One of the unfortunate consequences of technological progress is that as a technology matures, advances come at an ever-slower pace, which means longer product cycles, lower sales volumes and therefore lower profits.

When this happens, marketing departments and product designers are called upon to use their imagination to dream up new features that are only indirectly related to the mature technology, but that supposedly add value nonetheless. These features can then be used to justify the introduction of a new model, so that we consumers will be tempted to replace our existing models that are still functioning perfectly well.

Take television as an example. The technology is fairly well understood. You don't see much difference from year to year or between manufacturers. In order to get us to replace our functioning TVs, new features need to be added which manufacturers claim make their models better than last year's model, not to mention better than the competition.

A case in point is the Ambilight technology offered by Philips on its televisions. Ambilight determines the dominant color of the image on the TV screen and then projects that color out the back of wall-mounted TVs to illuminate the wall.

Philips says that Ambilight helps reduce eyestrain. But the real selling point is an "improved viewing experience." A current Philips magazine advertisement shows two pictures of the same couple watching the same TV show, one with Ambilight and one without. The couple without is bored stiff. The couple with Ambilight is perched on the edge of the sofa, completely absorbed in the TV experience.

Exaggeration is alive and well in the advertising industry. Ambilight is yet another useless gimmick being offered to us as an example of progress. And it is yet another "innovation" that I can most probably live without.