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What You Don't Know About Velodyne
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Sep 06, 2016  | 
Velodyne. Subwoofers. Actually, really good subwoofers. When you're talking to your buddies, running down your list of home-theater equipment, you pause ever so slightly before you say "Velodyne subwoofer" because you know that pause will add even more of an impression to an already impressive name. But Velodyne is more than subwoofers. Much more.

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What's Wrong with iTunes?
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Oct 10, 2017  | 
The plan was straightforward. Founded on the overwhelming popularity of the iPod, and then boosted by the dominance of the iPhone, iTunes was ready to own audio and video downloads and streaming. The executives in Cupertino probably had a calendar on the wall, with the exact date of achieving world domination circled in red. That hasn't worked out.

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What’s In a Name?
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Oct 31, 2017  | 
“The Quality Goes in Before the Name Goes On.” If you are of a certain age, that trademarked slogan is imprinted in your brain. It was marketed relentlessly. And it was a darn good slogan. It assured you that any product with the company’s name on it was of high quality. It also redirected your attention to the importance of the name of the company itself; you didn’t need to know anything else about the product; the company’s name ensured that it was good. My, how times have changed.
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When Max Headroom Hijacked Chicago
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Nov 14, 2022  | 
Dear reader, are you ready for one last trip down the rabbit hole? It is Sunday night, November 22. The year is 1987. You are in Chicago, watching a Dr. Who episode on Channel 11. Then something very, very, very, very creepy happens.

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Where Is Sonos Heading?
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Mar 15, 2016  | 
Sonos is a terrific company with terrific products. I reviewed their first-generation wireless speaker, back when no one had ever heard of streaming, and it blew my mind. Since then, of course, Sonos has become the Gold Standard for whole-house playback. But suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, Sonos is changing course and laying off employees. What the heck?

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Where There's OLED Smoke, Is There OLED Fire?
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Aug 24, 2020  | 
Before we begin, to all of our South Korean readers, please do me a favor. Check to see if your TV is on fire. I'll wait here while you're gone. Let me know if I should call the fire department. I am standing by.

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Who Killed Radio?
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Apr 16, 2013  | 

Back in the day, as you drove off the dealer's lot, you turned on the radio. And that radio stayed on, all the time, for the life of the vehicle. Whether or not you were actually listening to it, the sound of the radio was as reassuringly present as the purr of the motor. That is changing.

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Why Are Music Album Sales Tanking?
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  May 15, 2018  | 
"I live my life a quarter mile at a time."

Who uttered that famous declaration? Was it: a) Confucius, b) Friedrich Nietzsche, c) Vin Diesel, d) Dominic Toretto? Of course, that is a trick question because both “c” and “d” are correct. The movie was The Fast and the Furious , a cinematic masterpiece about street racing and skid marks.

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Why I Didn’t Buy the Benz
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Jul 18, 2017  | 
I like German cars, and I cannot lie. Porsche, Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz. What wonderful machines they are. Give me more than adequate horsepower, a six- or seven-speed manual transmission, a soulful exhaust note, and I am in heaven. On my most recent car shopping expedition, I fell in love with a car, then I pressed a button and immediately fell out of love.
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Why Is Tesla Killing AM Radio?
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Feb 27, 2018  | 
You just bought a Tesla. Congratulations! You, my friend, are driving the wave of the future. While everyone else is burning dinosaur droppings, you are propelled ever onward by the magical energy of the sun and the wind. Gaia, the primal Mother Earth Goddess, loves you.
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Why Millennials Will Trigger a Boom in Home Theater Sales
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Dec 19, 2017  | 
Work with me here. I'll try my best to explain. The gist of it is this: Millennials are going to move out of cities and start buying home theaters. Lots of home theaters.

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Why Phones => 4K Televisions
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Jul 15, 2014  | 
It comes as no surprise to you that smartphones are taking over the world. Alexander Graham Bell’s invention is swiftly achieving total domination, 138 years after its invention. Of course, today’s smartphones are a far cry from “Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you.” But I digress.

I offer you a data point demonstrating how firmly smartphones are in charge: Specifically, I offer the premise that smartphones will be a primary factor that drives adoption of 4K televisions. That’s right - your phone will persuade you to buy a new TV.

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Will Beats Music Measure Up?
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Apr 15, 2014  | 
Beats Music is a new subscription music service that is an offshoot of the wildly popular hardware company (mainly headphones) founded by Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre. Beats Music is a logical extension: if people love the headphones so much, maybe they’ll extend the affection upstream and into content selection. Recently launched (January 21), the early numbers for Beats Music are in....

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Will Hollywood Movies Start To Look Cheap?
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Feb 01, 2021  | 
There is much speculation that, thanks to Covid, the era of the Hollywood blockbuster is over. While some may rejoice, I'm not so sure.

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Will Technics Make a Turntable Comeback?
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Sep 08, 2015  | 
My To-Do list for the week:

1. Program my selfie-drone to follow me everywhere I go 24/7 and transmit live video across the Internet.

2. Drive a car across North America without using a single drop of gas.

3. Sign up for NASA's one-way mission to Mars. (Many thanks to all my friends and family who are strongly supporting and encouraging me to do this.)

4. Buy a record player.

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