Writer's Block: Gone with the wind

[uberreiniger]

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1)MP3 Players - Technology is moving away from specialized devices and toward devices that can do everything. Why manufacture a machine that can just play music when it can be a phone, planner, web browser, and game system too?

2)E-book readers - Same reason as above. Granted the Kindle has a web browser but I've seen it and it's pretty ghetto. They're a niche item with a very small market as it is but I don't think that market's ever going to have the opportunity to grow. Plus I don't think printed books are going out the door just yet. Their market's declined, but while they're out there they're fighting for the e-book reader's customers just as hard as high-end electronics are.

3) Printed magazines and newspapers - The online instant information world is kicking these guys' asses five ways from Sunday. This is something I won't mind seeing go. I don't use them anymore anyway. Plus all that paper going away will be less strain on the environment.

Personally, I hate trends 2 and 3. I just bought my first mp3 player, after all. I hate it because "do everything" devices will never outperform at a given task a device that was designed to do that specific thing and do it well. The other reason is that I like having toys, plural. Not toy singular. I want a phone that's a phone and a music player that's a music player. If you're going to take my beloved cd's and books away from me then I'm sure as hell going to make sure they at least stay in their own exalted place on their own special machine away from all my other technological overload.

Comments

[nightshade-7976.livejournal.com]

I'd be sad if 1 and 3 went away...I love my mp3 player and just got it...don't wanna get rid of it yet. As for the magazines...I love reading them. I have two or three of them sitting beside me, and i don't wanna be on the computer all the time. The e book thing can go away, as I like the actual feel of a book in my hand, as opposed to reading a novel online or on one of those little machines.

[uberreiniger.livejournal.com]

Me too. My books may be published in e-book format but I still prefer the real thing.

[redstar826.livejournal.com]

On the one hand, I like print news papers, especially for more in-depth analysis and opinions. On the other hand, like most people, I've gotten used to getting my news almost immediately after an event happens. It's funny, I was at a political convention today, and in the time it took me to drive how, our local newspaper already had a story on their website about the what was voted on

[uberreiniger.livejournal.com]

What's neat is we'll still be calling them papers even when they're entirely virtual. Just like how we still dial phones even though no phone has a dial on it anymore.

[solandra.livejournal.com]

"I hate it because "do everything" devices will never outperform at a given task a device that was designed to do that specific thing and do it well."

Well, in the next ten years, I'm sure you will be proven wrong on that account. I've been using these machines since I was 3 since my dad was a computer engineer.. The things I've seen happen just during my lifetime makes me hesitate to say anything is impossible.

However, I hate it because machines break. If my phone breaks, I still want to be able to listen to my music.

[uberreiniger.livejournal.com]

Exactly. And the more complex a device is the more can go wrong with it.