Zi isn't being touted as crucial to phone use, but rather as an attractive feature that can differentiate one phone from others--and which (paradoxically) will therefore be on all the phones--maybe.
The difference between Europe and China is that, even though Chinese don't all speak the same language, they all write the same languange. Remember, it's not a phonetic writing system, it ideographic. One symbol means the same thing all over the country.
Pete, I think the market is clear. There is a clear opportunity here. The question(s) is/are different, I believe. Can Zi execute? What kind of revenues will these various agreements generate? Can Zi establish its position firmly enough, and make enough money, before a successor technology takes over? (One future problem, for instance, may be voice-recognition software. At some point, the hardware and software may be good enough to make this a real alternative. But, how long will this take?)
And then, there are the financial questions. What kind of dilution will we see before Zi turns a profit? There remains the risk of bankruptcy, also, although with the recent agreements that risk seems lower, and that lower risk has been reflected in the run from under 2 to its recent prices.
Investment in Zi is by no means a "no-brainer", but I have no doubt that Zi is addressing a huge market in China.
Best,
JS |
