On the proliferation of electronics
December 27 2009, 8:49 AM
Sitting down on the couch today, i counted 2 iPod shuffles, an iTouch, an
iPhone, an IBM laptop, an HP netbook and something called a 'phone'. :) oh
and a blackberry. Seems excessive, i thought for a second. But as i broke
it down, it starts to make more sense. For me, the laptop and blackberry are work tools. I can use them for other
things of course, but that's how they got here. Both shuffles are older but
are still functional and so i still use them. The iTouch is newer but still
older. Interestingly the iTouch has displaced newspapers for me; i read the
Globe and Mail and the New York Times on it. The iPhone is my daughters. Her cellphone and iPod were broken so that made
sense as a replacement to last here for awhile. Plus she basically was
owning my iTouch for the apps: now she gets apps and I get my device
back! :) The netbook is a substitute for the laptop. It's better for lugging around
to coffee shops and makes a great multimedia device. All the devices have come in over time and all of them have been adopted
once they became accepted and the price came down.
Also, the devices have displaced other media. I cancelled my newspaper
subscriptions along time ago, and I never listen to the radio or watch TV.
These devices plus high speed Internet connectivity and wireless allow
that. In fact, we still have an old 20 tv from over 15 years ago. We are only
thinking of upgrading it because it will make video games better! What seems excessive has in fact been an evolutionary process as new
technology has come in an displaced older technology. It's hard to imagine
what will come next, but as things get better, cheaper and faster, i expect
we'll be getting more devices around here.
iPhone, an IBM laptop, an HP netbook and something called a 'phone'. :) oh
and a blackberry. Seems excessive, i thought for a second. But as i broke
it down, it starts to make more sense. For me, the laptop and blackberry are work tools. I can use them for other
things of course, but that's how they got here. Both shuffles are older but
are still functional and so i still use them. The iTouch is newer but still
older. Interestingly the iTouch has displaced newspapers for me; i read the
Globe and Mail and the New York Times on it. The iPhone is my daughters. Her cellphone and iPod were broken so that made
sense as a replacement to last here for awhile. Plus she basically was
owning my iTouch for the apps: now she gets apps and I get my device
back! :) The netbook is a substitute for the laptop. It's better for lugging around
to coffee shops and makes a great multimedia device. All the devices have come in over time and all of them have been adopted
once they became accepted and the price came down.
Also, the devices have displaced other media. I cancelled my newspaper
subscriptions along time ago, and I never listen to the radio or watch TV.
These devices plus high speed Internet connectivity and wireless allow
that. In fact, we still have an old 20 tv from over 15 years ago. We are only
thinking of upgrading it because it will make video games better! What seems excessive has in fact been an evolutionary process as new
technology has come in an displaced older technology. It's hard to imagine
what will come next, but as things get better, cheaper and faster, i expect
we'll be getting more devices around here.
192 views and 2 responses
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Dec 31 2009, 12:41 AMfivetwelve responded:I find that most 'things' we own that are reasonably solid state (think frying pans) and manage to avoid accidental abuse (and still, frying pans) last for years and years so I find it's not uncommon for a lot of ancient technology to be laying around when you're naturally adopting something new because something in your digital ecosystem encourages it.
As a corollary to your (and my) evolution of media consumption, traditional media companies need to be innovative thinkers to strike that balance between profitability and adapting to consumer habits. Hardball stances such as Murdoch's won't play out well and may hurt in the long run.
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Dec 31 2009, 8:44 AMBernie Michalik responded:Good comment, Victor! You are right: there are tiers of permancy in our personal effects. I have furniture and other items that may last decades. I have appliances that may last a decade. And then I have digital devices that will rarely last longer than 3-5 years. Indeed, I am pushing back on more of my property becoming digital because I do want it to last at least a decade and not replace it more often.
As for the media, that is also a good point. The media needs to realize that technology is now the driver, and that media that doesn't aligh with the dynamic of IT will be lost. So far the old media doesn't get that too well, and is suffering the consequences. Let's see if the new media does get it.