Apple + YouTube

The iPhone ships next week, and Apple announced today that it will stream YouTube clips. Apple said YouTube will also work on Apple TV, a home media hub.

We talked about convergence, indirectly, in my Net Economics class last night. Well, actually, we talked about timeshifting and media and complementary goods (CD + CD player, VHS tapes + VCR). It’s almost 30 years later, and we still call CDs “records.” How long will it take for us to come up with a new name for a “TV show” … when that “show” is delivered to us via a computer, not a “television”?

I think Apple is positioning itself to be the “middleman” as we transition to new delivery models. (As a stockholder, I say “thank you.”)

The big question: how long will the Apple TV (or Windows MediaCenter) be a bridge technology? And why even worry about the BlueRay/HD-DVD battle if most of us are going to get our entertainment content from something akin to BitTorrent or iTunes (iow, a digital download)? Truly that technology is a bridge — and lifetimes (with the exception of the 8 track) seem to be getting shorter with each iteration (Beta/VHS/LaserDisc -> VHS – DVD – ? … LP record -> 8 track ->cassette -> CD -> DVD -> ?)