Did Media Center Flop In 2005?
Last year, Phillip Swann said Media
Center would be the Biggest Flop of 2005.
While Phillip is will maintaining is “Predictions”, he is dead wrong. Phillip says “Some
might argue, but sales of the convergence PC has disappointed even its makers.” I’m laughing at Phillip right now, as I
usually am.
Let’s take a look back at Media
Center in 2005, and took ahead to Media Center
in 2006/2007.
According to Current Analysis, 43% of
all PCs for the week ending August 20, 2005 (Four Month Ago) where Media Center-based
PCs. While 71% of the PCs shipped
without a TV Tuner, Media
Center will be shipped on
nearly 50% of all PCs by year-end. Now,
the question is did Media Center Flop In 2005?
The answer is clearly no, it’s being shipped on nearly 50% of all PCs. In addition, 130 PC
manufacturers and more than 7,000 system builders shipping Media Center 2005
PCs. I’m not sure how Philip sees
this as “disappointing to their makers”,
but he might actually want to talk to the manufacturers of PCs (or look at the
facts) before saying that sales of the PCs have been disappointing. I’m not saying Media Center PCs were the
greatest success of 2005, however they didn’t flop. It would have been nice to see 71% of the
machines ship with a TV Tuner, however if you look back at Phillips he said “the vast majority of Americans will never
-- I will repeat that -- never think of the PC as an entertainment device.” It’s time to explore quote for a
second time.
Last year I covered why the average consumer does indeed see
the PC as an entertainment device, this year I’m only going to link to a few
new technologies that will allow the average consumer to use their PC as even
more of an entertainment device. Intel
Viiv-based PCs and the Xbox
360. Both of these, mixed with
several other technologies and devices will make consumers see the PC as more
of an entertainment device.
Now quickly to 2007, one word says it all: CableCARD!!
