Technology—a fad that's passed?
Rick Nelson, Chief Editor -- Test & Measurement World, 4/1/2005
Marketers constantly search the horizon for the next "killer app"—so they'll know what their companies should be building. The recent consensus is that there will be no one killer app, such as the PC and the Internet in their respective heydays. Recent events suggest that there may be no killer app at all—or at least that the next killer app won't lend its success to technological superiority.
Take the hype leading up to the March 24 North American introduction of Sony's PlayStation Portable, or PSP. A perusal of Sony's Web site does provide some technical information about the device: It's got a 333-MHz processor, 32 Mbytes of main memory, a 4.3-in. color screen, and WiFi, USB, and infrared interfaces. No doubt the Sony marketers did their homework in combining this attractive combination of game-playing, entertainment, and communications features into a stylish compact package, but none of the specs scream, "Buy me! I'm state-of-the-art!"
In fact, one of the PSP's key features is a 1.8-Gbyte read-only optical disk, whose main claim to fame is a robust copyright protection system that employs a unique disc ID, 128-bit AES encryption keys, and an individual ID for each PSP hardware unit. As an employee of a publishing company, I'm inherently interested in copyright protection (although I have questioned government's competence in this area—see the September 2004 "Editor's Note"). And no doubt Sony developers put considerable technological effort into developing this copyright-protection scheme. But it's not as if potential customers are demanding to get their hands on a product with 128-bit AES encryption (unless, of course, they're keen to try their hands at breaking the code).
If not state-of-the-art technology, then what is the key selling proposition for the PSP? That's suggested by a recent Sony event called "Prêt à PSP"—an awkward take on the French phrase for "ready to wear" fashion—in which "an extraordinary collection of fashion's biggest talents and rising stars came together under one roof" and "showed off one-of-a-kind PSP accessories to a front row crowded with A-list stars," according to a Sony press release. The wares on display included "a pure gold case encrusted with seven carats of yellow and black diamonds" and a "black leather multi-pocket clutch with leather wrist strap."
The message is clear: gigahertz and gigabytes no longer cut it. We're in the age of what a Sony marketer calls "the fusion of fashion and technology," and if you make a successful portable product, you're well-advised to convince your customers that somewhere, an A-list star is carrying it around in a diamond-encrusted gold case.
Contact Rick Nelson at rnelson@tmworld.com.
