Life & Technology

As discussed on 2UE today, digital radio was rolled out of Perth on Monday this week was the first iteration of digital radio, which will either turn out to be the next best thing in entertainment, or a dead duck.

Personally, I think it will take a while to get into the market. It has been available in the UK for the best part of 10 years, but it is only in the past two that it has really taken off. Commercial Radio Australia’s CEO Joan Warner has put this down them getting the model wrong in the first place, while here in Australia, we’ve learned from their mistakes and are reading to hit the ground running.

I can see the pros and cons of this new medium. The pros are obvious – more stations, more choice, niche content, and the chance to listen to music and subject matter that usually doesn’t get air time.

But some of these pros are also the cons. Too many stations, and suddenly the advertising dollar could be diluted, and therefore affect the viability of the stations surviving. There are also a lot more other entertainment options available these days including gaming, DVDs and a plethora of television stations.

At the end of the day I think the technology is sound. The format being used, DAB+, is ahead of what was being used in the UK when they launched digital radio 10 years ago, and vendors of digital radios are geared to go. Will it be a success? I think it will fall somewhere in between what its critics will say will happen (a failure due to lack of interest and satellite radio being a more viable option), and a runaway success (as CRA will have us believe).

At the end of the day, the radio stations have spent quite a bit of money on the launch, so even if they do fail, it won’t be through lack of trying.

Apple will open its fourth store in Australia in Queensland’s Gold Coast this Saturday, just in time for Mother’s Day. A few news outlets ran the story, which no doubt excited Apply acolytes that live in the area.

Apple make products that people want, of that there is no doubt. They have not suffered under the current credit crisis, with both revenue and profit up the first quarter this year, which proves they have a solid customer base.

What I find interesting is that the fact they open a store and it makes the mainstream news. When its first store opened in Sydney’s’ CBD, not only did it make the mainstream media outlets such as the radio, newspaper and online, but also got some TV spots. I am aware that I was outside the store at 6am talking to Apple fans and conducting a live cross for Channel 9’s Today Show. However when you think about it, how many other store openings make such a headline, and why is it even news?

The question is rhetorical. I know why. Steve Jobs is a very smart man. First, he has branded his products not only to look smart and engaging, but he also tries to make sure that they are at the leading edge of technology. The original iPod and iPhones are examples of Apple being one step ahead of the rest. Second, and probably the thing that has made the company, is the aurora it has created around Apple products – a kind of mystique – whether it be one-off advertisements (Apple’s famous Macintosh ad of 1984 that ran at half time of the Superbowl and never ran again), or their position that they will engage with the media only in their exact own way in their own terms. It is a blueprint that has paid off, with the technology media especially following the company’s every move.

I make these statements because an interesting story crossed my desk a couple of days ago. There is a rumour that Apple will start producing sub US$500 notebooks by the end of the year, which is interesting because Jobs has gone on record that any netbook below that price point is probably not a very good product.

Does this mean Jobs has finally relinquished control of the company? And if so, what does the future hold? With his innovative marketing skills and left-of-centre thinking gone, will Apple soon fall into the mainstream? And in that case, will the announcement of Apple stores openings become passe to the mainstream media? We’ll find out soon enough…But until then, I wish Apple would hurry up and announce the next iPhone!

Interesting story out of the Sydney Morning Herald yesterday. A marketing company, The Marketing Store, was suffering nightly break-ins to its Ultimo offices in Sydney. Initially, the head honcho thought it was a staff member who was getting stuck into the company’s breakfast cereal and using the shower, and leaving the place in a mess.

It soon became apparent that it was a third party, so they set about trying to find out who it was, but to no avail. Then somebody cottoned onto the idea of putting a motion sensor camera in the box of cereal, and voila! The culprit was caught on tape.

Reminds me of a similar situation not so long ago in the Cybershack offices. I accidentally left a motion sensor camera on overnight, and came in the next day and noticed it had been activated. Curious as to what had activated it, I checked out the content only to find that our cleaner had come in and done his job – in about three minutes! That’s right, he came in, vacuumed for about 2-3 minutes and then left. It was an educational experience for us.

What this brings up though is how technology is everywhere, even when we think we’re alone, maybe we aren’t. Most modern cities have strings of security cameras, as do apartment blocks. Gone are the days you could cause mischief at one o’clock in the morning after downing a few alcoholic beverages and hope to get away with it. Whenever a crime is committed in a built-up area, one of the first things the police do is look around to see if there is any camera footage.

What do you think? Is technology becoming more and more intrusive?