Talking with a colleague today about when GPS-enabled digital cameras will be the norm (did someone say metadata?), and he said something to the effect of they are beyond prototypes, but not quite shipping here in the U.S. He couldn’t find the words for that state of the production process. I said: Japan. Those new gadgets get here eventually, though.
Thinking about that, using News.com Extra, I came across today’s SFGate article ASIAN POP The Gadget Gap: Why does all the cool stuff come out in Asia first?. How timely.
Here in the U.S., corporate buying tends to drive innovation — technology goes where business wants it to go. In Japan, technology is largely driven by individual consumers.
I’ll admit I haven’t yet read the recent News.com special report Japan’s sun rises again… there’s a PDF available for members, if you like offline consumption. I’ll probably take that route. I haven’t been to Japan, and the dollar’s recent direction (read: down) means that even were I thinking of such a trip, now’s not a time to go… but I do want to see it at least once, with a stop in the famous Akihabara.
Until then, I’ll just wait, like everyone else.