Gadgets for all of you

Alison Shepard, a marketing associate for a record label in Manhattan, straps an ultra thin
iPod Nano onto her arm before she goes for a run. When she returns to her apartment she takes
off the Nano and turns on the bulkier iPod that has replaced her home music system.
Ms. Shepard also owns two cameras - a point-and-shoot model she bought for $100 and a
bulkier, far more expensive single-lens-reflex version that she says lets her be more creative She has
a laptop computer that can play DVDs, as well as a portable DVD player.
Electronic gadgets come in all shapes, sizes and descriptions to appeal to a range of tastes and
requirements. For a growing number of consumers, that means buying two or more models
to get every feature they want.
So much for one size fits all.
"I bought my 60-gig iPod, along with speakers, to replace my stereo, basically to minimize all
the stuff in my apartment," Ms. Shepard said. "I didn't want to run with my 60-gig iPod on my
arm because if I fell and broke it, it would be expensive to replace."
With the purchases of first-time gadget buyers leveling off, and even declining in some
market segments, consumers like Ms. Shepard feed the industry's dream. The trend of buy ing
more than one model of the same type of device - whether for personal use or as a gift means
revenue growth for manufacturers.

Repeat buyers bought about half of all digital cameras sold last year, for example, and are
expected to overtake first-time digital camera buyers this year. In the personal electronics
industry, companies expanded from marketing a single item to an entire household t» marketing
different products to different family members. [...]
Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis for the NPD Group, a market research firm,
said that in the PC market, the trend started about four years ago with the rising popu larity of
notebook computers, which quickly turned one-computer households into multi-computer
households.
© New York Times, June 5th, 2007, by Laurie J. Flynm

I. Compréhension A rédiger en français

Après avoir dégagé l'idée principale de l'article, vous en ferez un compte rendu en 150 mots
à 10 % près. Vous indiquerez le nombre de mots utilisés.

II. Expression A rédiger en anglais au choix

1. In the text, the reasons for and advantages of having more than one device for the same
function are stressed. But what could be the drawbacks be? (60 words)

2. Do you recognize yourself in this new trend ? If yes, say how. If no, explain your attitude
towards gadgets and electronic devices. (60 words)