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> It feels more solid in your hand Something I learned soon after I launched my first hardware product: People still have an instinctive physical relationship

> It feels more solid in your hand Something I learned soon after I launched my first hardware product: People still have an instinctive physical relationship with products that must be the result of evolution making a connection with heavy or solid = more-food/safer/better or something like that. I remember devoting a ton of time to making my first product as light as possible through sophisticated mechanical design and attention to component choices in the electronics. During my first trade show in Europe, this Italian guy came by multiple times to look at the product. He asked for a price on his second visit. It was USD $8,000. The next day he came back one last time and asked: Why is it $8,000 if it is so light? Absolutely blew my mind. Was not ready for that question at all. Upon return to the US I directed our sheet metal vendor to switch from aluminum to steel of the same gauge. We also added a small steel bar riveted to the inside to increase the weight a further. In all, I think we easily added about five pounds to the thing. Now it was "worth" $8,000. Over the next three years sales and comments during sales presentations proved, in no uncertain terms, making it heavier had been exactly the right move. People would make comments when they picked up this damn paper-weight such as "wow, feels solid", "wow, lots of tech in there", "wow, I know why it cost so much now". It was amazing to see how many times the moment the deal was done coincided with the instant they picked it up. Amazing.

CamperBob2 11y ago
During my first trade show in Europe, this Italian guy came by multiple times to look at the product. He asked for a price on his second visit. It was USD $8,000. The next day he came back one last time and asked: Why is it $8,000 if it is so light? Interesting -- what type of product was this? I've designed equipment with small, lightweight boxes that sold for similar prices ($5,000 in my case) and didn't run into that phenomenon in my (very small) niche, but I've definitely seen it in action in contexts like EEVblog teardown videos. Coincidentally, I'm working on a new design right now, and one of the items on my to-do list for this weekend is to decide whether to go with aluminum or copper for some internal shielding. :)
bitwize 11y ago
Beats headphones contain a bunch of metal bits whose only purpose is to make the headphones feel heavier. Now you know why Beats cost so damn much.
protomyth 11y ago
Good advice. Some markets do value lightness such as Video Cameras. There, you can sell the Carbon Fibre model for a premium because its lighter. I do wonder if you had a heavy version and a light version with the light version being priced higher, would it work?
- cnvogel 11y ago
  ...so at one point, when it no longer is economically viable to produce two different housings, you'll paint over the carbon and glue in lead weights for the cheaper version...
marcosdumay 11y ago
> "wow, feels solid" I have to consiently suppress this feeling a lot of times. Also, there's a relation of bigger -> more powerful, but this one is easy to suppress on portable stuff.
Turing_Machine 11y ago
Steve Jobs reportedly considered adding window sash weights to the case for the first Apple II computer, for exactly the same reason.
walrus01 11y ago
I have super-glued lead fishing weights into the base of my desk VoIP phone (a Yealink sip-t28p) to give it more heft on the desk and stop it from sliding around when bumped.

CamperBob2 11y ago

During my first trade show in Europe, this Italian guy came by multiple times to look at the product. He asked for a price on his second visit. It was USD $8,000. The next day he came back one last time and asked: Why is it $8,000 if it is so light? Interesting -- what type of product was this? I've designed equipment with small, lightweight boxes that sold for similar prices ($5,000 in my case) and didn't run into that phenomenon in my (very small) niche, but I've definitely seen it in action in contexts like EEVblog teardown videos. Coincidentally, I'm working on a new design right now, and one of the items on my to-do list for this weekend is to decide whether to go with aluminum or copper for some internal shielding. :)

bitwize 11y ago

Beats headphones contain a bunch of metal bits whose only purpose is to make the headphones feel heavier. Now you know why Beats cost so damn much.

protomyth 11y ago

Good advice. Some markets do value lightness such as Video Cameras. There, you can sell the Carbon Fibre model for a premium because its lighter. I do wonder if you had a heavy version and a light version with the light version being priced higher, would it work?

cnvogel 11y ago
...so at one point, when it no longer is economically viable to produce two different housings, you'll paint over the carbon and glue in lead weights for the cheaper version...

marcosdumay 11y ago

> "wow, feels solid" I have to consiently suppress this feeling a lot of times. Also, there's a relation of bigger -> more powerful, but this one is easy to suppress on portable stuff.

Turing_Machine 11y ago

Steve Jobs reportedly considered adding window sash weights to the case for the first Apple II computer, for exactly the same reason.

walrus01 11y ago

I have super-glued lead fishing weights into the base of my desk VoIP phone (a Yealink sip-t28p) to give it more heft on the desk and stop it from sliding around when bumped.