Blu Ray will succeed, but it will take time.

Simply because while the advances are substantial, it is not immediately perceptible.  DVD is already quite good technology.  I remember it took some years before the DVD became mature enough and low price enough to make an impact on VHS.

On Asia, we actually had a couple of years using VCD ( video CD).  It was understood to be a temporary stop gap technology, but it disappeared when DVD became as cheap and as prevalent as VCDs.

Similarly when Blu-ray is prevalent enough, and companies can produce compatible with backward compatibility, it will succeed.

But the same as WindowsVista, pretty soon, it will be the only technology available, and by default it will succeed, becaus eyou can’t buy anything else.

Believing Blu-ray will succeed doesn’t make sense |- CNET News

According to Niel
sen, Blu-ray’s market share dropped to just 8 percent of the overall market, giving DVDs a whopping 92 percent ownership.

Granted, those figures show only one week’s performance, and Blu-ray may have a huge week soon and capture more of the market, but let’s be honest with ourselves: do we really think that will happen?

According to a study released in August by ABI Research, more than half the people it surveyed had no plans to buy a standalone Blu-ray player in the near future, and 23 percent are considering it, but not until 2009.

If the economy is slowing down, the best way sometimes is also to slow down. How to use your money? The best way to increase shareholder value may be to use your cash to buy back your stocks or give it out as dividends.

Microsoft, HP announce multi-billion dollar stock buybacks - Sep. 22, 2008

Microsoft board approves plan for another $40 billion in share repurchase and raised its quarterly dividend by 18%; HP approves $8 billion stock repurchase.

Microsoft’s cancelled the Jerry Seinfeld ads. I kind of like them…. but I guess the next ones are pretty much easier to understand and also more exciting.

It talks about “I’m a Pc! ” and tries to prevent the stereotype. It shows that there are many different kinds of people who use the PC doing incredibly different things. After all, over a billion people use Windows, and it IS time to show that they are not all forty something nerds with eyeglasses who are not creative or exciting.

Here are the first ads:

At $25,000 it is Microsoft’s most expensive, and Cray’s cheapest.

Microsoft and Cray to unveil $25,000 Windows-based supercomputer | ZDNet.com

Microsoft and Cray are set to unveil on September 16 the Cray CX1, a compact supercomputer running Windows HPC Server 2008.

The pair is expected to tout the new offering as “the most affordable supercomputer Cray has ever offered,” with pricing starting at $25,000.

Just like the US Dream Basketball Team, the lead should not be taken for granted….

Other countries are getting better all the time.

U.S.: Top of the Heap—For Now - BusinessWeek

The U.S. creates the most supportive environment in the world for information technology firms, according to a study by the Economist Intelligence Unit conducted for the Business Software Alliance. The world’s largest economy still does the best job in incubating innovative startups and developing top engineering talent, the study finds. Yet the U.S. is slipping.

The second part of the Microsoft new Commercial Campaign had Jerry and Bill Gates go to live with a family, in which they try to understand how an ordinary family lives, playing pingpong, and later on being accused of stealing a giraffe.

It ends up with bill gates doing a robot Dance….

That continues Microsoft’s campaign to be warmer, and to ‘perpetually connect’ with its users.

This is great!

But what will happen to spinning hard disk drives?

The solid state is smaller, uses less power and cooling, and is also said to be 250% faster.

But what’s even more is the realization that it is also more durable, and less likely to crash….

I have always qualms because I like to move the notebook computers around, or use it in the car, in the plane, where there may be vibrations…. At least there won’t be an issue that the hard disk will crash when you are accessing your data, and you hit a road bump…

IBM tests 4-terabyte solid-state drive tech | Nanotech: The Circuits Blog - CNET News

IBM said Thursday it is testing a 4-terabyte, high-speed solid-state drive array targeted at the enterprise, as the technology giant gives its imprimatur to flash-memory-based storage.

Answer is: it depends.

This article contains a lot of good inputs and arguemnts.

At the end, what is highlighted is the simple fact: more people does not mean better performance.

Slashdot | Ratio of IT Department Workers To Overall Employees?

the company has 35,000 employees, including over 5,000 IT employees

If this technology is really safe and efficient, this could be revolutionary….

Then you have a wireless field which gives internet, AND power to your notebook…. Can you imagine that? It would be great if you never get to charge your cellphone, your mp3 player, or your notebook ever again!

AFP.com | Agence France-Presse, a global news agency

Intel on Thursday showed off a wireless electric power system that analysts say could revolutionize modern life by freeing devices from transformers and wall outlets.

Intel chief technology officer Justin Rattner demonstrated a Wireless Energy Resonant Link as he spoke at the California firm’s annual developers forum in San Francisco.

Electricity was sent wirelessly to a lamp on stage, lighting a 60 watt bulb that uses more power than a typical laptop computer.

Microsoft has always win in the market.

Maybe there is method in their madness…. Its a continual understanding of the way businesses work — sometimes the best strategy may not be the most straightforward way.

When worlds collide: Microsoft funds Apache |CNET News.com

Microsoft, one of the biggest rivals to open-source programming, has begun funding the Apache Software Foundation, one of open-source software’s biggest supporters.

“Microsoft is becoming a sponsor of the Apache Software Foundation (ASF). This sponsorship will enable the ASF to pay administrators and other support staff so that ASF developers can focus on writing great software,” said Sam Ramji, a senior director of platform strategy at Microsoft. He announced the move Friday in a speech at the Open Source Convention, and noted Microsoft’s support of the Apache on the software company’s Port 25 blog as well.