At the opening keynote address that preceded the Sakamoto Life Wall Bombshell, Gary Shapiro, the head of the CEA organization, criticized the lack of leadership in technology issues in Washington and singled out the gaming market's growth.
Mr. Shapiro mentioned the intensely dynamic and competitive marketplace of the technology sector by offering some large facts: In 2007, installations of fiber rose 20%, and gains in the gaming market continued at an unprecedented pace (The Wii has a lot to do with that). Someone even said 'It's the Wii!' out loud in the back of the room. He expects a 2008 market of $171 Billion in technology alone.
Mr. Shapiro also mentioned that we have only 406 days until the U.S. transitions to a digital signal (on February 17th, 2009.) So you either have to buy a new TV in the next year, or start getting psychologically prepared to wait in line for a converter box.
Best press-ready line of the day: "Our digital destiny is as inevitable as the discovery of America." Make of that what you will.
Click on after the jump to check out the blow-by-blow from the conference.
Mr. Shapiro offered something particularly juicy with a direct criticism of the political groups in America that want to close Free
Trade borders:
Then after mentioning a personal story of how his immigrant wife left
Poland, she was able to go somewhere where the services of her parents
(as foreign physicians) were able to come to fruition and help other people. "When did we stop welcoming the best and the brightest to this country? Tech and technology offer a shared experience. These are conjoined twins: Free Trade and competition."
Here are his final words:
