| Broadband future: Reasonable article. Only problem is that just about a year ago there were articles that sounded just as reasonable, quite possibly by the same writers, arguing the exact opposite. Ditto on wireless, whether handsets or broadband. "Video on Demand" might still be the killer app, someday, but I suspect it's still years away, and a whole different set of killer apps might turn out to be key. Also, the stuff on TiVo struck me as off the mark. If and when VOD does hit, TiVo or some future, Net-friendly version of it may well be an adjunct and multiplier (a place to put your fresh, new version of Debbie Does Dallas 27), not a competitor. I mean, c'mon, TiVo's not a delivery system, it's a recording system. If it turns out to be true that broadband's a bust, or anyway not what its prophets have been proclaiming, then, yeah, fiber and related sectors, even the whole Nasdaq, might be in big trouble. Personally, I think it's way too early to draw definite conclusions about actual and potential end user demand. |
