The brilliance of TiVo

This Gizmodo article chronicles the history of the TiVo remote and in doing so highlights some of what makes the product so great:

At this point, TiVo’s designers felt that they had developed one of the most ingenious remotes on the market. Sadly, when TiVo began working with manufacturers such as Sony and Hughes (Direct TV), they did not feel the same.

It is the best remote on the market, and really, it isn’t even close. My husband, sister, and I (all of whom have had cable since going to college) take every opportunity to attempt to convert my mom (a longtime user of Dish Network’s own DVR) to the cause/cult/enlightened.

The interface is more intuitive, the fast-forwarding is much more fluid, the search function more advanced, the guide integrated more seamlessly, etc. Did I mention that you can, upon reading a review of a new show during your morning blog session and remotely record a show (choose which of your three TiVos, choose whether to displace an existing program, choose whether to receive e-mail confirmation, etc.) from work/class/jury duty?

Mainly TiVo reminds me of Apple (which is ironic because my mom is a 25-year Mac devotee). Everyone predicted its demise in favor of cheaper products with better market penetration. But this is a rich country, and there is a sizable market for stuff that costs a little more but is so much better than anything else.

My mom always talks about her regret at not buying AAPL at $5, when the company was struggling (pre-Jobs’ returning) in the late 1990s. A true believer, she just knew the firm would make it but didn’t put her money where her mouth is. So if I’m really buying the analogy full-bore, I should pick up some TIVO at $7 and change, down from $40 or so during the tech boom (how quaint that bust seems now!)…