Remember the VCR? It was just the beginning of this idea that we could consume content whenever we wanted to. Flash forward 30 years, and what do we have? Well, if you’re Seagate, you have 1.5 billion hard drives shipped that have enabled the storage of digital content on the PC, DVR, game console, home NAS, the datacenter, and even the cloud. A far cry from the VCR. Today, simply put, we have access to content whenever want it, and our appetite is not subsiding.
What does this mean? It means that storage and distribution will continue to explode over the next decade. We thought the last 5 years of data growth was big, the next 10 will be simply unbelievable.
In 2005, the world generated 150 Exabytes of data. This year, it is estimated that we will create and store 1,200 Exabytes, and in 2020, a staggering 35,000 Exabytes! That’s a 30X growth over the next 10 years! I argue a major force behind this huge growth is the fact that we are spoiled. That hard drives together with the entire ecosystem of processing power, networks and communication has made it possible to access content, whether it be for entertainment or business, whenever we want it.
In fact, entire business models are based on this exact premise. Consider Netflix. According toSandvine c/o Wired’s Epricenter blog, “Netflix instant accounts for 20 percent of all non-mobile internet use during prime time in the United States”. A large part, if not all of Netflix growth is based on the premise of consuming content whenever we want. The same could be said for Apple TV, Google TV, YouTube, and Hulu. Throw HD into the mix, and according to a post by Steve Rubel, Akamai President David Kenny says , “in five years the average user will consume two hours of HD video per day. To accommodate this insatiable demand, the Internet will need to increase capacity 548 times from where it is today.”
Whenever we want is only one criteria…we’ll also look at wherever and however we want in the coming weeks leading up to CES. It’s just around the corner, and you can bet we’ll see all kinds of innovation designed to address our appetite for content… whenever, wherever, and however….just have it your way.
Be sure to see our tweets from the show floor, including photos, blogging and video….by following the #CES hashtag.
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Comcast is just another example of this…check it out. http://techcrunch.com/2010/12/21/comcast’s-on-demand-service-hit-18-billion-total-views-this-year
4 in 10 US Households have a DVR: Check it out. http://www.marketingcharts.com/television/4-in-10-us-households-have-dvr-15465
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