The Future of Media

1. Apple will polish low-budget content.

Don't let Apple's tiny market share in the desktop computer world fool you. Here in desktop production land, Apple is the eight-million pound gorilla. Apple's media production software tool Final Cut Pro is the absolute standard in low-budget production. The tool is used by literally tens of thousands of devotees. The company's industry event here was a cheering, SRO affair with an audience of at least two thousand.

And there was news. Apple released a new riff on its production software called Final Cut Studio, targeted at the emerging high-definition desktop production landscape.

The new version creates fabulous-looking content and comes chock full of first-rate Hollywood effects, including smart image compositing, automated music editing, advanced sound effects and more. Effectively, Apple is offering a full-fledged HD production studio for $1,299 -- or about one-hundredth the cost of what FoxSports pays for one it is new HD sports trucks.

I'm not saying that Final Cut Studio does anywhere near the same things a full-fledged production truck would. Not even close, as a matter of fact. But for the money, Final Cut is dang close to what the high-end production world uses. And since Final Cut Express comes standard on most Macs, it's virtually free. Consumers will have simply marvelous tools to make content, so we can expect the line between low-budget and high-budget production to blur.

Get ready. Pretty soon that professional-looking short clip you're watching on YouTube won't come from anywhere near a traditional film studio. You will make it.

2. Local broadcast TV will come to the cell phone.

TV on a cell phone is not news. If watching short, jittery clips of SportsCenter on a tiny screen is your thing, VCast, MobiTV, or any one of a number of other services from Verizon, AT&T and/or AmpD Mobile can help you out.

What is new is that your local TV -- the exact feed your local broadcaster emits -- will be coming to cell phones sometime next year.