AOL TV RIP. News.com has the story. Not that anyone else is doing a much better job here (Microsoft still offers the Web TV technology that it bought for 400 million dollars). It's really simple, users do not want email and the web on their TV sets. We've written about this extensively but it really boils down to that simple notion. A good rule of thumb for the folks who insist on trying to add these features is "just becasue you can do something from a technical perspective, doesn't mean that you should do it". [Michael Gartenberg]
The way I describe this conundrum is that the Interactive TV people are jealous of the PC industry. They've tried to emulate the PC's functionality with their set top boxes, almost completely missing what interlaced, sitting back 20 feet user experiences are all about. It's clear the main thing people wanna do with their TV sets is: watch the EPG (electronic program guide) and NOW - record their TV programming.
Meanwhile the PC industry has TV envy - wishing that they had a direct pipeline into the content of Hollywood and all that advertising income. Try as they will - streaming media will NEVER equal the quality of video that displays on anyone's average TV set.
This is what happens when fiefdoms continue and BOTH industries insist that they're right - and that consumers just need to "get it". Well HELLO GUYS! Get a life! You're BOTH WRONG!
The pipeline going into the home will feed BOTH worlds via the Home LAN. Digital convergence will continue and (hopefully) all of you will lose your jobs and an entire new generation of 'media and computing' executives will show you the way. This kind of reminds me of Moses wandering the Sinai for 40 years, waiting for all the Jews who were slaves to die off first, before they entered the promised land.
Folks like Jamie Kellner, Hillary Rosen and companies like Gemstar - will be joined by dinosaurs like Sun, COMPAQ and Netscape. It's not a matter of if, but when. Needless to say Microsoft is the Egyptians in this movie.
The promised land of convergence will not only bring us the 'milk and honey' of functionality - but an entirely new religion of new kinds of on-line communities. Hopefully Bill knows how to swim - 'cause the Red Sea is gonna come in around him.
Philippe Scheimann 
Here's 
Socialtext.
Retreat!. Attended a great retreat this weekend. Unfortunately the conversations were private without prior permission. Amazing how stepping back from the world and socializing the issues refreshes you. I came away with new friendships and a new frame of reference that will show in posts to come. [
