Google's Gettin' In Yer TV
Hey, what the google is googling tonight? Google channel google and sit back, google and enjoy!
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...053915188.html
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...053915188.html
Comments
Hey, what the google is googling tonight? Google channel google and sit back, google and enjoy!
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...053915188.html
It will FAIL.
Apple calls the Apple TV a "hobby" for a reason. The TV and content industry are so desperate they are flogging gimmicky tech like 3D like it's a must have.
At first it was widgets so that you could see a weather widget and marvel at the lovely day you're not taking advantage of because you're stuck watching advertising laden TV. Widgets haven't been much of a sell though so whatever Google has cooking in the oven is going to have some sort of advertising or analytic component. They're going to want to be able to cull data from what you watch and perhaps feed you info but Google's not a "creative" company so I'm not sure what exactly they'd feed to people.
I don't think there's much anyone can do to make TV a more interactive experience. It's really a product of sedation as the thought provoking shows are buried way down the channel list typically.
I think Apple's first mistake was to call the Apple TV ..."Apple TV". The minute you put TV or equate something with TV people automatically think that you're going to deliver to them low cost "all you can eat" buffet style programming. Not gonna happen.
I suppose the Apple TV will remain a hobby until the right time and components come allowing Apple to turn it into a general purpose media device that plays your $9.99 iPad games and makes them fun. The gaming component is what is going to sell the next Apple TV...not the TV part.
I think Apple's first mistake was to call the Apple TV ..."Apple TV". The minute you put TV or equate something with TV people automatically think that you're going to deliver to them low cost "all you can eat" buffet style programming. Not gonna happen.
I suppose the Apple TV will remain a hobby until the right time and components come allowing Apple to turn it into a general purpose media device that plays your $9.99 iPad games and makes them fun. The gaming component is what is going to sell the next Apple TV...not the TV part.
Maybe Apple should've just called it "AppleVideo"... or somethin'.
Google is a brilliant company. They quickly rose to power by employing some of the same minimalism ideology that Apple lives by. They won over the people with "free" tools and captured the hearts and minds of Wall St and the Press.
They accomplished this despite one glaring fault that rears it's head in every one of their products. Gooogle does not know design. It's simply not in their DNA. I'm not just talking about glossy widgets but rather the whole art & science of user interface. We all put up with it because we pay no money for our Google accounts.
Google will be forever linked with advertising. Few companies can remake themselves by becoming great in another distinct area. I very much doubt that Google, nor Apple for that matter, can truly revolutionize broadcast TV. I think the only real play is to augment standard programming with web content which is what Microsoft, Sony and others are doing through game consoles and HTPC.
I guess I'll see next month. My expectations will be low.
They should have called it anything other than "TV".
Google is a brilliant company. They quickly rose to power by employing some of the same minimalism ideology that Apple lives by. They won over the people with "free" tools and captured the hearts and minds of Wall St and the Press.
They accomplished this despite one glaring fault that rears it's head in every one of their products. Gooogle does not know design. It's simply not in their DNA. I'm not just talking about glossy widgets but rather the whole art & science of user interface. We all put up with it because we pay no money for our Google accounts.
Google will be forever linked with advertising. Few companies can remake themselves by becoming great in another distinct area. I very much doubt that Google, nor Apple for that matter, can truly revolutionize broadcast TV. I think the only real play is to augment standard programming with web content which is what Microsoft, Sony and others are doing through game consoles and HTPC.
I guess I'll see next month. My expectations will be low.
Well said. The only reason Android is even passably good is that Google brought in Rubin and the Danger team. Beyond that, Google's offerings look borderline Soviet, as if the idea of style or panache were a terrible waste of resources that must be shunned.
I imagine Google's engineers living in cubicles with bolted together metal furniture, wondering why the decadent masses are so concerned with "decor."
One thing I wonder about: is there a point at which Google's relentless efforts to make everything into a funnel for their advertising money starts to creep people out? The Buzz fiasco was possibly the tip of the iceberg; Google was clearly unrepentant and flatly stated that personal privacy was a luxury the future wasn't going to tolerate. There's no reason to believe that they won't do something like this again; I don't think they even understand why it bothers anyone.