Due to the economic slow down and credit crunch in the US, Japanese flat panel makers are de-emphasizing large TV’s in favor of smaller sets for the US market. What’s more interesting to me is that they saw the coming slow down last July, while none of us in the US were even cognizant that problems were coming. What extra information did they have? Or perhaps their advisors have an unbiased perspective on the US economy.
I myself have been looking for a 32 or 37-in flat panel TV for my bedroom. We also have have a large flat panel and I don’t feel that we need as big of TV in our bedroom. I wonder if other buyers are like me — the US market is saturated with large TVs and people are opting to buy smaller, less expensive TVs as secondaries. Hmm … Either way, it sounds like the Japanese companies know their customer well and are on top of the situation.
Taking advantage of the falling chip prices due to manufacturing optimization of cellphones and flat panels, more high tech toys are coming! This is very exciting, especially the Night Vision glasses which will probably be bought by somebody like my husband.
Here is an interesting editorial on how digital media consumption could change the advertising and “watercooler” experience. I like how this author is embracing digital technology and taking an enlightened and open view on how the changes will be positive for media companies, advertisers, and customers alike. Now if only the media companies would get with the vision. Perhaps if the advertisers push on them using this perspective, then we’ll see an end to the media companies’ paranoia and fear faster. It seems sad that the media companies will have to be forced into new business models. But once they realize that they can penetrate world-wide they will get with the rest of us.
Here is an interview with Google’s CIO, Douglas Merrill. What’s interesting in the interview is that Google’s IT is decentralized and that a lot support is left up to the employees. At first it sounded to me like Google was kinda loosey-goosey on the software it allows it’s employees to use, but a upon reading the details given, it sounds like many other companies they have restrictions around what software employees are allowed to use and they they are very cost concious about software too — sometimes opting for the personal versions of software rather than the corporate or industrial versions. In all, I was expecting to read that Google handled its IT radically, but I didn’t get that impression from this interview. Consequently, I came away from reading this a little disappointed.
More Rambling 