Is Sky news about to embark on the modern version of Mail Order?
Posted on 10. Nov, 2009 by admin in Common Sense (They need to buy it), Conscience, Uncategorized
Do you remember the Phillips CDi?
In the early 90’s the CDi was quite honestly ahead of it’s time, it retailed at over £400 and was possibly the forerunner of the games consoles such as Sony Playstation and Xbox 360.
It wasn’t a games console it was a “Compact Disc Interactive” and played Music, Films, Games, Photo CD’s and was a desirable yet enigmatic addition to any home during the ticker tape times of VHS. But it’s infamy is that it also turned out to be the biggest of failures.
The reason for the failure was that the discs were originally sold in TV shops such as Granada, on the highstreet, but Phillips removed the discs from the retailer and decided to:- go Mail Order.
Well, I never felt compelled to buy from mail order, as this impulse purchase via mail was not immediate enough for the impulsive side of my nature. So I simply stopped purchasing the discs once they became unattainable from an arena that I could pick up the CD case, read the narrative and browse through a few until I found one I wished to spend my money on.
The CDi died the day it went Mail order. And is Sky now actually contemplating the same, be it in a modern way. Banning Google appears to be folly on the surface.
By denying Google and opting for a “pay for” scheme, there are areas I would need to ensure as a consumer. Whilst I don’t like the BBC as it currently stands, it is none the less a service I am made to pay for and therefore they do not advertise. Sky Tv I pay for also, and sky advertise every 10 minutes on non movie channels.
So my concerns are really quite basic. How do I find these pay for News sites online when the only search engine I like using is Google? I am happy with Google and I don’t think that I will move away from it, especially with the API’s they produce. Google may charge Sky for higher but Sky also Advertise! And charge advertisers for advertising, then I (the consumer) has to suffer the adverts whilst being charged for the priviledge. Also currently, Sky Broadband when used in conjunction with a BT Line (all landlines in the UK) cannot guarantee the speeds required for a paid for service 24/7, therefore the foundation service (BT Landline) on which the idea of Sky Pay for media stands, is made of sand.
I would not pay for any internet media service until such time as I am guaranteed at least 8Mb/s and not “upto” 20Mb/s, due to the claim “upto” , can be anything from 0.3Mb/s – 6.5Mb/s on an 8Mb/s max capacity line (a BT landline). But as I am a Sky subscriber then sureley this is an extension of my monthly subscription – isn’t it?
Quid pro quo, ad iudicium.
