(1) Manufacturing coming back to the United States

* “Foxconn Plans American Expansion as Clients Seek Made in U.S.A.“
* “Apple CEO Tim Cook announces plans to manufacture Mac computers in USA“

Yes, this is a big and exciting trend, but this manufacturing is not likely your mother or father’s manufacturing. Lots of human engineers will be required, and there will be a minor halo effect as these kinds of opportunities enable the addition of other companies and jobs in the local region, but we should not expect this new manufacturing to create the number of jobs that old manufacturing did in the past. These new manufacturing centers will be highly automated and full of robots.

(2) YouTube redesign

* “A new look to help you to subscribe and watch channels on YouTube“

Google has now updated the YouTube website and apps for many platforms to emphasize their big push into channels. The company has been spending millions of dollars on original content to challenge traditional television for viewer eyeballs. This comes at a time when it is easier than ever to get internet-based content on your television and while consumers become much more comfortable watching streaming long form video. Meanwhile, content providers are experimenting with web-based video of high production value, including efforts now playing on YouTube like Bryan Singer’s H+ The Digital Series and SyFy’s Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome. Like Netflix, Hulu, Blip.tv and KoldCast TV, YouTube is jumping into the brave new world of original long form content streaming from the web to a plethora of consumer electronics.

As original video proliferates online, the emerging and pressing challenge is not only how to filter through the content to find something of interest and entertainment, but also how to organize your favorite channels and particular shows on channels.

Amazon, too, is in the middle of developing its own original movie and television studio with planned distribution on its own digital video platform. With most of the other platforms now spending so much time, money, and effort developing and hosting original digital content, will Apple jump into the fray?