Today Apple, Inc. announces the iPad 3, set to hit stores next Friday. The new tablet will have 4G LTE capability, a retina display, and a quad-core processor, making it fast enough for seamless video and music streaming.
With all of the technological capability that is being packed into these highly mobile and evermore capable tablets, the delivery channel that is cable companies is becoming marginalized. If I can plug my tablet (iPad) into my TV and stream Netflix through it, Hulu through it, ESPN Now, HBO Go, and similar applications, including content provided by networks such as ABC, NBC, and CBS, then what use do I have for a cable company?
News: Streamable, and in clip-form based on individual stories
Movies: Streamable, thank you Netflix
TV Shows: Streamable, thank you Hulu
Sports: Streamable, thank you ESPN
With the proliferation of 4G LTE adoption and the expanding base of Wi-Fi hotspots all over metropolitan areas, consumers are going to have a video content delivery system that works for them wherever they are. Consumers are not going to feel the obligation, then, to shell out for the cable company every month when it doesn't provide any added value to them; just an opportunity to view commercials.
It will be an interesting evloution to watch unfold, but my feeling is that the best days of the cable industry are behind it.
Showing posts with label Apple. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Apple. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 07, 2012
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Amazon is Getting Feisty!
Okay, so I'm pasting an image directly from the Amazon site that is a letter to customers explaining Amazon' new Cloud Player and Cloud Drive. Shameless re-patriation of content, I know, but I think it's important to note what Amazon is doing, here. In the last six months, Amazon has revamped its mp3 offerings and delivery mechanism while fully embracing the Android Platform over Apple's (something to be read into, for sure). The Amazon mp3 App is pretty user friendly, and the Cyber-week deals they had over the holidays- $4 for some of the hottest new albums and $.25 tracks- definitley got them some attention. Now, Amazon has recenly released their own App Store for Android, and then this.....
THIS JUST IN: Amazon isn't playing around in the sandbox anymore. They're done conquering the brick-and-mortar shopping revolution and have all eyes on the digital marketplace, now. Get ready for some dynamic growth/changes/capabilities in the coming months!
THIS JUST IN: Amazon isn't playing around in the sandbox anymore. They're done conquering the brick-and-mortar shopping revolution and have all eyes on the digital marketplace, now. Get ready for some dynamic growth/changes/capabilities in the coming months!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Mother Russia, What Happened!?!
First there were instruments. Then there was the phonograph. Then came the tape-reel, followed by the vinyls, the 4 and then 8 tracks, cassette tapes, CD's, minidisk, and finally, Justin Timberlake...er...Shawn Parker. Napster kicked off the digital age of music that was led by the underlying consumer sentiment that if content were delivered digitally and essentially free of shipping and transportation costs, then it would cost less, sell more, and create a more efficient entertainment consumer as the concept was extrapolated over different media. But the Old Reich still reigned, though not for long.
The old school entertainment industry has kept the price of a new album, regardless of the method in which it was played, at a range of $10-$20 for at least my entire life. When content wasn't as diverse, plentiful, or easily accessible, that price point made plenty of sense, as there was essentially a price markup for convenience and access (which touches on the 'convenience fees' charged by oligopolistic industries today, but those fees are unreasonable, given the fact that there is no cost to the provider of the 'convenience.' Those fees are simply fees just to do business with those industries and are, in my mind, criminal). But today, you can go to one of thousands of websites that sell audio content for download, Big Box retailers that carry the physical CDs, and any number of boutiques or resellers for those trying to find more rare content.
It is this consumer-based interest that has had me scratching my head over the iTunes store for a good six years, now. $.99-$1.29 per digital song download equates to $14.85-$19.35 per 15 track average album, of which the consumer receives no physical product, no artwork, and did not require any shipping, packaging, or shelving cost to the distributor. This never added up to me. Recently, Amazon's mp3 division has made great strides, and their Cyber Week deals this past holiday season allowed for many album prices under the $5 price point. Amazon almost made a convert of me, except that was only a 1 week promotion, when it should be the standard.
Since 2005, I have used the site GoMusicNow (http://www.gomusicnow.com/), a Russia-based music e-tailer that sells its content online for $.15 per track, and adds a 10% discount to album purchases. Yes, that means I'm used to paying less than $3 for a digital album, which is a fair price point, considering all of the extra costs the distributor doesn't incur, and the lack of physical product that the consumer receives. Additionally, as the Web is Worldwide, content can proliferate with greater ease, and potential markets can be opened much faster than before, so potential revenue streams are much more open-ended.
However, it's been a full month since ANYTHING has been updated on the site. Though you can still access all of the archived albums, no updates have occurred since Christmas Day. Come Back, GoMusic! I miss you, and refuse to bow to iTunes!
The old school entertainment industry has kept the price of a new album, regardless of the method in which it was played, at a range of $10-$20 for at least my entire life. When content wasn't as diverse, plentiful, or easily accessible, that price point made plenty of sense, as there was essentially a price markup for convenience and access (which touches on the 'convenience fees' charged by oligopolistic industries today, but those fees are unreasonable, given the fact that there is no cost to the provider of the 'convenience.' Those fees are simply fees just to do business with those industries and are, in my mind, criminal). But today, you can go to one of thousands of websites that sell audio content for download, Big Box retailers that carry the physical CDs, and any number of boutiques or resellers for those trying to find more rare content.
It is this consumer-based interest that has had me scratching my head over the iTunes store for a good six years, now. $.99-$1.29 per digital song download equates to $14.85-$19.35 per 15 track average album, of which the consumer receives no physical product, no artwork, and did not require any shipping, packaging, or shelving cost to the distributor. This never added up to me. Recently, Amazon's mp3 division has made great strides, and their Cyber Week deals this past holiday season allowed for many album prices under the $5 price point. Amazon almost made a convert of me, except that was only a 1 week promotion, when it should be the standard.
Since 2005, I have used the site GoMusicNow (http://www.gomusicnow.com/), a Russia-based music e-tailer that sells its content online for $.15 per track, and adds a 10% discount to album purchases. Yes, that means I'm used to paying less than $3 for a digital album, which is a fair price point, considering all of the extra costs the distributor doesn't incur, and the lack of physical product that the consumer receives. Additionally, as the Web is Worldwide, content can proliferate with greater ease, and potential markets can be opened much faster than before, so potential revenue streams are much more open-ended.
However, it's been a full month since ANYTHING has been updated on the site. Though you can still access all of the archived albums, no updates have occurred since Christmas Day. Come Back, GoMusic! I miss you, and refuse to bow to iTunes!
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