That's axiomatic for any breakthrough product. Market researchers often
acknowledge that their work is best for refining existing products or product
categories. However totally new, disruptive technologies require a clear need
and valiant product producers who are brave enough to push their new concepts.
Unfortunately they usually end up paving the way for somebody else to profit
from it once the market has gone up the learning curve.
The PDA product cateogry is a good example of this, Apple starts the product
category and persevered for five years. But like many pioneers, ends up face
down in the mud with an arrow in its back. In the meantime the category evolves
into a format (smartphones) that allows it to become part of the mainstream of
society.
There is no argument that the iPhone has changed the game but in order to do so
it had to pioneer some features; you wonder how many of its key UI features were
first requested or even first conceived by consumers. Probably very few.
Cheers
Tony
[snip]
Another possibility is that Apple has decided to adopt the policy of building
devices that it thinks its customers ought to have, rather than ones they
actually want. :^)
[snip]
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Received on Sat Jun 13 01:34:33 2009
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