The Next Great Energy Source To Run Our Technology...Ourselves

What if the days of recharging our devices on a daily basis was a thing of the past?  What if our battery devices were always being recharged so that batteries rarely needed to be replaced?  And what if this energy sources was free and abundant?  As we become constantly reliant on mobile devices to be powered up and ready to go, we are in constant need for a quantum leap in our battery technology.

Well, perhaps some progress is being made.  Well today's WSJ article has focused on a new energy source. "Scientists are studying how to tap the energy naturally created by people's bodies—such as heat, sound and movement—to power medical devices without the need to change batteries."  These experiments are focusing on technology that is running on the human body, devices such as "hearing aids, insulin pumps and pain-management devices".  But perhaps this energy source could power even more. "Some experts expect the first medical devices that tap the body's energy—known as bioenergy harvesting—could be available within a decade."

Do we produce enough energy, that devices in our hand could also act as a conduit to act as a power source?  Could even the proximity to a person enable transference of power, perhaps by wearing a device that is then bluetooth connected to a mobile device?  Our reliance on power was never more apparent than during the recent hurricane when power was out for days and one had to find charging stations to stay powered up.  As we become more and more reliant on technology, that quantum leap in battery power is much needed.

Happy Holidays, Apple

It could be a busy holiday season for Apple this year and the iPad Mini could be the must have gift.  According to Forbes, "Though the WiiU is a hotly anticipated new console with 39% of kids aged 6-12 wanting one, it’s bested by the iPad, which nearly a majority of kids want at 48%.  And the next three items on the list after the WiiU? An iPod touch, an iPad mini and an iPhone."  And if my household is any indication, Apple devices top the list.

Nintendo's WiiU has been expected for quite a while; my house has both a Wii and XBox, though the latter gets far greater play.  No one in my house is clamoring for the next generation of either product.  The tablet though, with all its gaming, is appealing to both my son and daughter.  Add all the other apps as well as its mobility, and it is in hot demand.  And despite the higher than expected price for a Mini iPad, demand for it keeps rising.   As to the research, while the iPad is at the top of the wish list, the Microsoft Surface, along with the Apple TV, rank at the very bottom of the list.  Does this portend another Zune type product for Microsoft?

Once the rush to the stores is over this holiday season, it will be fun to look back at sales and see which devices sold more.  Was the iPad the top seller?  Did the Surface surprise and rank higher?  Will the WiiU prove a success for Nintendo?  Black Friday is gone but Cyber Monday is upon us.  Let the games begin.

Apple Should Avoid Selling an HDTV Set

The 2012 Holiday Season is upon us and there is no Apple TV Set.  According to "Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said he believes Apple will kick off the TV in November 2013."  But perhaps it is time to reconsider.

While Apple could use another new product to add to its inventory, an HDTV set is ripe with problems.  For one, consumers have already invested in big screen HDTVs.  Best Buy, a leading seller of electronics, is facing a tough fiscal year.  Prices for TVs in general continue to fall, making margins harder to reach and their is a glut of competitive product already on the shelf.  Second, the cable operators have no reason to trust Apple with their content and let them bypass their set top box.  Heck, Apple can't even get them to agree to use Apple's current TV product.  Third, the younger generation has already figured out how to bypass the cable box.  Xbox, Wii, Roku, and many others already can bring web content to the HDTV set.  And fourth,  the next generation is far more interested in smaller devices than larger ones.

So what should Apple release next.  The current Apple TV box still exists and has room to get better.  It integrates the iTunes library and for the Apple home, enables a conduit to the current TV screen.  It could get even better if Apple sought to build out a gaming model to compete with Xbox.  Integrating iPads, iPods, iPhones and other  new gaming devices to build an interactive experience across multiple screens.  Add to that a new visual approach, perhaps borrowing a bit from Google Glasses, and other  controller devices to make a more immersive experience.  Lastly, sell and/or rent games from iTunes.  No hard copies to clutter the living room; everything is stored in the cloud or downloaded onto the box.

So Apple, don't waste your time on the big HDTV screen.  It lacks the growth and margins to serve your needs.  Your opportunities are best served elsewhere.

Dish and AT&T Partnership Rumors Continue

If not a Google - Dish partnership, talks of AT&T acquiring Dish have also been around for a while.  What value the wireless spectrum has may just depend on what the FCC determines, but AT&T might also like to work with Dish on how best to use that asset.  And that may affect Dish's future stock value.  "Dish's premium could reflect lingering hopes that it will decide to sell off the spectrum, whose value Bernstein estimates at about $8 billion, equivalent to 50% of the company's current market capitalization. Mr. Ergen has said this isn't his intention."

Dish's possible future continues to take many turns.  Google and AT&T have been mentioned, but so has DirecTv. A merger of the two satellite providers, if approved by the FCC would rival the size of Comcast.  Whether that merger was viewed as anti competitive in the satellite space, as opposed to bringing more size parity to the cable space, remains to be seen.  Regardless, Dish seems to be in play and the question is who will they hook up with.

Dish Wants A Wireless Business And So Does Google

Dish Network is the second largest cable satellite provider in the US.  They also have clear intentions to be a leader in the broader wireless world. Having picked up wireless spectrum for the past few years, Dish is trying to figure out how to get the FCC approval to utilize it for two way mobile communication.  And while Dish has tried to find another mobile partner to gain a foothold, nothing has taken root.

At the same time, Google has been pushing to enter the broadband space as well.  Their fiber build in Kansas City has been one way to control a broadband pipeline but capital to build a national fiber frame may be too big, even for Google.  "According to 'people familiar with the discussions,' Google has talked with Dish Network about the possibility of creating a new wireless service."  For Google, the collaboration could mean greater connection between content and distribution for all of its mobile devices; for Dish, a possible larger audience to sell cable product and interactivity.  And the challenge for both, sharing and not owning outright.

"Don’t get too excited, though. Dish still doesn’t have regulatory approval to build a wireless network with its spectrum, and it doesn’t have the necessary infrastructure, either. If Google and Dish formed an alliance, they’d either have to build their network from scratch–a massive investment, no doubt–or partner with another company that had its own infrastructure already."  Still the size of this collaboration might give them the leverage and credibility that they need to move a project of this size forward.  Could they attract enough customers away from their current wireless provider; well as costs rise, customers are always attracted to lower cost alternatives.  And this new potential entrant could just disrupt the current model.

Is Rupert Murdoch An Anti Semite - A Bad Tweet

Sometimes kids say the funniest things: sometime, so do adults.  And sometimes, when they don't realize it, they can forget who they are talking to, or more importantly, who may be listening.  Mitt Romney forgot that when he mentioned the 47%.  And now it it Rupert Murdoch's turn.  Murdoch, the head of a media conglomerate, and one who clearly should understand the power of communication, got caught in the headlights.  His tweet, “Why is Jewish owned press so consistently anti-Israel in every crisis?”, begs the question, what were you thinking.  But Mr. Murdoch, you own huge media conglomerates including The Wall Street Journal, The Times of London, and even Fox News.

And while Mr. Murdoch did back track, perhaps what we really want to hear is your editorial telling us what you really believe.  The trouble with 180 characters, it's hard to know more than a a nice headline; it's time to fill in the blanks and tell us your full position.

TV Watching On My Terms

It is a difficult job these days being a corporate television scheduler.  You may want to program your show on Monday Night at 10 pm, but your audience wants to watch it on Thursday at 8:30 pm.  With the help of DVRs, on-demand, and other platforms, the choice of when to watch is in our hands.  "This fall, 38% of young-adult prime-time viewing on the major networks (and 23% of all viewing) consists of previously recorded shows, Nielsen says. That's up from nearly zero a decade ago."  And while great for the consumer, it has brought a bit of havoc to the television and advertising industry.

As we have found, live TV viewing is down and consumers are watching shows past the 3 days that networks get credited for their ads to run.  Plus with Hulu, Netflix, iTunes, and other platforms, are choices have become unlimited.  But in that fragmentation, we have lost a bit of that water cooler mentality.  Very rarely now is there a TV show that encourages us to watch it live only to report back the next day and share in the gossip of retelling events and character lines. While some of it may exist in live reality TV, like America's Got Talent or The Voice, the scripted series has suffered.  No giving away plot lines as I have the show on my DVR to watch this weekend.

is this necessarily a bad thing?  I don't think so.  The access to content means that a show once aired has the ability to be watched on our schedule.  We are no longer forced to wait for a repeat airing over the summer. That the ads are being skipped over with technology.  Blame that on overloading ads into our shows.  DVRs have become both "payback" and "playback".  Innovative ad opportunities still exist.  Disruptive technology certainly changes the old business model but that always tends to lead to a better mousetrap.

DVR Usage Also Dropping

Yesterday's news indicated a drop in live viewing, due no doubt to all the other platforms juggling for our time.  Today's WSJ report now tells us that DVR usage this year is also down.  Of the four big networks, only NBC saw growth and the rationale for this is that they are finally airing more watchable programming than last season.  Overall, the downward trend makes network executives ponder these changing viewership trends.  "The data are likely to underscore concerns about traditional television viewing, suggesting that people are either watching broadcast television shows through on-demand services, or are turning to alternatives such as online video."  Still the additive viewership of both live and 7 day DVR viewing is up.

Of course this study is only talking about the broadcasters and not cable networks.  Yet, I would speculate that the same trend holds true.  Our attention span has become shorter and our sights keep shifting.  We are surrounded by so many alternative platforms, from tablets and laptops to smartphones, that the TV at times becomes secondary.  The cost of TV service could also be a contributory factor to this decline.  And lastly, this notion to measure networks when, especially on other devices, consumers watch shows.

More Video Platform Choices, Less Live TV Viewing

The rise of internet streaming, DVD and on-demand, as well as alternative TV usage for gaming has led to a small year over year reduction in live TV viewing, down 5 minutes.  At the same time, "Americans added another 5 hours in front of the computer screen in Q2 2012 as well, using the Internet or watching video content."  While this usage is being done at the same time as the TV is on or separate, 5 hours seems a substantial increase.  In fact, Nielsen research shows "Close to 40 percent of Americans say they now use their tablets and smartphones while watching TV at least once a day. As many as twice that amount of people do it at least once a month."

Our viewing preferences are clearly shifting but is this problematic for live TV?  Does a 5 minute reduction mean a growing trend?  It seems we have always been multi-taskers in front of our TV sets.  Whether reading a magazine, talking on the phone, eating a snack, or playing a game, we have treated the TV as background noise.  Only with high involvement type programming, especially sports, are we drawn more into the TV set. So the growing use of computers and tablets while the TV is on seems consistent with how we have always treated our relationship with the TV set.  In fact, the large screen size of the TV set makes it ideal for other non-live usage, from Netflix viewing to X-Box gaming.  Live TV usage may decline as viewing our our terms becomes more and more valued.

At the same time, content companies may need to shift to more live programming to keep audiences attentive.  Live showings of The Voice or American Idol and end of show voting and results are great examples of TV networks taking advantage of the benefit of live programming. News and sports also attract live viewing. It seems the most important requirement remains that the TV set remain in the on position.