Benjamin Kowarsch wrote:
>
>
> I still can't see how this will turn a majority of phone users to start
> watching payable video on a tiny screen. It costs 300 yen at Tsutaya to
> rent a full length movie, watchable on a large size screen with Dolby
> surround etc etc. It costs 0-1200 yen for a music channel on CATV, again
> watchable on a large size screen and with HiFi sound.
This argument could have been said about VHS tapes when they were
introduced. Can you imagine everyone saying "We have movie theaters,
why would anyone watch a movie at home on such a small screen." Same
thing about CATV. Who in their right mind would pay for TV, since it's
available for free. The reason CATV and Tsutaya exist is because there
is demand for accessibility and convenience. Consumer taste is so
widespread that no one can claim an app will turn into a killer app
until after the fact. Also, sometimes (more often than not) consumers
don't know what they want.
>
> I simply don't see how people will spend anywhere close to that for a
> hima-tsubushi service, where the quality simply doesn't match up to what
> they are used to. As I said it will have to be very reasonably priced.
>
Again, I'm sure there were some people who couldn't see how consumers
could spend for home movies with quality inferior to the big screen.
But technology continues to improve (DVD) simply because demand has
become great enough to justify the cost. The same will happen with
video telephony. Prices will eventually drop and consumer taste will
adapt. You'd be surprised how adaptable humans are.
> Then again, the bulkiness of an extra device to carry around has not
> stopped the walkman to become and to continue to be very successful. It
> also has to do with the medium itself - Video is does not rank as high as a
> background activity as for example listening to music.
Again, the market was satisfied with the tape Walkman for awhile. But
each iteration becomes lighter and easier on battery life. Tape Walkman
- CD Walkman MD players - MP3 players. The same thing for Palm
devices, each getting progressively lighter. When the demand for
lighter, better devices justifies cost, new products emerge. And that
is the exciting thing about innovation. There are devices that no one
has even thought of yet that will be hitting store shelves in just a few
years. Just give it time.
Rgd,
KOW
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Received on Tue Aug 7 20:59:28 2001