Interviews with Digital Media Thought Leaders

Apple and The Digital Living Room

Podcast Video | Posted by Phil Leigh on February 23, 2010

About 20 years ago a character named Ray Kinsella in the movie Field of Dreams heard a voice urging him to plow under a portion of his Iowa farm to build a baseball field. Purely on faith he built it. Soon long deceased legendary players began to show-up for practice. Strangely, only Ray and his family could see the ghosts.

Later the same voice told Ray to visit a famous novelist who had mysteriously stopped writing after the 1960s. In the book upon which the movie is based, that author was J. D. Salinger. Ray brought him back to Iowa where he too could watch the players.

For much of the movie only Ray, his family, and the Salinger character share the mystical experience. Nobody else could see the players. His neighbors and extended family concluded that Ray and his bunch were partially crazy.

Only after Ray and his brother-in-law had a vigorous argument over selling the financially failing farm did the situation change. The heated exchange abruptly ended when Ray’s 9-year-old daughter, caught between the two men, fell from the top of the bleachers. As her body lay on the ground in obvious distress, one of the player-ghosts walked in from the field and magically transformed into a retired physician. It was his occupation after leaving professional baseball. He removed a chunk of food that got stuck in her windpipe as a result of the fall.

After this miracle, everybody present could see the ball players. Ray’s brother-in-law was simultaneously amazed and confused. He could only mumble repeatedly “Don’t sell the farm, Ray. Don’t sell the farm.”

More importantly, it suddenly became evident that people from all over the country would pay to visit the field. Watching the players would be living a part of history like finding a wheat-leaf penny or genuine silver dime in a pocket of change. It would remind them of good times when the sun was always shining and as youngsters they cheered their heroes in a perfect afternoon. It would be as if they had dipped themselves in magic waters. They would pass over the money without even thinking because it is money they have and peace they seek.

The Digital Living Room of the future is much like a field of dreams. You have to see it to comprehend it. No amount of words can substitute.

Steve Jobs stepped into the future when he visited Xerox PARC in the early 1980s. Instead of merely reading research papers from PARC staff, he visited the facility to immerse in the magical experience. If he had merely been satisfied to read textual summaries published by PARC employees, Apple might never have arrived where it is today.

In our last post, we linked to a video that is a proto-example of the Digital Living Room of the Future. Less than one-percent of readers clicked-through to watch the eight minute demonstration. We are partly to blame because we failed to use a player window as a means of prompting you to expect a video. Instead we used a conventional hyperlink that gave no indication it connected to a video. But you must do your part. If you want insight into the future Digital Living Room, you have to see it. We cannot believe in what we cannot visualize.

Much like Ray Kinsella’s ball field, if you can’t see the players then you are not going to catch the message. Conversely, actually watching them can be a transformative experience. Now, let us open our eyes and watch.