Results for articles with tag 'consumerelectronics' (2 total)
01/13/2008 08:17:08 AM 
"Another year, another electronics and gadgets conference that is out of whack with modern concerns around sustainability and the planet. The C.E.S. is an arrogant refusal to admit to the problems the electronics industry has created in terms of material waste, poisonous polution, energy waste and over-consumption."
He is not alone, today's New York Times Magazine has a great piece by Jon Mooallem called "The Afterlife of Cellphones".
The piece explores the world of cellphone recycling and tries to understand why we need to constantly upgrade our phones. Reading the article forces you to think again about waste.
Jon concludes;
"Even the most idealistic visions of how e-waste should be recycled and reused take for granted that consumers and businesses will never reconsider why we are buying and discarding so many of those products, so quickly, in the first place. If the rush of castoffs isn’t likely to stop, we need to clear a proper path for it, considering all the inevitable compromises and costs along the way and delivering those products to as consequenceless a place as possible."
Most companies seem pre-occupied with creating "lust' for their objects that ensures continued market share and admiration.
While on the surface, this doesn't appear to be a responsible attitude, it reflects the realities of the marketplace.
Consumer electronics are the new fashion, so much so, that they are taking share from the fashion business and it's one of the reasons the US sports shoe business is so soft right now.
The presentation below is from the design team at Nokia and it does a fantastic job at explaining how the company creates lust objects. It's all insights and needs driven, but it does nothing to bring sustainability into the mix.
This is a battle about hearts, minds and marketing.
With Macworld coming up this week, Apple and Steve Jobs are masters in the creation and marketing of lust objects, they do it so well.
Governments aren't going to force the issue, pressure groups like Greenpeace have limited voice, change is going to need to come from the market.
If companies want sustainability to be considered, they are going to need to do as good a job as Apple in making it sexy.
On the positive side, it appears to be easier than ever for new brands to enter the consumer electronics space, just look at flat panel TVs for that.
Could here will be a new electronics brand with real sustainability built into its DNA that emerges in the next couple of years?
Could, somewhat ironically, that brand come from China?
Posted by Ed Cotton
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01/06/2008 11:18:56 AM
No doubt they are still going to happen and consumers are going to still go off on their own and create gems like the Apple iTouch spot and manage to get discovered.
What about taking user-generation and consumer involvement further?
2008 might see the start of the emergence of more direct user involvement and engagement in the creation, customization and use of products.
This week, all eyes will be focused on the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas where the big brands will be competing to see who has the biggest plasma.
In general, the world of consumer electronics has been pretty much one-way traffic; brands create flashy, appealing toys that redefine the experience, we go weak at the knees, buy the product, plug it in and use it for 12 months until the next thing appears.
We do nothing, but worship and use the device, but we can’t really do anything else with it.
At this year’s CES, an interesting little start-up called Bug Labs will be showcasing its wares.
Bug’s goal is to turn the industry on its head and offer up “Lego-like” components that people can configure and program to suit their needs.
Here’s how they describe their mission.
Bug Labs is a new kind of technology company, enabling a new generation of engineers to tap their creativity and build any type of device they want, without having to solder, learn solid-state electronics, or go to China. Bug Labs envisions a future where CE stands for Community Electronics, the term "mashups" applies equally to hardware as it does to Web services, and entrepreneurs can appeal to numerous markets by inventing "The Long Tail" of devices.
Bug gets extra points for getting The Long Tail into their mission statement.
The format is to provide a programmable mini Linux computer and modules that attach to it such as screens, GPS etc. The user can then configure the device anyway they want to.
While it’s clear not every Joe Six-Pack has the time, interest or inclination to program and develop their own PDA, some do.
For the big consumer electronics brands out there, there are a couple of things to take away from this.
1. What can you do to provide a more personalized and customizable experience for your users? Think User-Perfected, rather than User-Generated
2. Shouldn’t things generally be more modular- wouldn’t we get less wastage that way?
Posted by Ed Cotton
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Articles for tag consumerelectronics (2 total).