Strange New World: Tech Picks of the Week

Love 'em or hate 'em, when the Olympics finally do come around, they are the big story. And sure enough, the Games of the XXIX Olympiad lead this week's tech trends -- but probably not in the way you think. We are betting that these games will turn out to be the first true broadband Olympics, and that the Web will change the five-ring spectacle forever. While the Olympics may be at the top of our minds, Apple is never far behind. This past week, that company's MobileMe mess has been all the rage. And while most folks are painting this move as a demerit against Apple, we actually give the company credit for some rare transparency and humbleness. And finally, we are seeing some -- gasp -- innovation in old school broadcast TV. Multicasting is finally rolling out in some markets. Now the old boob tube is getting a much-needed makeover. Here, then, are our picks for the top tech stories of the week:

Apple was uncharacteristically upfront about problems with its MobileMe.

(Courtesy Apple)

The YouTube Olympics

As much as we would love to say that the United States Arm Wrestling Federation Unified Nationals is the sports event of the week, we can't. That honor belongs to the Olympics. And we are betting that these games will be like no other before them -- they will be essentially defined by the Internet.

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The NBC's Olympics site has a definite YouTube flair: The sports are packaged as niche broadcast channels, similar to how online video services like YouTube function. For our money, NBC deserves props for doing a good job of creating a well-organized site: Despite a mountain of video, you can find -- and separate -- swimming information from, say, diving with ease.

And the games will be covered by an unprecedented number of international news outlets, mostly all who feed online. Already the varied level of coverage is offering fascinating perspectives: The United States' vision will no longer be the only one that defines these Olympics. Now, where will the Web-ified games take us? Honestly, we won't be shocked if this sort of niche-ification of the Olympics actually tarnishes the spectacle. After all, how many people really care about the 100-meter hurdles? Without the pull of mass coverage, the appeal of the games may simply not be there.