Tech life spans

     Chris Anderson presented some of the most terrible looking slides I've ever seen. 2004 or not, I don't think they would have ever been good. Aside from the ugly slides, he was able to paint a completely accurate picture of the life span of any and all technological advances. He used examples like DVDs and Netflix to express the 4 stages of any technology:

• Setting the right price
• Gaining market share
• Replacing another technology
• and eventually becoming obsolete

     I completely agree with his statements. It shows a progression in technology as well as us as humans. Constantly updating things to fit our ever growing need (laziness) for the most advanced gadgets. I think we can really see this in the progression of the iPhone over the last few years. Constantly there is a new and improved iPhone to the point where unless your made of money, you can't afford to keep up. I bought my first and only iPhone (with some financial help) freshman year of college. So I've had my iPhone for five years, don't ask me how it's lasted that long because I have no idea. My iPhone is so old it doesn't even have Siri. I have an iPhone 4 and since then there have been a handful of new and exciting updates that I just can't afford.
     Generally with any other phone when new updates come out the older phones have a funny way of not only becoming obsolete, but also miraculously breaking forcing people to commit to the next best thing. I have no idea how my measly little iPhone 4 hasn't followed that trend. I mean sure it autocorrects the stupidest things if I'm not paying attention, and every few months maybe it will freeze and I'll have to shut it off and turn it back on. But somehow I got lucky. It still takes fantastic pictures and gets me through my day to day social networking. I know for a fact though that if it ever really came to it's demise I would totally put off rent to invest in one of the new fancy gold ones with the fingerprint crap.
     One thing I pointed out to myself while watching the TED talk was that not necessarily everything becomes obsolete. Trends sometimes resurface in small ways and sometimes in big ways. One technology that I absolutely love that some would probably consider obsolete is collecting records and using turn tables. Perhaps it has something to do with my undying habit of collecting, but there's something I really prefer over putting a record on than plugging my iPhone into speakers.
    So records and turntables made a big comeback, something that goes against Chris Andersons 4 stages. I felt pretty good about my point and being able to bring it up in my blog post BUT when I read his article he posted 8 months after filming the TED talk I realized he already covered that base. In his Wired article he points out that marketing has a funny little way of refusing us to forget about things. Like with Netflix's suggested videos, it doesn't just suggest brand new movies and television shows, it shows a butt load of related content. As well as Amazons recommended books, movies, and overall items. So after reading a new book, it can recommend you check out this older one with similar content essentially resurfacing the obsolete object.
     I believe this really happened with the music industry. When I first started going to shows a lot of the bands I was seeing weren't selling vinyl. Just you know, CDs because that was the newest and greatest thing. But now at just about every merch table record lovers are able to purchase the bands LPS and 7"s on perfectly obsolete little plastic discs.