Oprah: Tech's Latest Trendsetter

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Tech companies particularly enjoy the "Oprah effect" because it drives interest from her primary audience of women and middle-aged adults, two groups not typically associated with tech early adopters. "The fastest-growing demographic in social media and tech are the 'soccer moms'—35- to 50-year-old women—and Oprah owns that demographic," says Vivek Sodera, co-founder of San Francisco-based Rapleaf, a researcher of social media trends.

An Endorsement for the Nintendo Wii?

So what tech toys might Oprah introduce to her audience next?

Harpo is mum on the matter. But ever since celebrity gossip site TMZ posted pictures of Winfrey shopping for a Nintendo (NTDOY) Wii in Hawaii, the video game industry has waited to see whether she would officially state her allegiance to the mom-friendly console. Nintendo may soon have to compete for Oprah's affection: On June 1, Microsoft (MSFT) unveiled plans for a technology that, like the Wii, will let players use body movements during game play. But Microsoft says its technology is aimed at a more mainstream audience.

The Oprah effect doesn't extend to all corners of techdom. While her satellite radio program is popular on Sirius XM (SIRI), her TV show has surprisingly little traction on the Web. Although ABC.com parent Disney (DIS) recently announced it would begin showing several shows on popular video site Hulu, it hasn't yet announced plans for online broadcasts of Oprah, which is syndicated to the network.

And although Oprah helped drive awareness for Apple's (PRODUCT) Red iPod Nano in 2006, a music player that benefits rock star Bono's charity, the talk show host has yet to discuss one of the hottest gadgets of the moment, the iPhone. That may be because Oprah loves her BlackBerry. She recently told a crowd at New York's Lincoln Center that she wrote an entire magazine article about First Lady Michelle Obama for Time (TWX) magazine using the device, made by Research In Motion (RIMM).

Plans to feature Poolhouse's application for Facebook have not officially come together, says founder Roche. Harpo says it is not planning any new show at this time because taping for the current season has been completed. The company did not comment on the plan to feature Poolhouse's application. But in the event Oprah does decide to give the tool her imprimatur, Roche is ready. Poolhouse has doubled server space in hopes an on-air endorsement materializes.

Click here to see 20 tech products and services that have received the Oprah treatment.

Douglas MacMillan is a staff writer for BusinessWeek in New York.

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