No more Kodak moments
There used to be a company called Kodak, that seemed as if it would last forever. It had almost a monopoly on an innovative product, color film, and cameras that used it. But, now alas there are no more Kodak moments, the company failed to move with the times, it failed to adapt to digital camera technology, and was quickly left behind and then collapsed. Like many in their time, its directors said the immortal words, “It will never catch on…”
This was said by the owners of horse-drawn carriages about the horseless buggy, it was said by the owners of wooden ships about metal hull ships, it was said by the producers of silent movies about sound and it was said by many sceptics about flying machines (“it will never fly”). Actually there were many companies that were rich in their time, whose products were once ubiquitous, but then became obsolete, for example whale oil and whale bones, that stiffened the waists of Victorian females, for example lime-lights that gave the early movies their intense white glare, for example gas lamps that vanished with the advent of electric light, and gramophone records that were replaced by tapes and then CDs!
There are other common products that we take for granted today that might disappear soon. Newspapers, for example, which are gradually vanishing as their publishers become bankrupt as people switch to the internet for their news. Just as b/w TV’s were replaced by color TVs and then cathode ray tubes were replaced by flat screen liquid crystal or plasma displays so TVs without internet access will soon be obsolete. Currently they are saying the same thing, “It will never catch on,” about electric cars and wind farms and tidal power and fast intercontinental travel with pulse jet engines. Israel is one of the world’s centers of innovation, not only was the internet and internet safety matured here, but the cell phone is largely an Israeli product. All the major electronic companies have research and development centers here. Embrace innovation, its good for you.
This was said by the owners of horse-drawn carriages about the horseless buggy, it was said by the owners of wooden ships about metal hull ships, it was said by the producers of silent movies about sound and it was said by many sceptics about flying machines (“it will never fly”). Actually there were many companies that were rich in their time, whose products were once ubiquitous, but then became obsolete, for example whale oil and whale bones, that stiffened the waists of Victorian females, for example lime-lights that gave the early movies their intense white glare, for example gas lamps that vanished with the advent of electric light, and gramophone records that were replaced by tapes and then CDs!
There are other common products that we take for granted today that might disappear soon. Newspapers, for example, which are gradually vanishing as their publishers become bankrupt as people switch to the internet for their news. Just as b/w TV’s were replaced by color TVs and then cathode ray tubes were replaced by flat screen liquid crystal or plasma displays so TVs without internet access will soon be obsolete. Currently they are saying the same thing, “It will never catch on,” about electric cars and wind farms and tidal power and fast intercontinental travel with pulse jet engines. Israel is one of the world’s centers of innovation, not only was the internet and internet safety matured here, but the cell phone is largely an Israeli product. All the major electronic companies have research and development centers here. Embrace innovation, its good for you.
posted by Jack Cohen at 4:58 AM
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