Medialoper

We're Not Who You Think We Are

Yahoo Decides Against Original Content

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It’s so hard to keep up — one week it’s all original content, all the time. The next it’s, well, why do the work when someone else will do it for you? Yahoo has decided to focus its energy on acquired content — either from established media outlets or users.

Yes, users. They’re going to provide the fuel that makes a corporate giant look good to stockholders. It’s one thing for a nervy start-up like YouTube to look to do-it-yourselfers; it’s another to expect something for nothing (not that we believe for one second that Yahoo! will forego appropriate compensation).

Of course, making yourself look like competition for the major studios isn’t great either. Even if it’s exactly what the studios need.

And poor Lloyd Braun, not only does he look wishy-washy (tune in next week for the portal’s change of heart), but he’s apparently not playing nice with Terry Semel. Braun may or may not be the dude making these announcements in the near future.

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Origami “Debuts” – Exclusive Video On Google

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The blogosphere is buzzing today about Microsoft’s delayed announcement of the “mysterious” Origami product. The Origami Project website has been updated with a March 9 launch date. Apparently today was never intended to be a launch date — or was it?

A lengthy video of the product has turned up on Google. I’m assuming that today’s date was intended to be the official “leak date” of this new product video. How clever of Microsoft to use Google to promote their latest product.

Based on a PC World report, it’s now not clear whether or not the product will be released anytime soon. Apparently Microsoft is new at this viral marketing thing and isn’t quite clear on the part where it’s also important to manage expectations.

A few observations after watching the video:

  • As anticipated the product is a portable tablet-like device that does just about everything.
  • It’s clear from the action scenarios that Bluetooth and WiFi will play a big part in all of Origami’s magic.
  • This is clearly not an iPod killer.
  • Man this thing is big. They call that a portable?

This, apparently, concludes Microsoft’s first attempts at product secrecy and viral marketing

Watch the video:

Pre-Blogging the Microsoft Origami Announcement

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What’s better than live blogging Microsoft’s unveiling of the mysterious Origami project? Pre-blogging the Origami announcement, of course.

Earlier this week I tried live-blogging the live blogging of the Apple product announcements. To be honest, it was all just a bit too meta — even for me. Instead, I’ll take this opportunity to do one last round-up the various rumors surrounding Origami:

Regardless of what Origami turns out to be, it’s unlikely to make a serious dent in the lead Apple has taken in the digital convergence race. Unless Microsoft announces a new online media store and partnerships with several major film studios, they’ve got a lot of catching up to do. A single device is only the first step if Microsoft hopes to compete. It’s a new millennium and Microsoft is now the underdog. The sad thing is I usually root for the underdog.

The Daily Loper — March 1, 2006

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Todays links of interest:

YouTube: Rattle and Hum

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Lots of recent sabre-rattling directed at YouTube, who have come out of nowhere to be the one of the most-trafficked video web sites. In the past couple of weeks, they’ve been hit with a pair of high-profile “get that thing off of your site” letters from uptight copyright holders, making people wonder if they can avoid being tagged the “Video Napster.”

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Does TV Want to be Free?

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The L.A Times has an article today pointing out that TV execs are having a devil of a time convincing people that when they download a television show from, say, BitTorrent, that they are stealing that show.  In a weird way, it’s a problem that the TV industry created itself: for over a half-century, we’ve been told that, unlike a song, or a film, or a book, or a videogame — that show you are watching is free. 

You the consumer aren’t paying for it, but rather the advertiser(s) who sponsoring that show, hoping to get you to purchase their product(s).  My guess is that this is a model that is rapidly becoming outdated, and we are lurching toward a totally new era, where how we consume TV will be more like how we consume other media products. 

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The Daily Loper — February 28, 2006

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Todays links of interest:

Apple’s Digital Convergence Strategy Comes Into Focus

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“It took McDonalds 8 years to sell a billion burgers”
– Steve Jobs on the success of iTunes

It’s hard to say exactly what the folks at Apple were thinking when they promoted today’s special event as the announcement of some “fun” new products. For weeks I’ve been convinced that Apple was on the verge of announcing an extension to the current line of iPod socks. Cashmere, perhaps.

For any other computer company todays announcements would be minor at best. Hardly worthy of a special event drawing international media attention, not to mention dozens of live bloggers dutifully typing every word Steve Jobs uttered (has any executive ever had a larger pool of personal stenographers?).
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News Flash — Apple Reinvents The Boombox

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Apple’s “fun” product announcement is currently in progress. Initial indications are that Jobs and Co. are making taking next step toward making the Mac the platform of choice in the era of digital entertainment.

There’s a new Intel powered Mac Mini. Jobs is dropping strong hints that the device is designed to connect to your television.

There’s also a new iPod powered Boombox. Complete with 6 D cell batteries (yes, I said D cell batteries).

Developing . . . .

Following “Bubble” through the Window

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Just a few scant weeks after Steven Soderbergh’s “Bubble” was available simultaneously to theatres, cable and video, here comes another major test for what they are calling the “day and date” strategy of multi-platform releasing.   IFC and Comcast have announced a deal to release several indie films this year to both their theatres and cable on-demand services on the same day.

“Bubble” could have been written-off as an anomaly, a confluence of a maverick director and a maverick eccentric billionaire (Mark Cuban), but this, my friend, this is a trend.

And it will work because indie film people who live in areas who that don’t have a lot of theatres that show indie film, but happen to have Comcast cable (like, say, in Fresno, California) can watch the first-run movies that they’ve been reading about on various film sites and not have to wait months for the DVD to show up.

This could be the same boon to indie film that iTunes and eMusic are to indie rock.