PSP: The Next iPod

Red Herring Blog: At the risk of future embarrassment, I’m convinced that Sony’s PSP portable PlayStation is the harbinger of things digital to come. The current model of the PSP may not be the version that blows the doors off the competition—Sony may not be the company to execute on the idea successfully—but it includes several features that will redefine markets.
Today’s biggest thing is Apple’s iPod, which has created a huge halo effect, driving the sales of music, spoken word audio, accessories, and fashion. With more than 15 million iPods sold, they have defined the portability of lifestyle choices—a soundtrack to one’s life, defined by a slick little gadget—it even helps out with sex lives at university. Apple, if it includes video in future iPods, may be the company to win this market, too.
For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been looking carefully at the PSP as a personal media device. As a non-gamer (or, as my kids would probably call me, a “lame gamer”), my interest is in the technology, including a beautiful display, the incorporation of wireless and, most importantly, game-sharing technology.
The Next Big Thing [Red Herring Blog]