How Desperate are you

... to watch Desperate Housewives? Would you be Lost without Lost?

I guess we'll find out pretty soon. Will the video i-pod have the same impact as the original i-pod? In my opinion, not the same impact, but evenutally an even bigger impact, with ripples spreading farther than a simple 2 inch TV screen.

The original i-pod did not invent music downloads. But it capitalized on a shift in music consumption and made it easy and legal. The compact disc may start to fade away, but digital music is on the rise. In the process, it will continue to impact the radio and music industry.

Listening to a 4 minute song while you drive or work out is one thing. Watching a 60 minute television show on a 2 inch screen is entirely another. But the technology is there, and that will always draw some interest. So maybe it starts with downloading music videos instead of television shows...not a big stretch from the audio version. Then it becomes 10-15 minute video segments created specifically for video i-pod downloads. Or maybe next it is daytime dramas so fans can keep track of the events in Pine Valley as they take the train to work, or wait in the doctor's office, or eat their lunch at McDonalds.

Bottom line, five years ago, few expected people to store thousands of music files on a stylish device that can fit in their pocket. Or that legal on-line music downloads would impact CD sales. Or that an i-pod shuffle would inspire a radio format trying to keep the medium relevant.

So a Lost download today may seem like no big deal, a curiosity, a novelty for techies and early adapters. But five years from now...don't say we didn't see it coming!