Recently a friend made a comment that astounded me. She said, “I wish technology changes would just stop now—we don’t need all of this new stuff in our lives.” And so I replied, “Exactly at what point in recent history would you have it stop: indoor power lines, indoor plumbing, the invention and mainstream use of the computer, hand-held calculators, the Internet, cell phones, TV, color TV, HDTV? Not to mention the advances made nearly every day in medical fields.” Yes, I know I jumped all over her with my reply and she didn’t really mean that — specifically, and I am sure that HDTV wasn’t even a thought.
In spite of my ultra-connected home, some of my friends accuse me of living in the dark ages because I don’t Instant Message, send text messages or access my email via my cell phone. I know that once I start looking at my email from my phone my work life and my personal life will have no boundaries left. Sure I check email from my computer at night before I go to bed and on the weekends — but my cell phone is my last bastion of personal control. When I go to the beach I want to have the excuse that I “couldn’t” access my email. It is by my choice. Because we live in a land of choice, we can decide what technologies we want in our lives, which we will keep out, which are too new to commit to, which ones we are willing to help nurture, and which ones we will purchase the day it is available at a price no one in their right mind should pay — but we do because we are so excited by the promise of their new benefits. Sometimes we are disappointed, but often we are rewarded.
In 2006, several products and technologies created some buzz: “Full HD” 1080p HDTV resolution, HDMI (high-definition multimedia interface) connectivity, wireless networking, iPod music distribution throughout the house, new media servers, new ways of content delivery, and lest we forget the fits and starts of high-def DVD formats, Blu-ray and HD DVD. This year some of these technologies will mature. A healthy percentage of HDTV sales in 2007 will be 1080p. HDMI is well on its way with later versions. ZigBee, Z-Wave, Insteon and other “mesh network” applications are enabling a host of new wireless products. Apple’s iPod will meet its first real challenger with Microsoft’s Zune. Content providers offered more HD in 2006 and will up the ante again in 2007 with many more HD channels.
For those of you who were the first on your block and bought-in on some of the advances in 2006 — you rock! For those of you who are waiting for price drops and later versions this year — better a day late than never, and to those who think they’ve had enough technology advances — stick with us and we’ll help guide you through the alphas, betas and conundrums.
For me — bring it on: Some I will purchase the minute it comes out and others I will wait until version 1.x. In the end, it is about how my life is enhanced — whether it for is pure entertainment, ease of use and convenience or peace of mind.
Check back to ElectronicHouse.com every day over the next few weeks as we will bring you up-to-date on all the hot trends and products that will be announced at CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in early January so you can make some life-enhancing decisions. We got the inside scoop early to whet your appetite, we will be sending you updates from the show floor along with podcasts, and we will continue to bring you analysis after the show. Let us know if you are at the show and what you think!