Life's Good... 2007 line-up from Korea
I have an eye for people who do old things with new ideas. Life shouldn't be boring anyway.
As a person who monitors converging technologies and Internet, and reviews new gadgets and products often enough, I normally don't have time for the white goods. My household has all the essentials and they often last not less than eight years. There's no magic in them, or so I thought.
Admittedly, we have moved into the present home about ten years now. One by one, appliances and desk top boxes are falling apart. Air-conditioners, the most abused installation in the house, was the first to come down when warranty for compressors expired after the seventh year. Then the DVD player. The 21" CRT TV has been serviced, and parts replaced, several times, and thank God, it's still serving well into its 13th year. The thermostat of the 13-year-old fridge conked but salvaged. More savings. The Zanussi washing machine (do you know this front-loader brand?) is now well into its 15th year after several major services. Only my home theatre system, the seven-year-old Yamaha, is the newest in the household and in tip-top condition... oops, touch wood! (The driver of the sub-woofer has brittled, disintegrated, and lying hopeless there. Remember?)
So, living a modest lifestyle in Malaysia is well rewarded in that we still have relatively reasonably-priced labour charges for the servicing of home appliances. I have seen how my friends in Japan, Korea, the US, UK and Australia now resorting to a "disposal lifestyle". They discard their home appliances on a 5 -year cycle and replace them with new ones as labour charges for repairs and servicing are atrocious in their countries.
But then again, Malaysia may be following suit, and sooner than later. We are now changing our handsets once every six months, and computers once every 24 months. People like us who live on 15-year-old washing machines, 13-year-old fridge and TV sets are a rarity. The new working class of today are now starting their new homes with chic LCD TVs and steam washing machine, and choice wines replacing beers on weekend gatherings.
Blue Ocean
Frankly, imaginations for lifestyle choices stretch further from there. Those who dwell in apartments and condos, where space is luxury, may want to have their home appliances built according to their taste without compromising on functionalities and overall aesthetics.
I believe LG, a Blue Ocean Strategy company, is tapping on that new wave when it lauched the motto LG Moving Aead With You to kick-off its 2007 line-up of home appliances recently.
The 2-year-old LG Electronics Malaysia is both innovative and modestly aggressive. It took over the entire grand ballroom of Shangri-La KL and turned it into a massive showroom for one day, just to wow the media and their national network of dealers and distributors. Country Managing Director IG Kim turned super salesman for the day.
Images courtesy LG Electronics Malaysia
The 2007 range of new products, LG called them digital appliances, include refrigeratots (with mini bars, how about that?) washing machines, air-conditioners, television sets (ultra-slim CRT, LCD and plasmas), IT products and AV equipment.
Personally, I was impressed with four of them and went back for more on an up-close-and-personal discovery trip.
Stay tuned for a review of the Blu-ray/HD-DVD combo DVD player, the 47" Full HD 1080P LCD TV, the 29" ultra slim CRT TV and the Chocolate series of DVD Micro HiFi syetem.
Comments
hi jeff, i dont see such chics LG product in our neighbourhood stores neither in Carrefour, Tesco or Jusco the last time I look.
I did try to look for LG Shine at the various shopping center near my area (Pandan) but most stall dont carry them and their comments are quite negative like, the touch pad is very sensitive, easily spoilt and because not many people use it and not many stall sell it the spare parts are expensive as compare to nokia or even samsung.
JEFF OOI says: My personal experience i that I make up my mid n what I am looking for whenever I buy cameras or mobilephones. I never let the vendors-talk influence my decision as they are mostly incentive and commission-driven, while I look for feature-value match. But then again, this is merely my personal policy whenever it comes to buying things.
i like the Shine but with such negative feedback I am holding back my purchase and is now looking at the U series of Samsung.
Prob LG strategy was not translated to common folks like myself and people near my area?
Posted by: Brian Fong![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jeffooi.my/nav-commenters.gif)
|
June 12, 2007 11:51 AM
Jeff, just my 2 sen. Aren't you at risk of diluting your "brand name" by crass commercialism by touting for LG?
Or perhaps, and I'd wager a bet on this : there's no money to be made just blogging for blogging's sake. I understand you still need to put food on the table.
As I've said, just my 2 sen.
JEFF OOI says: I always like to help the underdogs. Right now, LG is the market underdog in almost every market segment except, perhaps, air-conditioners, DVD-RW/CD-ROM. I got attracted to LG because it announced two years ago that it was adopting Blue Ocean Strategy into its product innovation. At first, I brushed it off as a marketing hype until I saw Chocolate phone that won several industrial design awards in Germany. March, I was invited to visit LG's R&D centres, ID Department and the manufacturing plants in Korea, and saw how Blue Ocean Strategy was embedded in its work culture and global marketing initiatives. It was really not all hot air. But I am monitoring closely if LG can be among the Top 3 mobilephone producer in the world by 2010 that it targetted for -- the banners are all over its factories and facilities!
The benefit of engaging LG at close-range is that I get to preview LG's technological road map (some can be market-sensitive and confidential), and to test and use LG products 3-6 months ahead of the consumer public like you and you. Bet you have not seen a Blu-ray & HD-DVD combo DVD player, let alone to touch it for real?
Next week, I will preview LG's WiMAX mobilephone! Good for the ego for lack of the right words. ;-) Yes, I wish to quit the rat race and be a full-time, professional blogger whose job is to make money by criticising people. That may be the year 2027 if it ever happens?
Right now, I just wish that I could make enough advertising money to pay off the server hosting fees. Because... Every word that you read on this page, and every letter that you type in this comment column, I paid for your bandwidth ALL BY MYSELF! As viewer traffic increases, so does the bill for server hosting. No free lunches! When I run out of resources, this blog will just die.
Posted by: Yumcious![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jeffooi.my/nav-commenters.gif)
|
June 12, 2007 12:10 PM
Wouldn't some kind corporate types sponsor your bandwidth?
Just like TWiT (Leo Laporte) who had their bandwidth sponsored by a four-letter-word computer company. But, being free of obligations is certainly better in many ways.
JEFF OOI says: I have not been approached for such samaritan act from any of the local corporates.
But I do see the financial implications of your decision to continue with this site.
Like most things in life, we sow now to reap later, as I'm sure there will be.
Posted by: Yumcious![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jeffooi.my/nav-commenters.gif)
|
June 12, 2007 01:31 PM
Hi Jeff!
I remember how you waxed lyrical about the chocolate.
In order to clear your name, you need to declare how much did LG spend to take you to Korea... if you want to :)
JEFF OOI says: I don't know the amount. I don;t think the other 10 journalists who went with me know the amount either. . You jealous? ;-)
Also, you might as well say you've been "greased" to post positive stuff about LG. I find it hard to believe that you love LG and did not gain from it. Just my frank thots at midnight. Jangan marah krana I masih melawat blog anda... :)
JEFF OOI says: For your information, I was also invited to visit and speak in US, UK, Korea, Tunisia, Holland etc all expenses-paid, sometimes business class, limo-driven and 5-Star hotels. Probably they saw me in different values than you have. ;-)
Posted by: Joe F![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jeffooi.my/nav-commenters.gif)
|
June 13, 2007 12:30 AM