If we think of technology in it broadest sense, what is the promise of the 'technology brand'? Does it deliver something shiny, new, faster and better? When I take a step back and ask myself has technology delivered on its promise? When I ask myself do I still believe in the 'technology brand'? The evidence would suggest that delivering on the promise of technology is the exception and not the rule.
My PC still boots up in the same amount of time it did 10 years ago. My email experience is broadly similar, my word processing and Internet experience has improved a little.
Today the iPhone launched in the UK and Germany. My crystal ball prediction on June 19th of this year when the iPhone launched in the US was
'Final verdict, before the introduction of the iPod/iTunes Apple were not in the music distribution business, today they are the 5th largest supplier of music worldwide. The iPhone is over priced and over hyped but a key benefit of the iPhone is ego gratification. I think we will see Apple move into the mobile phone space but perhaps not have the 70% market share it does in the MP3 space.'
Research into people's PC usage reveals the top activities are browsing, email and word processing. Other research reveals that people's criteria for purchase of a PC is centered around functionality they infrequently use like digital video and photo editing. Imagine a person needing a family car ignoring the seat capacity and focusing instead on how fast it goes from 0 to 60mph.
The marketing can be fun, the products can be shiny but, please, just give me technology that does the basics brilliantly.
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9 comments:
I think in time the iPhone will be pretty big in Europe especially among younger users and technophiles. No doubt Nokia, Samsung, etc will follow suit with their own take on the full color dual orientated touch screen, but as with the ipod Apple will stay ahead in the style/usability stakes.
The technology promise. Does it deliver something shiny, new, faster and better? Shiny - yes. New - yes. Faster - often. Better - rarely.
My email, word processing and Internet experience has improved a lot over the last ten years. Outlook is an unequaled piece of management software. Have you tried Word 2007. http://tinyurl.com/2vyf9v for a trial. My internet experience has been vastly improves by broadband and the many web 2.0 technologies.
However it is nice to see the emergence of products that "do what they say on the tin." The sagem VS1 is an examplehttp://www.lordpercy.com/sagem_vs1.htm There are also a wide range of sub €600 laptops and desktops out there that feature function over form.
I use Office 2007 and although I like the look of it I an still not sure I like the interactions it presents. There is definitely a lot of relearning people have to do because of the ribbon. The design also is really just a 'skin' on top of the old product, I think if it had been rebuilt from a blank slate they would have made it even easier to use.
not sure if technology has safed us time in fact I suspect the oppposite is true. My biggest beef is dealing with the telco.s etc who cannot suply a simple product. there are always deals which are supposed to benefit but never do.
Certainly the advent of the net has been great but the com-panies supplying accewss to it and relatwed other technologies are holding it back to make more dollars
ribbon??
The telephone companies in many countries have been leveraging/exploiting their infrastructure to make money but not really delivering anything new.
I suspect that just like terrestrial tv was taken surprise by satellite, the telephone companies will be taken surprise by VOIP, skype and others. This is already happening.
The ribbon is a design component used in Office 2007 products.
see here ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Office_2007#Ribbon
ever the technophob here, well in some ways any way
Today, I have seen my first iPhone. Is it one of those moments?
Where were you when JFK was shot? Where were you when the iPhone came out? It probably is?
The iPhone - it is an astounding bit of technology. Make phone calls - no bother. Text - no bother. Calendar option - easy. Email - flick of a switch (or should I say the thumb)
Music and Photos - no hassle.
This all seems so easy to say but I have seen it. The touch screen has to be seen to be believed. It is not like the iPod or Creative attempts at touch screen technoogy. The touch screen interface probably the best thing about the iPhone. The gui looks surprisingly similar to leopard (It has Coverflow) - the latest Apple Mac OS.
Do I want one - yes.
Will I get one - no. Is it worth it? No.
€400 for a hacked iPhone. Loads of money. However, my friend Julie spends that on ciggies every month - really.
A month of cigarettes or an iPhone? That is the question?
Yeah, I saw one a while back and they definitely have a high 'gimme' factor.
They are too expensive, my advice and prediction is to wait for the another year or two and you will see the iPhone Nano.
The iPhone nano or extra name tagged onto the end was always a compromise.
Wait for the another year or two and you will see the iPhone Nano - or a better iPhone, cheaper. Surely all the other phone manufacturers will follow suite - thus bringing the price down.
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