Hardware, software, site, cloud--Internet access four parts

The entrance, a broad term, when we're talking about the entrance, what do we actually want to talk about? Now let's talk about Internet portals.

The internet entrance is nothing but a link to the information and access to the channel. Now, in the short time of the Internet, a group after another group of internet people to build their own understanding of the channel, trying to control the way people access the Internet, and finally gain value. Some of them try to tear down other people's channels to rebuild, some even more outrageous, building new channels on the basis of other people's channels. The entrance of the channel is in fact divided into many stages in different periods. The relationship between the different levels is very similar. And the intelligent terminal changes will then drive the entrance changes, different terminals to the entrance will also have new requirements.

However, although different periods, different regions, different terminals in the entrance to the various changes, but also follow a big trend: hardware-software-site-Cloud. The author takes personal computer and smartphone as an example, combing the Internet development at home and abroad to comb the so-called Internet entrance.

The history of personal computer entrance

Hardware era: hardware is the entrance

In the age of the World Wide Web, hardware is the gateway, and the computer itself is the portal. At this time the computer can only do some simple calculation, is an isolated individual, the connection between each other is very limited, although there are some software concepts, but also quite rudimentary, and basically incompatible. Hardware is the concept of the portal has been continued so far, many people talk about the Internet, think of the computer.

Representative: IBM PC in the 60-80 era

Second, the Software era: access to the hardware

After the hardware manufacturing line, along with the request of the diversification of the computer function, some software based on hardware has the function of the entrance, because it can provide more diverse demand, can satisfy the people in the work, the study and so on the demand more. It can be said that the software is stepping on the hardware of the body into the entrance. However, the level of software is also different, different periods of varying levels, forming a different effect of the portal.

1, operating system

The operating system is a standardized thing, designed to be compatible with the operation of different types of hardware, while the advantages of human-computer interaction are conducive to the use of intelligent computing, the effect of its as a portal effect so far.

Representative: Windows in the 80-90 era

2, browser

Browsers are the product of the internet age, with the popularization of the operating system, the global connection of the Internet, the explosion of people's demand for information, which makes the birth of the browser possible. Browser used to display the Internet inside the text, pictures, sounds, videos and other documents, browsers let people in physical space completely rid of that bulky computer, to some extent, can say that the birth of the browser marks the advent of the Internet era

However, browsers as portals have different forms of presentation:

(1) Browser

Representative: 90 's Netscape, ie,2000 years of Chrome

(2) Desktop client

It has a part of the Internet browser function, providing one or several network services, the reason for the existence of the client, because the form of desktop clients more conducive to its operation. This particular form (providing specific services) is doomed to not be a strong entrance, but if the service is strong enough, it can also have the import utility, and even some strong clients can also go to the browser to traffic (such as QQ client)

Representative: QQ client, pps video, cool music box, etc.

Ps: Browser finally access to the portal, but the impact of desktop clients can not be small peep, the two are not competition, the client is more like a supplement. But the author vaguely found that this is not the PC side of the web and app dispute it? It seems that the seeds of the competition for mobile portals have been buried.

3,PC to beautify the desktop

Between the operating system and the browser, there is still a software service, which can provide basic Internet services, which is similar to the mobile end of the Go desktop, millet desktop and so on, can provide a one-stop solution, but due to the integrity and strength of the PC side browser function, this service space is very limited

Representative: Google Desktop components, 360 desktop, etc.

Third, the website era: The entrance thoroughly networked

At the beginning of the article, the entrance is the channel of the link and information. The development of the entrance is getting closer to the information itself, because the faster access to the required information is a trend, so the form of the entrance of this period is information-centric, the different presentation form of the information determines the level of entrance, determines the strength of the entrance utility.

1, Portal

In the internet age, when the Web site began to rise, portal with some inevitable potential to become the entrance, because the Portal Information presentation form is the most like newspapers and television news, the portal category of the various information moved to the Internet to meet the needs of people to obtain information, so, when the site era arose, the portal is undoubtedly the number one entrance.

Representative: 96 Yahoo, China's three major portals

2, search

Search is indeed a brand-new business model, especially its advertising form, but it is essentially an optimization of the presentation form of portal information. Even though the portal can carry more information, it is limited in the end, and the human needs are quite diverse, for a large number of long tail users, the portal is unable to meet their needs. So the search came into being, its active search instead of the passive rendering of the portal, subversion of the user's information Access form, become a super entrance, know today, search the entrance status is still strong.

Representative: 98 Google, as well as China's Baidu

3, Portal + Search

At the same time provide search and portal business sites are also a few, even in some countries such sites occupy the dominant position

Representative: Yahoo Japan, Korea's Naver

4, Middle page

The middle page to the portal & search, a bit like the desktop client in the browser, the middle page (Vertical portal & Search) to provide specific areas of information, targeted at specific groups of people, to advocate for small and beautiful, which also doomed it is a small entrance. But in some areas (example: tourism, health, etc.) because of the huge market, the value of these portals is also quite large

Representative: Where to go, 58 city, one Amoy, etc.

5, Navigation website

Navigation sites are by no means the product of Chinese characteristics, the world has been very early. Portal as a channel for people and information, and navigation sites occupy the middle of a smaller node: browser and information site channel. The navigation website Innovation significance is not very prominent, even has no innovation to say, but its to satisfy the user's thinking inertia as the cut-in point, becomes an important entrance. Navigation sites can be divided into two types: Web site navigation and information navigation.

Representative: IGoogle (information Navigation), Hao123 (Web site navigation)

6, Social

As a portal, the subversion of portals and searches is manifested in three ways. On the one hand, the social network UGC form of information production provides a new way of information production and problem solving; On the other hand, the trend of social network platform UGC content production mode to a certain extent in the functional coverage of the portal and search. As a simple example, Weibo is a subversion of the portal, knowing that search is subversive; there is another aspect of social animals, and since social networks can meet the needs of most people in information acquisition, it is natural to become a strong portal.

Representative: Facebook,twitter,quora.

Four, the Cloud age: The entrance floats in the cloud

In the cloud era, the boundary between people and information is shortened to almost 0, the best form of bearer information is the entrance, this is the cloud. and hardware, software, Web site, my logic is actually very simple, the user's past information too much to stay in the virtual network space, and the user is dependent on the past, is not to give up, and the cloud provides you to save the past, look to the future possible. Clouds not only jump off the hardware, but also jump off the software, and even a certain degree will jump off the site itself. In the future, all information acquisition, sharing, transmission can be completed in the cloud, as a portal, the cloud has been completely virtualized.

Representative: Dropbox, Evernote (which is one reason the two have huge valuations)

The history of the entrance of smartphone

Smartphone development follows a similar logic in comparison to personal computers, but there are a few differences that some of the authors have taken.

Hardware era

The same as the computer, the initial smart phone, the hardware itself is the entrance, although it has access to the Internet, mail and other functions, but the hardware manufacturer's imprint is very heavy

Representative: BlackBerry, Motorola

Second, the software age

During this period, traditional Internet service providers have not moved, the operators of telecom services have monopolized the Internet service of mobile phones, and some entrepreneurs have started the Internet business directly from the handset side.

1, operator-led

Operators dominate the telecom industry, and the traditional internet has yet to penetrate the mobile phone, a period when operators occupy the position of the portal

(1) Operators

The operator uses the monopoly advantage to control the entrance

Representative: Mobile Dream Net

Article SP

Operators still firmly control the entrance, SP Intelligence relies on operators to provide network services, income sharing, its import position is more passive

Representative: Early Tencent, three major portals, etc.

2, operating system times (need to modify)

Although the mobile operating system was launched early, I think the 07 iOS launch and the 08 Android launch is the real meaning of the advent of intelligent operating system. Symbian era of the entrance processing such as UC browser, functions are relatively simple single, the role of the portal is limited, operators still occupy an important position. Android is the gateway to the Smart age, as iOS is highly unified, and the fragmented Android portal is richer and more deserving of analysis.

When the operating system is mature enough to have an import role, and also a monopoly, the current Android as a gateway value must be stronger than in the previous years of Symbian, because the mobile Internet is still in the embryonic stage of the environment, mobile internet scene is limited, business value is limited.

Representative: Android, IOS

3,rom

ROM is an intrinsic optimization of the operating system, operating system configuration on different types of mobile phones will always have a variety of small problems, ROM is a micro-innovation, optimization will increase the number of mobile phone manufacturers or mobile internet company services, become a form of the portal. But because ROM need to brush machine, installation cost is too high, so as the value of the entrance is small, and most of the operating system has been very perfect, which led to a decrease in the value of ROM entry.

Representative: Millet MIUI, Hammer rom

4, desktop

The desktop is also optimized for the operating system, or "landscaping" is more appropriate, but the desktop does not have the depth of ROM optimization, it is based on the group of pieces of the implant and the external UI beautification. Desktop advantage is easy to download, and to meet the needs of some users to beautify the mobile phone, so also become a must not ignore the entrance

Representative: Go desktop, millet desktop, Facebook home

Third, the application of the Times

This is the biggest difference between the mobile phone and the computer, computers, through the browser to access the various sites to get information, and mobile phones, through the application store download a variety of applications to obtain information. Different, the computer side of the browser depends on a large, each access to the Web page need, and the phone side of the application store depends on a small, download will no longer use. Below, I take Android as the representative, introduce the application-led entrance.

1, App Store

As mentioned above, the App Store is similar to the desktop browser, but the user is less dependent on it, and the download is gone. However, because a single application can not meet all the needs of users, users have the need to download applications at irregular intervals, so the application store has the ability to become a portal. The Foreign Android App store is dominated by Google Play, but the app store is fragmented because of the special situation in the country.

Representative: Google play, 360 mobile phone assistants, pea pods, 91 mobile phone assistants, etc.

2, Super App

I didn't divide it by native app and Web app, but with a strong application. Although it is said that the Web app or light application is the trend, but still is the original app occupies the absolute dominance, and light application relies on such as UC, Baidu platform is also in the form of native app. So my understanding is that the current mobile internet is a strong entrance is actually those Super app or a strong application, users use very high frequency applications. These applications provide functionality as well as diversification, and gradually become a platform for things.

Representative: Micro-letter, UC, mobile Baidu

3, Super app based service

Whether it's based on a micro-mail service number or a lightweight application based on Baidu, individual super app-led mobile internet age has reached a consensus that once such platforms are built, services based on these platforms have the potential to be portals, such as we might subscribe to a public account with a micro-letter to read the news, Then this public account has the potential to be a gateway, and there is a commercial value.

Representative: Micro-credit game, Baidu &uc light Application

Four, the cloud era

This is not very different from the PC side

Representative: Baidu Cloud,

Other Hardware

In addition to computers and mobile phones, other hardware also follow the same development logic: hardware-software-services-cloud, every hardware transfer is an opportunity, which is why many Internet companies into the hardware, in fact, is to rob the entrance. But due to the compatibility of software, many hardware has quickly entered the era of application competition.

Currently, in addition to computers, mobile phone hardware also includes: tablets, watches, televisions, automobiles, boxes, routers, glasses and other wearable equipment

Next, the author talks about the development logic of the entrance.

I have developed a coordinate for the development of the entrance, the horizontal axis is the terminal transfer, the longitudinal axis is the portal virtualization.

Horizontally follows the logic of the computer--the mobile phone--Other intelligent terminals, and the logic of the hardware-software-service-cloud vertically. Of course, this division has a deliberate factor, but basically the development of the entrance follows this logic.

Based on the above logic, the author sums up the logical features of an entrance extension development:

Transverse features:

1, terminal transfer is the reconstruction of the entrance

The entrance of the computer is already very mature, but the mobile phone's entrance is still developing, but the television, the automobile and other terminals are just beginning. This is why millet and other companies to expand the hardware category, is in other hardware entrance has not yet formed stage grab the entrance, get the first advantage

2, terminal transfer to existing software & services to absorb

Many new hardware needs to be created from scratch, but many of the hardware will support existing software or services so that the software or service providers will gain access to the portal. Apple's launch of the ipad is the logic that is fully connected to the existing iOS system, directly grabbing the tablet portal

3, the same type of entrance in different terminals of the status of different

This is due to the characteristics of different terminals, such as in the PC-side Web services can become a portal, while mobile phone, the client's form occupies an important position

Longitudinal features:

1, the entrance is increasingly virtualized

The entrance follows a hardware-software-service-cloud process, the entrance is more and more virtualization, the last entrance is information, the so-called entrance is meaningless. The entrance of this evolution is consistent with the law, everything has the flow of things are always more and more simplified, efficiency is our eternal pursuit.

2, the new entrance leads to the marginalization of the old entrance and even the hollowing out of the

New entrances tend to be subversive to old entrances, and the bodies that tread on old entrances, such as the value of hardware, are already very low, and hardware companies such as Lenovo and Hewlett-Packard have been seeking a transformation.

3, different levels of the entrance strength of different degrees

Although the new entrance will lead to the marginalization of the old entrance, some entrances have a strong position, the entrance function can be maintained for a long time, and some of the entrances are relatively weak. For example, the operating system and browsers are strong portals.

4, different levels of entrance will be extended before and after

In order to maintain the vitality of the entrance, many entrances will be extended to maintain vitality. Chrome has broken the monopoly of IE, but the strength of Windows has kept Google from taking it lightly, and the launch of the Chrome book bodes well for Google to use its browser to develop its operating system back. Another example of a forward expansion is 360, browser-navigation-search, 360 through the backward expansion to maintain the stability of its entry.

At present, the Internet company's contention for the entrance has become white-hot, the author combs The current internet giant's entrance pattern

Apple

Vertically, Apple's logic is the hardware-software-service-Cloud one-stop control, appropriate in the application development to open to third parties. Apple's model, which maximizes Apple's benefits in its ecosystem, is the biggest winner of smartphones and the mobile internet era.

Horizontally, Apple is one of the first to take the logic from the PC, but the PC winner has been preempted by Microsoft, as the biggest winner of smartphones and tablets, Apple is also actively expanding to other hardware, including Apple Watches, Apple TV and so on.

Microsoft

Portrait: Microsoft initially software-oriented (Windows,ie,office, etc.), but subsequently entered the service (Bing,msn,skype, etc.) and hardware (Surface, the acquisition of Nokia), but also formed its own hardware-software-services-cloud one-stop pattern.

Landscape: Microsoft in the PC side of the software portal occupies an absolute position, the service entrance to Bing as the representative in the pursuit of Google, and the new Win8 in addition to the unification of different terminals, there is an important goal is to subvert the browser, directly to the desktop application Mode impact on Google Representative service-oriented portal.

In the mobile phone and tablet sector, Microsoft started late, the market has been divided between Google and Apple. But Microsoft is the winner in the game terminal area.

Google

Portrait: Google started with a service portal (ie, its search service), then Google's services to expand into the mailbox, social and other fields, in the PC-side with Microsoft to control the entrance, Microsoft is the software portal, Google is a service portal. Smartphone sector, Google seized the opportunity, Android occupies a monopolistic position, Google

Moving forward into the hardware sector (acquiring motorcycles), extending the various services on its PC side, and basically building the hardware-software-service-Cloud portal Logic

Landscape View: Google is trying to expand Android to all but the PC side of all smart devices, including smartphones, tablets, Google glasses, Google cars and so on. On the PC side, Google Chrome against Microsoft's operating system area, but the effect is not obvious, but its service-oriented portal is still absolute hegemony

Facebook

Facebook's position is awkward, with social services occupying an important portal on the PC side, where opportunities for hardware, software, and cloud are not being made any better; on the mobile side, so does Facebook, where last year's Facebook home was a flop. So Facebook is dangerous because its ecology is too thin, but its niche is that it provides social services, and user relationships form a social stickiness. At the moment, Facebook's expansion is limited, with the exception of mobile and PC-side.

Baidu

Longitudinal look: PC side, Baidu to search services occupy the entrance, although Baidu has launched some such as browser products, but it is a little bit, and Baidu back control some of the middle page, and Baidu Cloud development is relatively smooth; mobile end, Baidu through the acquisition of 91 control mobile distribution.

This lets Baidu basically presents a service-cloud entrance posture.

Landscape: Baidu In addition to the desktop and mobile end, as well as actively expanding its hardware boundaries, including thump hand ring, Baidu Sphygmomanometer, Baidu router and other hardware products, and are based on Baidu Cloud, which is more than the other Internet companies in China layout of the early

Tencent

Whether on PC or mobile, Tencent is a service-led portal. PC side is client QQ, portal Tencent Network, social network Qzone and so on, at the mobile end is the Super app micro-letter, like Facebook, although its entrance level is not rich, but strong social relations guarantee it as the stability of the entrance.

Millet

Millet started out entirely on the mobile side, through the transformation of the Android ecosystem, Millet inside the Android play Apple mode, its entrance is multi-level: hardware (mobile)-Software (MIUI)-services (including LEI investment projects)-Cloud (Jinshan), you see, lei layout ability is quite good. In the expansion of hardware, in addition to computers, Millet has been involved in including mobile phones, boxes, televisions, routers and other products, in the future, involving flat, intelligent accessories is also taken for granted. The place where millet is strong is not only to seize the opportunity of the smartphone, but also to seize the opportunity of the entrance by decisive attack when other hardware is not yet intelligent.

Moreover, millet products are also a lot of layers, buy not its mobile phone, you can brush a ROM, do not know how to brush ROM, you can next millet desktop; This is the logic of millet: layers of propulsion, even if the entrance effect is very small, but definitely not let go.

360

PC side, 360 is also a service-type portal, is the browser-URL navigation-search mode, but also stable. At the mobile end, distributed through the control application, 360 also occupies an important entrance. But the 360 danger is that the security business itself is inherently shaky on the mobile side, and that mobile phone streaking (without any so-called security guards) is entirely possible, and that security products are also very rare to extend to other hardware. That's 360 dangerous places, so it's normal for 360 to weaken the color of their security makers.

Ali & Amazon

I put the two of these e-commerce giants alone, indeed because of the particularity.

It seems that the Amazon and Ali in the entrance competition in the leeward, but the electric business industry in fact, the requirements of the line is higher, it can quickly adapt to a variety of ecological, platform, system, hardware, etc., so the expectation of subversion through the portal is very rare, to subvert only through the shopping scene subversion, and this subversion is based on offline habits, payment habits, Consumer scenarios such as non-internet things.

Summary, the above is only the author of the hazy feeling of the self-construction logic, yy ingredients a lot. The author firmly believes that as the connection between people and information, the entrance of the existing form will become more and more virtual, and finally in the era of human-machine unification, the entrance disappears, because the distance between people and information is completely zero. Ok,yy End