Marching Forward
Dec 1, 2006 12:00 PM,
By Michael Goldman
As 2006 winds down, it’s clear 2007 will have to compete to top a strong year for our industry and this magazine. Special thanks to our readers and advertisers for understanding and participating in our strategic plan to increase print and online resources for the installation community this year — lots more will come in 2007. On these pages, we’ll continue working hard to keep up with the constant flow of innovations coming from manufacturers and contractors alike.
Exemplifying these strong innovations, this issue looks back at some of 2006’s major product developments with Jack Kontney’s year-end review on p. 26. Kontney notes that there has been such a plethora of new tools hitting the market in recent months that it’s hard to easily separate the wheat from the chaff — in terms of what tools will make a lasting impact in the installation market. But his article, and a wide range of our coverage in the last year, clearly highlights certain themes that we can fully expect will continue full steam ahead in 2007. The general march toward smaller, lighter, brighter, less visible, wireless, and more ergonomic and user-friendly products is clearly continuing unabated, and we fully intend to examine these trends in the coming year.
For me, the development I’m most dazzled by is the ongoing movement into the Wi-Fi world. The notion of making available, ubiquitous web-based communications and control capabilities within and around virtually any kind of permanent facility, be it a business, educational, or entertainment venue, is no longer just a dream. It’s happening all over the globe, at a far quicker pace than most people could have envisioned a year or two ago. Pitches are, pardon the pun, streaming into my office on this subject, and in early 2007, we’ll take a look at some installations that exemplify this trend. Don’t forget to monitor these developments on our newly redesigned website, svconline.com, as discussed in this column last month.
Meanwhile, happy holidays from the Sound & Video Contractor team. Here’s to a healthy and prosperous 2007 for everyone.
