Applications
Seagate launches lifestyle digital data storage product
BANGALORE: Seagate has announced the launch of data storage and back up products to cater to the students and people on the move. This is a change from the data hard disk and storage company‘s image of being a components supply company. |
In short, content has become the center of the digital world. The storage market is also segmenting. Seagate has two divisions – Maxtor and Seagate. Yesterday at Bangalore, Seagate unveiled their ‘FreeAgent’ Data Movers which ‘combine sophisticated design with easy to use lifestyle tools’ that let one move, work and play with one’s digital content anytime, anywhere. So laptops and notebooks out you go… Carry your digital data and use your host’s computer to share the information, data, make a presentation, etc. |
Seagate refuses to label their FreeAgent products external hard drives because they say that labeling them as such would not even begin to describe what their new product line can do. Seagate claims that consumers define the term ‘hard drive’ as a basic storage device. FreeAgents sport a ‘sleek, compact design’ for anywhere computing. Three products – FreeAgent Pro Data Mover, FreeAgent Go and the FreeAgent Desktop. The drives come in various storage capacities and have preloaded software use of the products. The products come with a five year limited warranty. While mass communications plans about the products have to be drawn up, Seagate Singapore International Headquarters country manager-Indian and SAARC countries Vihsal Khurana, who announced the launch of the products, does not discount TVC’s for promoting FreeAgent. This is against the norm as Seagate generally uses the print media for product promotion. Currently the creative work for print ads is done at Singapore, informed Khurana. |
Data storage requirements have grown exponentially, what with the advent of MP3,MP4 players, digital cameras and the growth in computers. Seagate quotes figures from an October 2006 survey – The Harris Interactive Survey of US Computer Users – to prove this point. 81 per cent of the users are more likely to download and store data than a year ago, with photos taking the first place; 45 per cent of households with children who are under 18 download music; 57 per cent agree that their content and files are worth more than their computers; and 96 per cent of adult Americans own or use at least one desktop or laptop at work. 
Applications
With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
