SOURCE: FORBES
TiVo Vs. Video-On-Demand
Lisa DiCarlo, 07.19.04, 6:00 AM ET
NEW YORK - There is probably no quantifiable way to prove that Americans are an impatient breed. We want what we want, when we want it, and we're willing to pay for the privilege. Today, companies rake in millions--sometimes billions--giving people the ability to have sex on demand, sleep on demand, television on demand and technology on demand.
Each day this week, we'll take a look at the companies that are creating these markets and the advancements being made.
TiVo (nasdaq: TIVO - news - people ) is still a moneylosing company, but it pioneered the concept of watching television on your terms rather than a network's. So cultlike is its following that its brand name has become a verb, referring to the digital storing and playback of content.
Pfizer (nyse: PFE - news - people ) hit the equivalent of ten grand slams with Viagra, the $1.8 billion (2003 sales) drug which helps millions of men (and their partners) enjoy sex when they want it. Ditto Sanofi-Synthelabo (nyse: SNY - news - people ) and its sleep aid Ambien. That drug's success has caused other pharmaceutical companies to develop their own remedies, one of which is time-released so the sleep-deprived can wake up on demand as well as fall asleep on demand.
People demand--and often receive--other types of services that are meant to convenience and enhance lifestyles. Botox has given what many say is the instant appearance of youth...
For more, click on the link provided...