Launch Day... Pre-Game

It’s 10:45AM EST. In just an hour and fifteen minutes, we’ll “throw the switch” and The Digital Lifestyle channel will officially launch. There’s a lot to be done in the next hour or so, but I thought I would offer some pre-launch thoughts, which will probably be re-visited after today.

First, it is amazing to think about the technology that makes this site possible. While the design leaves something to be desired, the relatively quick nature in which everything has come together, would have been unthinkable five years ago. iWeb has allowed us to quickly build the site. The magic of podcasting has allowed us to find some of the best talent in the Mac universe to be part of the show. And most importantly, the technology from Mogulus that makes our 24-hour stream possible is a game changer. The ability for us to go live, at any minute, 24 hours a day is astonishing. While most of our program day will consist of pre-recorded shows, rest assured that we’re ready to go live whenever we need to.

Second, this is as good of time as any to talk about the goal of the website. First, it should be interactive. Not in the “social web, hey add me as a friend way,” but rather with meaningful video segments contributed by viewers. Next, this channel focuses on Apple and The Digital Lifestyle, but that doesn’t mean we will have blinders on to the rest of the tech industry (there’s a reason it’s not called “the Apple Lifestyle” channel). While we are quite enthusiastic about Apple products, we want to, at the same time, present a realistic, and when necessary, critical look at the business practices of the company. You can love the products and still be skeptical of the company behind them. And finally, I want this channel to set a precedent for a “third way” to broadcast. We want to shed the millions of dollars of overhead associated with traditional TV networks, while at the same time, bringing an aggregation of great content together in a way that thousands of individual podcasts cannot.

So there you have it. The Digital Lifestyle. Apple news, rumors, and lifestyle, 24 hours a day... Enjoy.