Technology is the new car

My recent post about plug-in luxury got me thinking about the role of technology in our lives. And it hit me -- technology brands are the new car.

Throughout the last century the automobile stood for freedom, mobility and joy. Hitting the open road expanded our horizons and put a bigger world within our reach. Cars represented modern life at its best. But that was then.

Cars lost this sense of child-like wonder as they grappled with grown-up issues such as safety, fuel economy and global warming.

Today it is technology that defines modern life. Technology liberates. It connects. Each new smart phone, wafer-thin laptop or lifelike home theater system joyfully proclaims that today is better than yesterday. Technology brands are the new car.

I wonder what would happen if a car company decided to behave as a technology brand. Not just loading up cars with whiz-bang tech features. But to truly embrace (or re-embrace) the sense of joy and liberation and optimism that we seek in our lives and tend to get from our gadgets.