Charlie Rose spent a little more than 20 minutes discussing the iPad and what it means for users, the media markets, and competitors. So why am I posting this to TPN? I think that this device will be defining our relations to much of the media that we consume in the years ahead. This comes with some new levels of freedom regarding what we consume, when we consume it, and where we consume it (whether it be music, video, books or the web) but it also progressively ties us to Apple as our new gatekeeper. Should we embrace this future or be frightened by it? The famous Apple 1984 commercial feels like it might be inverting. Who is going to create the disruptive technology that unhooks us from the Apple media borg?
I, for one, think that the iPad will be a massive success. v1 is compelling and will get people drooling, even if it doesn’t have all of the features that everyone would want. Early tear downs of the product show that Apple is making really healthy margins on the device, somewhere around $220 profit on the $499 model. That means if Apple wants to crank up sales on the device, they could be selling at a $299 price point, still make a profit, and blow the doors off of holiday. Since Apple makes money off search on the device as well as via iTunes and the App Store, selling the product for near to cost neutral could make sense as long as they have a great supply chain. I expect that the device will be available in lower price points by holiday. As the product develops and becomes available on multiple carriers and adds features such as camera and GPS, sales will also accelerate. The future of Apple seems pretty darn healthy to me.
I’m quite excited to see all of the advances in ebook technology being shown off at CES this week, especially since they stand to move us a lot further down the path of a paperless society. Personally, I wouldn’t mind never using paper again. I get bummed evry time I shop and am handed a receipt.
While I think Amazon has done an admirable job coming at the problem of digital reading from the purpose-built device side of the equation, it’s clear that current Kindle displays are inadequate for certain types of reading – comic books, textbooks, interactive content, magazines, etc. This is precisely who the new blio reader software backed by famous futurist Ray Kurzweil looks so promising. It comes at the problem from the side of massively available computers and because of that, I think it could really take off. Check out this demo of the software running on Windows.
The following concept video from Bonnier Research and Development is also exciting as it specifically lays out some very solid concepts for taking magazines digital. Watching videos like the ones in this post lead me to believe that we will be reading our periodical content much differently within the next 1-2 years.
Content providers, please adopt these so that we don’t have to use the horribly inefficient postal service to deliver dead trees end up being tossed into a recycle pile.
And finally, I can already hear some of the complaints from you cantankerous buggers about backlit screens and how it increases eye strain. On the one hand, I agree with you; I own a Kindle and I read on it whenever the format is suitable to that device. I also read A TON on my computers: RSS feeds, news sites, magazine articles, Wikipedia, etc. I just find the current crop of e-ink devices to not be entirely satisfying for these types of reading. Even this, however, appears about ready to change. Check out this demo of a new color reader technology, called Mirasol, coming to the market from Qualcomm.
Not to be left completely in the dust behind by Portland’s great street car line, Seattle is adding a second street car to the Seattle Streetcar Network. The Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs is searching for an artist to help them add art to the line. If you apply and get the job, you’ll get to work with a budget of $600,000 and a chance to leave your mark on Seattle transportation. I hope you uber-creatives go for this one. It seems like a great opportunity.
Hi everyone! I’m back from holiday and looking forward to another great year with The Puget News. For now, a quick video with some compelling storytelling. It’s one Vimeo’s top videos of 2009. Enjoy.
Last week, the Rembrandt painting Portrait of a man with arms akimbo went for $33.2 million dollars at a Christie’s auction. The painting was sold to Vegas casino owner Steve Wynn, who had an anonymous bidder call in by telephone to make the purchase.
I wonder if Rembrandt ever could have fathomed that his paintings [...]
Ludwig van Beethoven was born on this day in 1760. After you read this post, go here to learn the life and times of the man. The one excerpt of the Wikipedia article that I wish to call out tells about the constant ringing in his ears and eventual hearing loss:
As early as 1801, Beethoven [...]
I must say, I really like how Google and Bing both work a bit of serendipity into their search engines these days. It helps to go to the site and see a dash of playfulness and personality and adds a human touch, a feeling that there is some editor working on pleasantly surprising the users [...]
A beautiful new commercial spot for the National Geographic channel.
Warning: This WILL make you feel cooped up and desirous of travel.
Enjoy.
Question: Where do you want to travel to next and why? Answer in the comments.
