You must have noticed by now that IT devices are getting more and more aesthetically pleasing. PCs, cellphones and personal devices are starting to take a shape of their own.
Cellphones sport “waistlines”, PCs come in a range of your favourite colours and shapes with see-through keyboards and colour-coded mouses. Apple began this with its iMac range. But why all the hype now?
With the slowdown in PC sales, thanks to some markets (such as the United States) being saturated, technology manufacturers have turned to some good old marketing advice: Make that product desirable!
What is happening is that products are moving from the realm of being a business device to the realm of consumer “must have”. Is this sales frenzy being driven by children?
Dad just is not cool with a cellphone that does not have the latest SmartPhone technology. A PC is not good enough if it doesn’t come equipped with enough bits and blobs to allow a small rocket to take off. And where would we be without the latest Playstation game box or XCube?
Yes, our children are leading us around like heifers. Their technical savvy becomes translated into a desire to have the best of every- thing. Techie magazines were once reserved for the select few who understood what a hard drive was, but no more. The long-standing joke that if you want to get your video machine to work, give it to a five-year-old, is no longer a joke.
And how many of us haven’t felt that twinge of “must have” when we see the latest Internet-connected fridge?
But technology companies aren’t stopping there. They are partnering with international brands to ensure co-branded devices, as I have noted before. We have Nike watches, Ferrari laptops and Adidas cellphones.
The only harm is the dent this is about to leave in your bank balance.
Companies should have been doing this years ago. Apple was the first company to buy into product placements in popular television programmes and movies. The end result of all of this can only be more technical awareness.