I have to enter in at least one comment.

yeah, mark, i read the article (duh). i believe my comments still stand, do you have a specific criticism you'd like to share? or just sniping?

i agree with kamikaze that wikipedia is big, but it's still very young and hasn't reached its full potential -- on many topics, wikipedia is weak, but it will get better because the majority of its topics will stay relevant over the years. i like wikipedia, myself.

but shopwiki's topics are products and they don't last. nobody cares about what was written about a 2-year old product. if you can't buy it, you don't need to read about it.

and if you have to make the product generic and not cover specific model years, then you've eliminated the real value. products do change year to year. if you can't address that, then it's not that useful a service.

there are product guides everywhere, and there are hardcore reviews everywhere. what's shopwiki bringing to the table?

i'm sorry if i seem too cynical, but i've been around the block a few times, and this one smells fishy to me.

ryan, sorry you're bent out of shape. i didn't mean it as a personal attack, my "Mr. Reporter" comment was aimed at journalists and newspapers in general. these are blogs, ryan. people are going to say what they think, misspellings be damned.

my point is simply that by shipping a video-capable product (no matter whether it's good or not), Steve has got the movie/tv industry's attention and set the wheels in motion to get what he wants (that being lots of downloadable video content).

Apple will set the agenda for movie downloads just as they have for music. Notice it's *Apple's DRM* on the songs, not someone elses. Apple has the end-to-end system that can potentially placate the entertainment industry.

I am not saying I agree with Apple. I will never buy an iTunes song. I believe in open tech 100%. But facts is facts, and Apple is the one company setting the agenda.

And let's not bring up Betamax, pleeze! It's over. Digital is a much bigger threat than tape ever was. You know it, I know it, Cory Doctorow knows it. They are right to be quaking in their boots. But the fact remains, the cat is out of the bag and it ain't going back in. Digital is a fact, so they'd better deal with it and get some decent products to market. Apple would love to help them do it.

And why is it worth the wait, if as you say, the inferior technology wins out? Apple can build up a great iTunes for video store, but it doesn't change the fact that better quality, free alternatives exist elsewhere.