1. Dan Hesse
Position: CEO, Sprint Nextel
Age: 55
Location: Overland Park, Kans.
Dan Hesse took the reins of a beleaguered Sprint at the end of last year. In the wake of what is widely considered a botched merger with Nextel overseen by his predecessor, Hesse was charged with stanching Sprint’s customer bleed. His plans to restore the carrier’s luster may well have repercussions across the whole of the mobile industry.
Sprint is the only American carrier with a substantial investment in Mobile WiMAX, a service it dubbed Xohm (pronounced “zome”). “What Xohm will do is give us a two-year-plus head start on fourth generation [wireless],” Hesse said. The company recently agreed to combine its WiMAX wireless broadband business with Clearwire, targeting a network deployment that will cover between 120 million and 140 million people in the U.S. by the end of 2010. Intel, along with Google, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Bright House Networks, have invested a combined $3.2 billion into the new company. Sprint will have a 51 percent stake in the joint venture.
In the short term, Hesse is optimistic about Sprint’s present mobile broadband offerings. “We offer the fastest speeds available on the largest wireless broadband network,” Hesse said of the company’s EV-DO Rev. A network. “We’re the leader in 3G, and we’re going to extend that lead when we launch 4G,” he said, adding that Xohm will enable throughput of up to 2 to 4 megabits per second.
Assuming the launch doesn’t slip any further, WiMAX will enable a fundamentally different kind of relationship between the customer and carrier. Rather than focusing on selling WiMAX-enabled handsets, Hesse expects many consumer devices to feature embedded WiMAX chips. “So when you go to the store and buy a new PC or camera or whatever, an embedded chip is a great model to have, where a customer can just sign up for service,” he said.
Rather than manage every level of the experience, from device hardware to software applications to the network, Sprint is saying: Go ahead and buy whatever you want, and we’ll let you connect to the Internet and do anything. “A lot of developers and companies are joining the WiMAX ecosystem with us because of its open nature, and they’re concerned that LTE, the other 4G standard coming later, will continue to be a walled garden that carriers control,” Hesse said.
Hesse also led Sprint through a landmark period of price-structure change in the industry, with all the major carriers suddenly offering some variety of flat-rate pricing plan. But Sprint went further than the rest by including data in its Simply Everything plan, which may shape where the industry as a whole is going. “Look at Simply Everything and what the others have offered, which is very ’90s, if you will, with just unlimited talking,” Hesse noted, adding that he expects Sprint’s unlimited plan to encourage unfettered usage of smart phone functionality that “people today don’t use because it’s too expensive or [the pricing is] too complex.”
Hesse is even attempting to take on the iPhone with the Instinct by Samsung, a touchscreen device that offers not only Rev. A data speeds but a fully customizable favorites menu, haptic feedback, and GPS navigation—all wrapped up in a sleek design that will presumably cost much less than Apple’s iconic device.
With Hesse at the helm, Sprint is the only carrier positioned to make 4G a reality sooner rather than much later—even with the much-publicized delays—and his attitude toward pricing and openness bode very well for mobile data users.
2. Steve Jobs
Position: Cofounder, chairman, and CEO, Apple
Age: 53
Location: Palo Alto, California.
Steve Jobs has presided over an industry-changing period at Apple. “When you look over the last twelve months or so at Apple, what impresses me is their ability to continue to evolve their existing product lines as they introduce significant new things like the iPhone,” said David Carnevale, vice president of multimedia content and distribution at iSuppli. “If you look across the entire Apple product roadmap, it’s one the most impressive I’ve seen in my twenty-plus years in high tech.”
Carnevale pointed to the iPhone, the MacBook Air, and the continually revised iPod line as evidence of Apple’s prolific creativity. And far more than is typical, Jobs’ leadership is inextricably tied to the culture of risk and innovation that has seen the company change how we perceive mobile technology. “With these creative bold strokes, it’s impossible to separate Apple the company from Steve Jobs the man,” said Carnevale.
The iPhone broke new ground the Apple way: it’s not what it does, but how it does it. “Apple focuses on making things easy,” said Carnevale. “If it’s easy, people will do it more.” In the iPhone’s case, this means realizing the promise of the smart phone as a mobile data device on a wide consumer scale.
Critics have hammered the iPhone for its 3G-lessness, but according to Jobs the iPhone accounts for a whopping 71 percent of U.S. mobile-browser usage. And according to Canalys, the iPhone outsold all Windows Mobile devices combined in the U.S. in the fourth quarter, trailing only RIM’s venerable BlackBerry line. Who knows how much those numbers might go up when the rumored 3G version goes on sale, possibly as early as this summer.
And while some have disparaged the MacBook Air for its lack of an optical drive and removable battery, the notebook’s brilliant display and striking profile is light-years ahead of most other notebook designs. “I can’t think of another company that would have taken a chance on a product like the MacBook Air,” said Carnevale. With Jobs at the helm, we expect the excitement to continue.
3. Andy Rubin
Position: Director of mobile platforms, Google
Age: 45
Location: Los Altos Hills, Calif.
The gPhone is dead! Long live the gPhone! It turned out that the much-rumored “device” was actually a mobile operating system called Android, created by Andy Rubin’s eponymous company, which was quietly purchased by Google in 2005. With Android finally out in the open, it’s clear that Rubin is playing a major role in shaping Google’s efforts to establish a beachhead in mobile devices.
Rubin’s big idea is an open-source mobile operating system that will give developers full access to the guts of a device. It’s more open than closed-source competitors like Nokia’s S60 and Microsoft’s Windows Mobile because it lets developers tinker with virtually any aspect of the software rather than being limited to functionality exposed by restrictive programming interfaces.
Google will give Android to handset makers for free, which could prove critical to its success. “There’s a large opportunity in the North American market for what Google is trying to do,” said Gartner analyst Hugues De La Vergne. “There’s no dominant low-cost consumer [mobile] OS in this region.” But Rubin’s brainchild could provide a huge payoff for Google: It would be in on the ground floor of the device, giving the company a springboard from which to influence all aspects of the mobile environment. “They can have much more say in the mobile user experience,” said analyst Bonny Joy of Strategy Analytics.
As Rubin leads Google’s charge into mobile territory, all signs point to a battle that will spur exciting efforts from the major mobile players for supremacy on the handset. Android partners initially included many of the major handset makers, including HTC, Motorola, and Samsung, but only the two smaller U.S. carriers, Sprint and T-Mobile.
However, AT&T mobility president and CEO Ralph de la Vega recently said that he had met with Google and that the provider was warming up to the OS because he had been reassured that AT&T’s applications and features will be able to run on the devices. Even if Verizon Wireless doesn’t embrace Android, Rubin’s software could very well redefine the smart phone and the way we access the Web on the go.
4. James Laurence Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis
Positions: Co-CEOs, RIM
Ages: 47 and 47
Location: Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Dynamic duo Lazaridis and Balsillie pushed RIM to better-than-expected subscription numbers earlier this year. The BlackBerry, which began as a badge of importance in Washington, D.C., and on Wall Street, then spread through boardrooms and down to the rank-and-file, is now finding space in consumer pockets and expanding the horizons for the wider penetration of smart phones in general.
“They’ve done an excellent job of very quickly going into the consumer market, not only with plans, but with device,” said analyst Barry Gilbert of Strategic Analytics, who cited the BlackBerry Pearl and Curve as handsets that are helping RIM gain traction outside the enterprise. A ChangeWave survey in January showed that among consumers thinking about buying a phone within six months, RIM handsets barely lagged behind the iPhone as objects of future affection.
The devotion that RIM’s devices and services inspire has survived some high-profile outages in the past year. “When the service goes down, people go nuts, but they don’t leave,” said independent analyst Jeff Kagan, also noting that RIM was successfully spreading the addiction to consumers.
RIM also opened its APIs to encourage third-party developers to create applications for the OS, feeding the trend toward more open platforms. “It’s a good direction to go in because there’s a ton of applications that can be developed,” said Gilbert.
Both riding and fueling the wider gravitation toward smart phones, Balsillie and Lazaridis are key players in shaping the mobile future. On the horizon is the highly anticipated (but only rumored as of press time) 9000 series, which many believe will include a total interface overhaul, high-speed HSDPA and Wi-Fi connectivity, and a striking new design to woo even more consumers away from the iPhone and other smart devices.
5. Jonney Shih
Position: Chairman, ASUSTeK Computer
Age: 56
Location: Taipei, Taiwan
ASUS has long been known overseas for its compelling designs, top-notch service, and affordable laptops, but the company made its biggest mark in the United States late last year with its ground-breaking Eee PC. Jonney Shih, chairman and former CEO of the 100,000-
employee, Taipei-based company, initiated the Eee PC concept in response to today’s digital convergence. Shih wanted to create a product that would enable unsophisticated PC users (think elderly and children), as well as more advanced users, to have easy access to the Internet and digital media.
To put the Eee PC in perspective, the company has sold over 1 million units since November 2007 and projects its Eee PC sales to exceed Apple’s total notebook sales this year. The Eee PC line has already branched out from its easy-to-use, tabbed, Linux interface to Windows XP, and you’ll be seeing an 8.9-inch system with both Linux and Windows hitting the market around the time you read this. The company is also employing multi-touch technology and is extending the brand to desktops.
While Shih admits he didn’t know how much impact the Eee PC would have on the computing industry, the fact that major players, including HP, have introduced their own low-cost mini-notebooks is a key indicator that ASUS’ innovation—and Shih specifically—are forces to be reckoned with. Under Shih’s direction and influence, chances are high that his ideas will churn out products that end up in your home, office, or school in the coming year.
6. Mark Hurd
Position: President, chairman and CEO, HP
Age: 52
Location: Palo Alto, Calif.
In the three years since Mark Hurd took the reins as HP’s CEO, after the dismissal of his predecessor Carleton S. Fiorina, the notebook giant has become one of the top-ranking and top money-making technology companies in the world: HP’s revenues totaled over $107 billion in the last four fiscal quarters.
It should come as no surprise. As CEO and president of NCR, a midwestern company that manufactured retail scanning systems and ATMs, Hurd quickly earned a reputation as a miracle worker by turning around the lagging company (stocks increased by 300 percent from $9 per share) in just two years time. Hurd applied the same techniques during his tenure at HP that he used at NCR: slashing costs, reducing staff, and mandating pay cuts while focusing the company’s energies on sales.
Under Hurd, HP changed the game as the company became one of the first PC manufacturers to push stylish, eye-catching devices with its slick Imprint design—and the competition quickly followed suit, much to the delight of consumers worldwide. Hurd has also pushed HP to be the first name-brand PC maker to enter the surging low-cost mini-notebook market with its new Mini-Note (see full review on p. 80). And while it’s pricier than the compeition, it’s slicker design, full-size keyboard, and configurability options redefine the fledgling category.
7. Doug Morris
Positions: Chairman and CEO, Universal Music Group
Age: 69
Location: New York, N.Y.
All-you-can-eat subscription services were once considered to be a panacea for the struggling music business, but up until now very few consumers have embraced the idea of “renting” their tunes. Doug Morris’ idea? Give it away—temporarily. “Doug wanted to create a concept whereby people could access all the music they want for an X amount of time, and when that time is up, have it roll into a subscription,” said our source inside the Universal Music Group.
We say “source” and not a specific name because as of press time UMG was the subject of a Department of Justice inquiry. The reported reason: fear of collusion on pricing, especially since all of the other major labels are supposedly already on board. (Some have said Total Music would cost as little as $5 per month—$10 less than Rhapsody to Go—but our source denied that figure.)
Also on board is Nokia. The cell phone giant’s new Comes with Music service for cell phones, launching later this year in Europe, is based on Total Music. But in this case customers will be able to hold onto their content indefinitely, even after the year-long all-you-can-eat download party is over. They can also transfer the tunes to a new Nokia phone, even though they’ll be locked down by DRM.
Now you know why Apple is nervous and why there are rumors that the company is trying to negotiate a Comes with Music–like service for the iPod.
8. Lowell McAdam
Position: President and CEO, Verizon Wireless
Age: 53
Location: Basking Ridge, N.J.
McAdam has put Verizon Wireless on a course to support non-Verizon devices and applications, a major departure for the historically closed carrier. “If we move out five or ten years, we should be able to take our phone and change from carrier to carrier,” said independent analyst Jeff Kagan. “Verizon started that ball rolling. As soon as they said it, all the carriers jumped in and said they were doing the same thing.”
GSM networks (like AT&T and T-Mobile) are already somewhat open by design, but Verizon’s announcement still has weight. “In terms of leadership, this announcement is an important step because it creates some pressure on the industry to open up the mobile Internet,” said IDC analyst Karsten Weide.
McAdam also led Verizon Wireless to be the first national carrier with an “unlimited” plan, with AT&T and T-Mobile announcing similar plans on the same day and Sprint’s version following a week later. “Sprint offers a more comprehensive plan than Verizon, but the fact that [Verizon] came out ahead of time spoiled the party for Sprint a little,” Gartner analyst Tole Heart suggested.
“It changed the wireless world,” Kagan said. “Could you say it was Verizon who started it? Or was it Dan Hesse [Sprint’s CEO, who had been quoted considering the move earlier]? I don’t know . . . but Verizon was first.”
Another far-reaching decision was to use LTE technology for 4G, effectively abandoning the carrier’s CDMA heritage and bringing it more in line with the rest of the world. “There are lots of advantages,” Heart said, citing greater handset selection, global roaming, and lower equipment costs among them.
McAdam will be leveraging Verizon Wireless’ recent $9.36 billion 700-MHz auction bounty to roll out the network beginning in 2010, which the company has said will bring “a tidal wave of innovation” to the wireless space.
9. Paul S. Otellini
Position: President and CEO, Intel
Age: 57
Location: Santa Clara, Calif.
The CEO of the world’s largest chip-maker may have once considered revising the “Intel Inside” slogan, but it’s never been more apt. Since refocusing in 2006, Intel has won back market share from rival AMD and even picked up Apple’s business, shrinking its Core 2 Duo chip by 60 percent for the MacBook Air.
It’s a prelude to Intel’s new strategy, targeting the mini-notebook market, whose $100 to $299 price range is expected to fuel sales of nearly 60 million units in 2011. Intel has already won a convert in ASUS, which plans to switch to a 45-nm processor in its popular Eee PC. Then there’s Centrino 2, available in June, which will combine Intel’s 45-nanometer processor with a whole new chipset with three times the graphics performance and baked-in support for Mobile WiMAX. There has been plenty of speculation that Intel will throw $2 billion into Sprint’s Xohm Mobile WiMAX network—to ensure that its own investment into mobile broadband chips wasn’t for naught.
Although Otellini warned in early March that Intel would take a hit from the rapidly dropping prices of flash memory, at the same time the company is entering the solid state drive business, planning to introduce 80GB and 160GB models by mid-year. So 2008 could be the year that Intel puts serious pressure not only on AMD but also on leading memory manufacturers, including Samsung, and graphics powerhouses such as Nvidia.
10. Joe Cruz
Position: Senior vice president and CTO, Aircell
Age: Declined to say
Location: Itasca, Ill.
Aircell recruited Cruz, one of the founders of Airfone, to jumpstart its in-flight broadband business. Five years later, the company is rolling out service through American Airlines and Virgin America. Where other companies have failed, Aircell might succeed: It’s the first service to win support from a domestic carrier, and because it uses cellular—not satellite—technology, users pay just $12.95 to surf the Web on a transcontinental flight, compared with as much as $30 for the discontinued Boeing Connexion service.
Over the next year, Cruz wants to see more airlines adopt the technology and offer it on more flights. More important, he expects in-flight broadband to change the way we work—and the way we play. “You’re on your way to Disney World and you want to start booking reservations to restaurants,” Cruz said. “I can’t think of anyone that doesn’t have a need.”
11. Peter Chou
Position: Cofounder and CEO, HTC
Age: 51
Location: Taipei, Taiwan
12. Nicholas Negroponte
Position: Founder and chairman, One Laptop
Per Child
Age: 64
Location: Cambridge, Mass.
13. Jeff Omelchuck
Position: Executive director, EPEAT; founder and director, Green Electronics Council
Age: 49
Location: Portland, Ore.
14. Jon Rubinstein
Position: Executive chairman, Palm
Age: 51
Location: Sunnyvale, Calif.
15. Shantanu Narayen
Position: President and CEO, Adobe
Age: 44
Location: San Jose, Calif.
16. Kevin Martin
Position: Chairman, FCC
Age: 41
Location: Washington, D.C.
17. Anssi Vanjoki
Position: Executive vice president of new markets and general manager of multimedia, Nokia
Age: 52
Location: Helsinki, Finland
18. Marissa Mayer
Position: Vice president of search products and user experience, Google
Age: 32
Location: Mountain View, Calif.
19. David Hill
Position: Chief designer, Lenovo
Age: 50
Location: Raleigh-Durham, N.C.
20. Mike Schroepfer
Position: Vice president of engineering, Mozilla
Age: 33
Location: Palo Alto, Calif.
21. Blake Krikorian
Position: Cofounder, CEO, and chairman, Sling Media
Age: 40
Location: San Mateo, Calif.
22. John Bicket and Sanjit Biswas
Positions: Cofounders and CTO (Bicket) and CEO (Biswas), Meraki
Ages: 26 and 28
Location: Mountain View, Calif.
23. Cliff Pemble
Position: President and COO, Garmin
Age: 42
Location: Kansas City, Mo.
24. Matt Zimmerman
Positions: CTO, Canonical; chairman, Ubuntu Technical Board
Age: 29
Location: London
25. Jon Lech Johansen
Position: Cofounder, doubleTwist
Age: 24
Location: San Francisco, Calif.
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