Tornado Watch
The Unrealized Potential of Flash Memory in Digital Photography and Portable Consumer Electronics
To those who have recently taken a digital camera, mp3 device, or a color handheld PC device for a test drive it is apparent that flash memory will play a vital role in their respective developing consumer electronic markets. In particular, digital photography is a demanding and unforgiving testing ground for flash memory products where the temporary archiving of high resolution photographic images requires both speed, storage capacity and reliability. CompactFlash, a form of removable flash memory has proven to be one of several robust solutions to the challenges met in this arena. But what is flash memory? This would not be an unreasonable question for the uninitiated, so at this juncture it may be useful to take a brief introductory course in this emerging technology (http://www.sandisk.com/pr/cf_back.htm).
Digital photography represents a particularly exciting stage for flash memory producers to prove their worth and utility. Because embedded and removable flash memory devices represent the digital equivalent of standard color or B&W emulsion film it has been keenly scrutinized and hesitantly accepted by the conservatives "married" to the film-based standards, yet eagerly explored by technology enthusiasts ("gadgeteers") willing to experiment. Having owned a digital camera myself for the past year I will submit to you that digital photography is highly addictive, extremely contagious and, unfortunately, incurable. No treatment for the digital infected shutterbug has been discovered to date. SanDisk, an innovator in flash technology, hopes that the antedote is many years away.
Thus, digital photography represents a fertile breeding ground for a high tech company who can present an idea that will fit snugly into the value chain being created for those enthused with digital photography.
At this point I wish to say something which may not be greated with an equal degree on enthusiasm by this thread. It is the dreaded "s word" that Geoffrey Moore and his colleagues have repeatedly warned us about...
**********************SEMICONDUCTOR!!!*************************
There, I said it. Those of you who wish to leave at this point, please just click on the "next" button at the top of the page and your misery will soon end. For many of us the notion of a semiconductor summons thoughts of tiny, mysterious, black boxes that we never will completely understand, nor would we want to. They also bring up such notions as "commodity", "low margin", & "obsolesence" and unpleasantries such as "leap frogs" & "Y2K bugs".
For those with enough courage to continue, please open your instruction manual (yes, that's right, the book!) to page 51 and look at the complex diagram near the bottom of the page. Then, using the latest GPS technology, triangulate to the lower left, non-proprietary and low switching costs. DRAM's, disk drives, network cards...Hell, you may as well just throw in PCMCIA cards, the kissing cousins of CompactFlash, because they are mentioned later in the book, too (page 160). No gorillas here. Wrong continent I am afraid. No tornados either. Wrong climatic conditions altogether.
I still haven't convinced you to turn back??? How about this quote from our tour guides...
"Overall, it (the semiconductor industry) is a highly specialized field and not readily handled in a book intended for wider audiences. It is also not our normal stomping grounds. Therefore, we have also put his sector outside the limits of our target terrain."
Semiconductors or "chips", if you will, have short life expectancies, shorter product life cycles, and transient competitive advantage periods (CAP's). Don't they?
Now, turn to page 62. Look at the complex geometric figures at the bottom of the page and register this fact. Semiconductors only have two potential interfaces in the strata called "Layers of Technology". They are the sludge at the bottom of the barrel. Only electrons are less important. Only hardware devices dare rub shoulders with them. Semiconductors are buried at the bottom of the pile well insulated from the cream rising to the top and safely away from the hallowed ground that our tour guides call home, systems software.
So, if you are still uncertain about the territory we are about to enter, it is still not too late to turn back. You are just a mouse click away from safety. In escaping, please feel free to skip over any subsequent posts from this author. If you are still interested, just read on. I will give you plenty of opportunity to exit at a later date.
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