CompuServe Messages

Karl, I've never really put much thought into it before (so I'm thinking out loud right now), but I also am beginning to wonder just how well (either) interactive video players would sell. As you and Don have said, the apps need to be perceived as needed, or really neat. And they can't rely on a keyboard for input, obviously… which means they're best suited for looking things up, versus what most of us would consider real applications. After people learned that computers won't solve your checking account or grocery list problems <grin>, they might indeed look askance at this newly rewrapped stuff. Hundreds of recipes on disc? I've got that already on my computer. Do I use it? No. Would I use a CD player to look up recipes just because it could also show videos of the food? I really don't know. The key market will be educational… and has been so far for CD-I, for example: medical training discs, travel/vacation "brochures", Sesame Street preschool discs, remote musuem tours, technical and repair manuals… anything which doesn't change a lot. Digression: neat grid from Knowledge Access International on Info Needs vs. Rate of Change – ———————————– Urgent | DisasterInfo | Poisons | Stocks | Need |————–|———|——–| | Research | Repair | News | |————–|———|——–| Non- | Encyclopedia | Stats | Phone# | urgent ———————————– slow change <————> rapid Anyway, you might sell players as encyclopedias for kids. But will home buyers pay $1000 just to access other stuff? Dunno. They don't buy VCRs just to get travel or exercise videos… works the other way: gotta have VCR first ;-). So, first market: companies/schools. Later, $500 players get home consumers. Thoughts?