The Road to Hell is Paved with Tech Inventions

It never ceases to amaze me, the amount and scale of change that consumer electronics are constantly undergoing. The speed at which the changes are occurring and the seemingly impossible task of assigning true "value" to any given piece of equipment are giving those in search of the latest/greatest gadgetry conundrums aplenty.

I guess some people like myself, (whose vehicle was long ago towed to the side of the info-superhighway) may be overwhelmed by choices and could be having some trouble identifying that oh-so important balance of performance, price, durability, reliability and form factor. I suppose the challenge holds allure to some folks because of the potential of harnessing a perfectly seamless interoperability of devices - bringing the whole world to their figurative doorstep. Count me in!

The market for consumer electronics is growing on a global scale, particularly in Africa where cell phone ownership greatly exceeds that of land-lines and has for years. Africa certainly has come to the party (later than fashionably), but like other groups throughout history I think they will prove to be quite the innovators in their own right. The meld of existing technologies and knowledge brought by connection to their fellow Africans and to the greater world community will empower the youth. Eventually the spread of language translation software will permeate previously isolated areas and contribute to a higher enlightenment and bring Africa toward further integration with the rest of the world.

The kryptonite to consumer electronics seems to be the general lack of tangible value as an asset, when compared with some other asset classes like real-estate, financial investments or even snow tires in colder climes. Let me elaborate a touch:

• The "buy and hold" philosophy can not generally increase the value of a television set, (not that this approach has done much for equity or real-estate investors lately either)

• In Ontario, where I live new homes are entitled to receive a TARION warranty that covers major items against major structural defects and various other defects to specified degrees. Compare this against most electronics, which enjoy anywhere from 90-days coverage up to a couple of years, and the investment can quickly leave you with a room full of e-waste

• A blue-tooth enabled GPS will do nothing to prevent your vehicle from skidding of into a ditch or taking out a country road mailbox
  
  

If Nostradamus were still with us, I'm sure he'd be most giddy about the abundance of opportunities for a great see'er that exist these days. If he was as accurate as some of his proponents claim, he could made a mint or two on retainer to any deep pocketed individual, corporation or government.

Surely, at the dawn of the Internet age, ol' Nostradamus would have foreseen the meteoric rise of "netbooks", the re-birth of Apple, the market dominance of e-Bay and the world shrinking effects of P2P, the Blackberry or Facebook. The guy would have made someone trillions. His Quatrains devoted to 3G, the iPod, and his solemn prose (envisioned below) on "The Tragedy of Vista" would be required reading for the movers and shakers in the early 1990's.

The Tragedy of Vista ~ channelled by Steve van der Planet

An over-bearing Sentry plunders the resource vast..

Reviled by the commoners- who have not systems fast..

For those who know his wrath - will beg for his predecessor..

Instead, the peasants doomed - will be forced to upgrade in two-thousand ten.