So Apple are going to release a new computer today.  It will be called the iSlate or the iTablet or something like that apparently (just google some techie blog to get some more information on that.

The Apple share price has doubled this year, which is amazing given the economy and how the recent recession has hurt the computer types, but what makes this even more amazing is the fact that Apple’s share price has grown from about 16 dollars per share six years ago to about 200 dollars per share today.

This is proof - yet again, as if it were needed - that real innovation can beat recessions.

Unless we have proper broadband in Ireland - and I mean proper, cheap, 50 Megs, always-on, wireless - in every single town and home then we have precious little chance of being real innovators.  We won’t develop the culture, we won’t develop the language.  How can you have ideas for what you might do with Skype if you have no idea what Skype is? How can you develop clever apps if you have never downloaded one? How can you develop a conversation with somebody about technology if you are the only technologist in the village.

In the past 10 years we built a number of roads and they were pretty good, we built the LUAS, we built industrial estates such as CityWest and Millennium Park etc.  What is really, really needed is a proper broadband infrastructure.  It is more important than any other issue in innovation in the country.

It will cost a small fortune, but can we afford NOT to do it?