The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Earlier this year, the Sony Corporation realized it was in trouble. After completing a full evaluation of all of the products in their line-up, the company discovered that they needed to design, supply, and stock over 840,000 different parts. A company such as Sony has supply lines stretching across the globe. Computer screens come from one corner of the world, little plastic buttons another, and the numerous tiny gears to drive the motors inside devices such as video cameras originate somewhere else. Realizing how exposed they were to supply line disruptions from events such as strikes, war, and other types of loss, the company has now committed itself to cutting the number of parts required between all of their products to 100,000 over the next few years. Technology companies are quickly becoming the home of gadgets and gizmos. In the past, only a few companies such as Sony produced computers as well as televisions, video cameras, stereos, and DVD players. Now Dell is making mp3 players and PDA's, Gateway is producing high definition television sets, and Hewlett-Packard makes everything from computers through monitors, to printers and fax machines. A large reason high tech companies want into this business is the slowing sale of home computers. Now that almost every house in North America and Europe that wants a computer has one, many high-tech companies see their profits plunging. Most of the money to be made in the computer business now is selling upgrades or new parts. Therefore it is in the best interest of these companies to sell gadgets that go with computers, and to ensure that all of these devices can work together. This idea is called convergence. Cell phones that take pictures, video cameras with memory cards, DVD players that will play CD's burnt on home computers, and watches which can synchronize data with your laptop are all examples of products currently on the market intertwining technologies ever closer together. More and more of these gadgets are being designed, produced, and sold by high-tech companies with great success. These companies already have established client bases, they are used to working with industry standards, so the devices will work with everyone's computers, and technology companies are also famous for having short supply lines and a quick turn over of stock. The result of this is that the latest, hottest technology gets on the market quickly. You don't have to wait several months for a store to turn over its old stock before new products can be sold, they are on store shelves in a matter of days or weeks. If you want a gadget to do something, if you can think it up, you can probably do it. People are demanding more from their technology, and as consumers become more insistent and more knowledgeable, they will not pay for devices which will not do what they require. Research the products you buy and think about how you might use them later on so you won't be disappointed. ([email protected])
