As you are all no doubt aware, the Advertising Committee of the ADM has been constructing a list of standards that podcasters and media planners can agree upon, which should further the acceptance of podcasting in the eyes of ad agencies, advertisers, and key executives in the industry. I felt this was a task we could accomplish easily and I began the discussions with the committee with no trepidation. 

Several weeks into the process, back in January, Susan Bratton threw me a curveball that didn’t break and was coming directly for my head: “When you complete the ad standards, they’ll be reviewed by the ADM Board and turned over to an Advertising Counsel for review.”

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I couldn’t help but notice a collective global sigh of disappointment this past January. It seems every time Steve Jobs (CEO of Apple Inc., formerly Apple Computer, Inc; ticker: aapl; web: www.apple.com.) sticks his head out of his hole in Cupertino, whether he sees his shadow or not, manages to thrill people and change the world in some small though significant way. But not this time.A nd it’s not that he had nothing to say at the most recent Macworld. He introduced significant upgrades to the iPhone and Touch iPod. He revised the seminal tool of total home convergence, Apple TV, adding the ability to rent and buy movies directly and instantly through your TV to its abilities to play video, share music, and display pictures. He unveiled an all-in-one wireless router and storage back-up device. And, just because he could, he also unveiled the world’s thinest, lightest full-size computer. Any one of these is a first in the world. Everyone of these is unique. Each one is a significant achievement to be celebrated in the annals of computer lore.

Spoiled with Riches

Yet, the crowd at Macworld, and those following the proceedings via some form of live stream from work or home, all seemed to be craning their collective necks to see what else he had in store for them. What else was hidden behind that curtain. People were almost delirious in anticipation of the famous, “Oh, and just one more thing.”What were they looking for? More importantly, why were they looking? Because while these were all fine new products, there was nothing shocking. There was nothing that left people gasping in the streets wondering if it was too late to invest in Apple stock. The issue was, these were more like Dell or HP innovations, predictable and ordinary, not Apple announcements. It was at that very point that I realized that Apple was no longer a computer company, or a design engineering boutique, or a software company. Apple has become the social and cultural visionary of the electronics age. Apple is to the world today what Japan was in the 1970’s and 1980’s. Read more »