I’d been thinking about giving my youngest son an iPAD for Christmas until I read an article by Jeff Cole in an advertising trade mag.

Who’s Jeff Cole? He’s a digital forecaster and the spokesperson for the US-based World Internet project and director of The Centre for Digital Future which has been tracking and researching consumer behaviour in digital media across 25 countries.

In 2006 he famously predicted the demise of MySpace. One year later he dismissed News Corp’s $US700 million purchase of the social media site saying that users would soon move elsewhere.

Interestingly, it’s been reported recently that News Corp is considering merging or selling the money losing site – despite its recent repositioning.

Now Cole is saying that eventually the same thing will happen to Facebook with users joining more localised online communities.

Cole also says that tablets or iPADS will replace notebooks and PCs and TV viewing will soon increase to around 50 hours a week thanks to mobile phones and IPTV technology. But the key generator of increased viewing will be the iPAD.

iPADs will also help save the publishing industry and eventually spread across all industries—including the car industry. For example, when Hyundai launched their luxury Equus model in the US earlier this year they broke with tradition by not including a hardcopy manual in the glove box.

Nope. In a first for the car industry the geeks at Hyundai downloaded all the technical stuff, pictures and an instructional video on to an iPAD.

In addition to having all the necessary information on screen, Equus owners can book their car in for a service as well as schedule pick-up and delivery without having to contact the dealer. Down the track Hyundai will launch “Service Valet” as an added bonus for Equus owners.

Who would have thought that when “The Salesman of the Century” Tony Barber launched the Hyundai Excel in Australia in 1998, it would become one of the world’s coolest brands 12 years later thanks to a tablet?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Pv_uB7ip8I

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