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PC World's 20 Most Innovative Products of 2006
Craig Sender writes "PC World has put together a list of their choices for the 20 Most Innovative Products of 2006. The List includes Office 2007, Nintendo Wii, Sony Reader, Sony PlayStation 3, the BlackBerry Pearl, and some other interesting choices."
http://www.pcworld.com/printable/article/id,128176 /printable.html
Ridiculous that the article is stretched across 8 pages.
Can this article please be re-labeled as an advertorial?
I'd like to see advertising revenue figures from 2006 for the featured items' companies on PCWorlds financials... I wonder how closely they'd tie in to the rank of the products.
I'm sure it's part of their sales strategy (I work in print publishing... you can bet advertisers get preferential treatment in editorial content).
"Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
PC World brings you the top 20 most frequent advertisers' current most hyped object!
But wait! There wasn't an iPod! But iPods are the most innovative things evar!
Number 0 must be the iPod Video, now with rubber ducky control built in!
Can someone explain to me exactly what is innovative about this? I do not understand how a hardware upgrade is innovative. Can I get on this list since I put a new video card in my machine this year?
Why bother.
Anything in alpha testing can't really be called a product, much less the most innovative product (or in the top ten) of the year.
1. Microsoft Office 2007
2. Intel Core 2 Duo
3. Parallels Desktop for Mac
4. Nintendo Wii
5. Samsung 32GB SSD
6. Sony Reader
7. YouOS
8. Dell XPS M2010
9. Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 750GB
0. T-Mobile Dash
I'm surprised this made the "Innovative" list, and not the "Vaporware" list.
Since Google bought them, all they've done to the actual app is stamp "BETA" on it. They brag that it works on Macs, but the last upgrade was over 18 months ago, before Apple announced the Intel transition, and they still have no Universal binary for Macs. The PPC binary works, mostly, if you're willing to put up with workarounds. Oh, and random crashes.
It's a sad state of affairs when "making no forward progress" counts as "innovative" these days.
Even if PC World is too clueless to realise it, there is a difference between "innovative" and "better than the same thing was last year, due to incremental advances". Core 2 Duo: Good? Hell yeah. Innovative? Not exactly.
750GB HDD: A nice upgrade from the 500GB ones? Sure. An innovation? Well, the number is bigger than it was last year.
That logitech control puck thing: Cute? Sure. Innovative? Well, it has a few more buttons than the Griffin PowerMate that has been around for years.
And so on and so forth. There are almost no actual innovations. Mostly just feature bumps and price/performance increases. Now, that is what makes the world go round, most of the time; but don't call it "innovation".
It could be.
But then
Now, compare that to this system.
http://www.obsoletecomputermuseum.org/compaq/
Yes, the "luggable" computer. But, all you have to do to make it "innovative" is to add more speakers (speakers with a portable computer, how
And reviews like that are why PC World is disparaged.
A bad upgrade to a ubiquitous software package, a chip, 2 game systems, 2 hard drives, 2 phones... Now I remember why I don't read PC World.
...do none of those products really strike me as "innovative"? Maybe I'm just missing the old days when innovation meant a complete change from the norm. However, the Wii is pretty neat. :)
US businesses that currently accept chip and PIN/signature
So for MS Office 2k7 to make the number one position, i wonder how many LAPTOPS Microsoft had to give away. Just kidding, just kidding - i couldn't resist.
Office 2007's innovation is the ribbon interface, which does away from the traditional toolbar/menu interface. Although I personally don't like the interface (the ribbons are uncustomizable, and some options that used to require only one click on a toolbar now require two or three clicks), the interface does accomplish the task of placing related options together in an easily accessible way to novices of Office, as well as accessing less-commonly used features.
Like the interface or not, the ribbon interface is an innovative way of grouping tasks together, especially in a program such as Microsoft Office that supports hundreds of features. If the ribbon interface contained some concessions for experienced computer users (shortcuts and ribbon customization, for example), then the ribbon interface may be a serious contender to the traditional menu/toolbar paradigm on the Windows platform. This is probably the single most innovative thing I've seen coming from Microsoft yet, even if I personally don't like it ;)
Frankly I'm disappointed that the gadgets we already have really don't work so hot. Like Cell Phones. Why can't I get usable USB or Bluetooth drivers and sync software for my Samsung A640, even from Samsung? Oh yeah I forgot, Sprint wants me to pay for a service to email them to myself. Ditto my Sanyo 3100, Samsung A840, Samsung A900 or Sanyo 8400?
Why does my Xbox360 still require bizarre router settings to connect wirelessly to my router? Oh yeah I forgot, Microsoft does not care. Why did I have to return 3 different routers until I found one that worked with all my clients and VPN tunnels? Oh yeah I forgot, they're lazy. Why did the wireless print server I picked up naturally assume that it had to have the same IP address as my router and afforded absolutely no options to switch it? Oh yeah I forgot, the vendor bought the product instead of developing themselves. Plus the quality of their firmware is shit. Why am I still shopping for an affordable NAS that actually does what it's supposed to do without bugs and the feature set is actually what they say it is instead of vague promises and bullshit? Oh yeah I forgot, all the goodness is in the next version of their $700 unit. Sorry.
See I'm not a big fan of best new gadgets because next year either they will be abandoned as the shit they probably are, or, they will be shit anyway and still be around bolstered by hype, consumer indifference and marketing.
Not as many as I would expect by now.
My initial thought was also "MS OFFICE?!? INNOVATIVE?!?" (see username...).
Personally, I would define "innovative" in this context as "things customers probably wouldn't have thought of, but once they saw it, they liked," and limit it to those products/changes that were introduced in 2006.
When I actually RTFA, MSO 2k7 is actually fairly innovative, in comparison to most of the rest on the list.
Skimming over the list, the only other "innovative" entry is the Wii. Everything else is either of the "$PRODUCT+CLOCK RADIO" variety, or is just an old product, but bigger, stronger, faster, and/or slightly less distasteful (i.e. the e-book reader), essentially failing the definition. Google Sketchup is a tossup, as someone noted it hasn't changed in 2006, it just became known.
The ribbon feature and the live preview of MSO seem minimally "innovative" (I haven't used them), and if I had to rate these 20 items on their innovativeness, I would probably put the Wii as #1, MSO2K7 as #2, and everything else as tied for #20 (sic).
- RG>
Hey pal, this isn't a pleasantforest, so don't waste my time with pleasantries!
Why is Parallels Desktop on there? I've seen it - it's almost a complete rip-off of the VMware UI. There is nothing new in that program at all...except that it runs on Intel Macs. Oh boy!
accepting a submission. maybe then, you can see that it's full of crap (i.e. it has much more advertisement than quality content).
While the features of the Olympus E-330 are new for a digital SLR (live view and electronic dust cleaner) , Panasonic's DMC-L1 has the same features described as #14 most innovative product. This isn't surprising at all, since Panasonic and Olympus share technology, including the Four Thirds lens mount. In fact, it would have been better to list Four Thirds instead of a specific camera, since it's a cross-platform lens system specifically for digital cameras.
This is gonna be the next big thing in all kinds of PC's. Flash drives. We'll be able to say bye-bye to the last of the important moving parts in a PC, that happens to be the most defect prone (because of moving parts), and also the most important (assuming your data is worth more than your hardware). I've been wanting these for years for reliability reasons at work. I can't wait until these things get shoved in a vanilla IDE (or is it SATA these days?) format. Hard drives with platters will be completely extinct in 5 years.
I felt a disturbance in the Slash, as if a bunch of geeks said, "What the F&*K, Microsoft Office?"
Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong fix.
Also, a news flash for you: Microsoft probably doesn't really care about ODF because the vast majority of its customers really don't give a damn what the other 1% of people who don't use Microsoft Office are scheming about. The only reason there's a whole push to this ODF format is because people are jealous of Microsoft Office's success and they want to push Microsoft to adopt this format so that they can gain a foothold into Microsoft's market. Why do you care whether or not other software vendors adopt ODF? If it's the wave of the future in documents as you claim, then I guess Microsoft will get left out and will become irrelevant and you'll be raking in the dough sitting at the open source helpdesk answering questions all day. Won't that better further your ideological agenda than having Microsoft become the dominant player and supporter of ODF?
And as far as "fighting against the community... for years" goes, where did you pull that statement from? I'll assume you're referring to the open source community since the business community has been very well served by Microsoft. If you subtract the drama from your statement, I think it would be more accurate to say that Microsoft has been ignoring the open source community for years. It's interesting how people react to a lack of attention. All this just seems to me that a few open source fanboys are throwing a tantrum because they didn't get invited to play in Microsoft's sanbox.
Want to improve your Karma? Instead of "Post Anonymously", try the "Post Humously" option.
Imagine running a differential equation solver in real time for sound synthesis on one of those, say. Also, I think it is a tool to market Blu-ray, which is a rather interesting strategy.
This is exactly how Sony is shitting on their gamers. I don't want to solve differential equations. I don't want to sponsor a Blu-ray marketing campaign. I want to play games.
The cell processor is optimized for in-order processing. As far as games are concerned, this makes it ideal for pretty reflection and water effects, and practically crippled for gameplay elements like AI (you know, things that make games fun). If they were marketing it as a general purpose processor, it might be innovative. For the PS3, it's anything but.
Lets look at this list...
1. Microsoft Office 2007
Nothing innovative here - GUI office productivity suites have been around for decades - MS Word was the innovation on the Apple MacIntosh - but that was before MS released a usable version of MS Windows!
2. Intel Core 2 Duo
Where is the innovation here? The Intel Core 2 Duo is merely two CPUs on a single chip. Duo is neither the first 64bit processor, nor does it share resources between cores, nor does it have an onboard RAM controller. for all the above look to AMD's CPUs.
3. Parallels Desktop for Mac
Running Windows software on the Mac is not a new thing - especially now that the Mac is being sold using Intel hardware. Neither is using virtualisation software to run Windows on other platforms. For years it has been possible to run Windows on Big Blue's mainframes, and on *nix using such applications as VMware.
4. Nintendo Wii
Truly innovative interface - completely new design for use in a completely new way with a completely different range of games.
5. Samsung 32GB SSD
Using Flash EPROM for mobile storage of user data is not new. Neither is the incrementing of the maximum size available. What is new is the replacement of a mechanical permanent storage device with a solid state storage device that may yet prove to be not yet as reliable as a HDD.
6. Sony Reader
Truly innovative device that enables electronic texts to be read as easily and as casually if they were a proper book, and with a very easy UI. Only problem is that it uses a proprietary file format.
7. YouOS
Using a browser for remote desktop access is not a new development.
8. Dell XPS M2010
Portable computers have been around for decades (predating even the Mac). Wireless keyboards are not new, nor is a DVD player, nor is a 20" flat screen. Nothing new there - except the hefty weight.
9. Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 750GB
Yes - innovative method of writing data onto a HDD. But the fact of increased storage capacity is nothing new. HDDs have been increasing storage capacity for many decades.
10. T-Mobile Dash
QWERTY keyboard not new. 1.3 megapixel camera - not new. Wireless - not new.
Additional RAM storage - not new (but close). Amount of built in RAM - definitely not innovative.
11. Pioneer Inno
In one form or another a "Real Live radio receiver" that can also record onto some sort of storage medium has been around since the '70s.
13. Sony BWU-100A Blu-Ray Disc Rewritable Drive
Re-writeable optical discs - nothing new here.
14. Olympus EVolt E-330
Digital camera with LCD display - definitely nothing new here.
15. Google SketchUp
3D software is not new. Free (as in Libre or as in Beer) is also not new. Perhaps the ease of use is what is new.
16. Sony PlayStation 3
Games consoles have been around since the '70s.
17. RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8100
Two words... Palm Treo. Enough said.
18. Rhapsody 4.0
One word... Ipod.
19. Logitech NuLooq
Different. Cross between a joystick and a mouse and a rollerball. I wouldn't mind trying it out if I ever came across one in a shop.
20. Shure E500PTH Sound Isolating Earphones
Noice cancelling headsets have been around for years. Nothing new there.
So where is the true innovation? 19, 15, 9, 6, 4. That's only 5 out of 20.
This was in Lotus Notes for a long time now.
The one that impressed me most was seeing a mention of sed TV. I haven't read the article yet (too long), but now I'm all pins and needles.
Just think, right around the corner we might see awk Radio! Or Perl the Movie. Or how about groff the Board Game?
Personally, I think the best innovation of 2006 was the YouOS. I started using this thing and I think it is probably the best way to share files between computers than anything else I know of besides VNC, terminal services etc... Its definately the most innovative thing I have seen all year.
-- Josh
"Whoopie! Man, that may have been a small one for Neil, but that's a long one for me!" - Pete Conrad
In related news: Ton Roosendaal under investigation for illegaly altering the timeline. The director of TBI was terse: "The fact that Blender 3D contains a ribbon type interface predating MS Office 2007 made us suspicious, the fact that PC World named the ribbon interface in MS Office 2007 the top innovation of 2006 confirmed our worst fears."
Analogies don't equal equalities, they are merely somewhat analogous.
Honesty, no.