Are we out of concepts? We, as in, everybody in society. I’m asking, actually asking. As a result of it’s been some time since I’ve seen an unique concept. We aren’t a lot Reinventing the wheel as rebranding it.
“Apple creates its personal music video channel and… invents MTV?”. That could be a actual, and 100% correct headline The Subsequent Net ran final month. Apple Music TV is a 24-hour a day station dwell streaming in style music movies by way of the net, accessible on the Apple Music and Apple TV apps. So it’s mainly simply MTV, however over the web, not the airwaves.
In associated new-old-tech, Netflix is testing real-time scheduled programming in France. Like Apple Music TV, the Netflix providing is the web model of one thing we used to simply name TV. Netflix will play a choice of motion pictures and TV reveals from the Netflix library… solely not as an on-demand expertise. I do know it’s a approach for Netflix to try to win over French customers, however nonetheless, it appears like they’re out of concepts?
Over the previous couple of years, I’ve spoken with a whole bunch of startups, and most of them didn’t have a brand new concept. Founders usually describe their firm as “WeWork for workshops” or “Uber for XYZ”. In different phrases, the brand new concepts had been usually simply new purposes of one other firm. It’s price noting that neither Uber, or WeWork are new concepts.
Uber is a taxi service with an app, we are able to break up hairs about laws, and construction however essentially, Uber and taxis do the identical factor. And WeWork was simply co-working; they weren’t the primary in co-working and co-working is on the core simply renting house to individuals who want house, not new.
Forgive me if I come throughout as ranting, I’m cool with concepts not being fully novel. I count on previous tech to grow to be sizzling new tech as individuals get bored with shoving extra issues right into a cellphone and as society adjustments.
I don’t solely agree with Peter Drucker’s stance that solely advertising and innovation drive worth in a enterprise, however let’s deal with that as gospel for a second. Let’s think about innovation to be one thing new (even when it’s only a new approach of doing one thing). And advertising, we’ll outline as discovering a place in a market.
Because the world adjustments, some previous concepts will grow to be extra helpful or have new makes use of emerge. I can not at all times name when one thing is advertising or innovation. QR codes gained new client utility due to Covid-19 and the broad adoption of smartphones. However, nothing concerning the underlying expertise modified. So, innovation or simply advertising?
Concepts could be iterative; I’ll at all times recognize including a higher digicam or flashlight to a cellphone. And advertising can repackage current stuff, flashlights aren’t new, however I’m certain individuals may see a flashlight that doesn’t share location knowledge with tech companies as a pleasant factor to have round the home.
Nonetheless, I’m not too fond of faux innovation. By pretend innovation, I imply claiming a product is a greater mousetrap, however with no adjustments to the unique. I’ve seen a pattern in promoting to focus on nonexistent innovation, and I hate that.