Forrester Research has some interesting video and audio sessions attached to its IT First Look (November 9, 2005) - subscription required. Forrester's work is interesting because it touches on how technology and web companies are failing in their marketing communications with consumers. How they understand how build the stuff but do not understand how the consumers really use and adopt it.
Thanks to Ian Wood who pointed out an interesting thought piece and associated research by management consultants AT Kearney. Some interesting data in there which I haven't had a full chance to check out but two points immediately leapt out:
- Western European survey respondents were less interested in downloading music on to their mobile phones than their counterparts in Asia, The US and Russia. This and a flatlining of online music sales in the US since May this year indicates that the post-iPod age may be upon us
- Interactive entertainment like games was less popular and did not have as much repeat demand as other mobile services. Interactivity is something that tech advocates bleat on about since before the arrival of the CD-ROM, but it fails to take account of the different types of people and the various ways that they like get and work with information.
And finally, the FT devoted much of its magazine over the weekend to mobility and its impact on society. The main article by Richard Waters, their US technology correspondent can be read here. What is really interesting is the way people have absorbed mobility into their cultures, rather a brave new world occurring like all the tech-mavens like to crow about.
