors are doing in order to keep a competitive strategy. Steve Jobs wanted to create a brand loyal name and to also produce a personalized computer with many features that would allow your life to be easier. Apple needed to keep up with rapid price cuts of its competitors personalized computers that were based on other operating systems. They wanted to focus on the rapid technological advances in both hardware and software that would boost their computers performance and provide its own operating systems. By doing so, the iMac-personalized computer was introduced in 1997 and they were able to create the brand loyalty they were looking for. They want to continue to build the brand loyal name and keep giving the consumer what they want to make their lives easier. Current Strategy Steve Jobs has recognized that many of its competitors have been providing computers that rely heavily on other operating systems to run their computers. For example, Dell computers rely on windows XP, and many of their software products rely on other partys. What Steve Jobs has managed to do is to incorporate its own operating systems, hardware, and software programs for its entire product line. The software that they have created would allow the user to edit videos, download and play music, edit pictures, etc. with all of their own products and applications. While other competition relied on outside companies introducing their own digital and distribution music product services, subscription services, and free peer-to-peer music services; Apple has created a way to counter the constant changing competitive market. They have done so by effectively integrating all three services that its competitors have to choose from by creating the iPod for hardware, iTunes for software, and iTune s Music Store for the third party distribution services. Apple has been able to eliminate its reliance on outside companies and to keep on creating specialized programs for consumers. Another factor that has helped keep Apples future thriving is by introducing the Apple Store. Customers are now able to take their products into the store and have an apple specialist examine/work on the products that they are heavily invested in. Most competitors would have the consumer take computer/product to a tech department of a store or would have to send to a third party. Assumptions and Capabilities Apple has done a tremendous job of knowing and anticipating what his competitors are doing. Apple was able to develop its iPhone and music player technology into a mobile phone. The Rokr was the mobile phone device that was developed by Motorola. The device contained quality sound and included an advanced camera system. A version of Apples iTunes music store has been developed for the iPhone so users can manage music and can download other applications that Apple has to offer. An Apple consumer can browse the web faster than its competitors. These capabilities make the iPhone ideal for both business and travel. By knowing the competitors moves and capabilities Apple was able to perfect a phone that could offer more programs and applications than any other phone. The company was then able to then focus on the strengths and weakness of its competition and compare it to the products they provide. The company believes in the highest quality of products. Thes e products will continue to provide what every customer wants and needs, a computer company that continuously makes life easi