Does "X" mean it's fast?

There must be something pretty magical about the letter X. We all know about Microsoft's Xbox, but this blog entry was triggered by Shaw Cable and its new EXO Network.

The use of the letter X is quite common for marketers who wants to attach characteristics of speed to its offerings. The top level of Shimano's mountain bike components is XTR while the next level down is merely XT, and XCR is used to identify the firm's range of non-moving components. (Handle bars, seat posts etc.)

The use of X is only successful if consumers make the same connection as the marketers. If I don't connect X with speed and performance, then the whole exercise is wasted.

But luckily, I think that anything with and X in its name much be fast, or I wouldn't have spent a fortune on XT and XTR components.

Will Shaw's new EXO service live up to the promises that the X in its name would seem to imply? I have no idea. I now deal with Shaw's main competitor and I don't think I'll be going back to Shaw any time soon. If only they'd renamed the service sooner.