The San Francisco Chronicle has an article on state of the valley report by Joint Venture Silicon Valley. According to the article...
Unmistakable examples of the region's vitality include Google, whose success has overshadowed its Web predecessors Yahoo and eBay, not to mention valley stalwarts like Intel and Hewlett-Packard. The report notes the growing importance of the region's biotechnology industry and the emergence of nanotechnology expertise in places like NASA-Ames Research Center.
But the most tangible icon of the new, uber-creative, consumer-driven valley is the iPod music player, a device so wildly successful that roughly 100 were sold every minute during the fourth quarter of 2005, according to Apple Computer Chairman Steve Jobs, whose career exemplifies the valley's penchant for rising from the ashes.
"We are shifting from an economy that is industrially focused to one that relies on creativity for the consumer,'' said Mountain View economist Doug Henton, principal author of the report. He cited the iPod as the sort of hit Silicon Valley is uniquely positioned to create thanks to the talent available here.
The report should be an interesting read when it is released on Friday.
