When you're in the middle of change it feels like change. As it settles out it becomes normal. Once it feels normal we move on and it is no longer changing, or at least that's what it feels like. But it is changing, all around us. We just don't notice that change. It is only when we look back we notice the rate at which things change and become aware of the constant nature of change.
Hard to imagine that in the 1980's we went from vinyl to CD, IBM Selectrics to the PC, at a time when many among us were still complaining we miss the old rotary dial telephones. That wasn't so long ago.
Today we can't imagine not having the Internet and we're starting to accept streaming audio as a likely path to music in the future.
Imagine in 10 or 20 years looking back on today - a day where we stress over compression formats, hard drives, bandwidth, firmware updates, the type of look our loudspeakers have - we'll simply smile at how silly that was.
The rate of change in our world is accelerating. It doesn't look that way because you're right in the middle of the vortex of change.
I'll make you a bet. Within 20 years our music systems will be completely invisible: no loudspeakers to clutter the room, separates, integrateds or cables of any kind. Music will be truly three dimensional.
Call me in 20 years to collect if I am wrong.
