“It’s an expression made popular in Silicon Valley years ago by Andy Grove of Intel: ‘inflection point.’ It’s that abrupt elbow in a graph of growth or decline when the new technology or paradigm truly kicks in, and suddenly there is no going back. From that moment, the new stuff takes off and the old stuff goes into rapid decline, whether it is a new standard of modem, a new video game, a new microprocessor family, or just a new idea. I think we’ve just hit such an inflection point and — though most of us still don’t realize it — the personal computer, video game, and electronic entertainment businesses will never be the same,” Robert X. Cringely writes for PBS.
There are three pieces to this puzzle, according to Cringely:
• Microsoft’s Xbox 360 signals Microsoft’s move to undercut their hardware OEMs (Dell and other box assemblers) by building a Microsoft PC.
• Google’s beta Google Web Accelerator which could “change things forever.”
• New information about Apple’s still unannounced movie download service.
The results of this week’s developments? Cringley writes, “Apple takes over video and movies… Google threatens to take control of, well, everything. And Microsoft? Microsoft kicks the dog.”
Full article here.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Microsoft Xbox 360 ‘inspired’ by many of Apple Computer’s ideas – May 13, 2005
Apple releases DVD Player 4.6 with HD-DVD support – May 11, 2005
Now with integrated video support, will Apple’s iTunes soon become iLiving Room? – May 10, 2005
Apple releases iTunes 4.8; now supports QuickTime video along with contact, calendar transfers – May 09, 2005
