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I think they didn't start anything, rather, they jumped in to create a tipping point.

blenderdt 4y ago
I don't know if that is true. Tesla for example did become big because they had the best range. And they still have compared to most brands. If Tesla failed to create cars with a great range they didn't become as big as they are now.
- jollybean 4y ago
  Yes, but that's what I mean - that category had existed for a while, they did a few things to make it viable. Same with watches, smartphones and eventually 3D.
CharlesW 4y ago
> I think they didn't start anything, rather, they jumped in to create a tipping point. To me this trivializes what Apple did, as if companies could just "create a tipping point" if only they liked money. I understand that from today's vantage point, what Apple did seems inevitable. At the time, it was a "bet the farm" move by a company which had never made a smartphone before. > Apple didn't invent smartphones… This is like saying "the Manhattan Project didn't invent atomic bombs". It's technically true, but doesn't capture the world-changing effects of the accomplishment.
- jollybean 4y ago
  You're making my case for me. Other auto companies have been steadily innovating on electrics cars for a very long time and have consistently outsold Tesla until recently. It's unlikely that Tesla did much other than accelerate the process by a tiny bit by bring more public validation to the market. Tesla is not an outright innovator so much as created more public excitement. The iPhone as 'world changing' is a bit of propaganda. Other platforms were moving forward, Nokia had some very cool and popular stuff. The iPhone was effectively 'a generation ahead' - as if a 'gaming console' magically came out one generation ahead of the others - but otherwise, it was all an 'inevitability'. All those things were coming in one way or another. GPS, full screen, apps, contactless payments etc. it was all well on it's way.

I don't know if that is true. Tesla for example did become big because they had the best range. And they still have compared to most brands. If Tesla failed to create cars with a great range they didn't become as big as they are now.

jollybean 4y ago
Yes, but that's what I mean - that category had existed for a while, they did a few things to make it viable. Same with watches, smartphones and eventually 3D.

CharlesW 4y ago

> I think they didn't start anything, rather, they jumped in to create a tipping point. To me this trivializes what Apple did, as if companies could just "create a tipping point" if only they liked money. I understand that from today's vantage point, what Apple did seems inevitable. At the time, it was a "bet the farm" move by a company which had never made a smartphone before. > Apple didn't invent smartphones… This is like saying "the Manhattan Project didn't invent atomic bombs". It's technically true, but doesn't capture the world-changing effects of the accomplishment.

jollybean 4y ago
You're making my case for me. Other auto companies have been steadily innovating on electrics cars for a very long time and have consistently outsold Tesla until recently. It's unlikely that Tesla did much other than accelerate the process by a tiny bit by bring more public validation to the market. Tesla is not an outright innovator so much as created more public excitement. The iPhone as 'world changing' is a bit of propaganda. Other platforms were moving forward, Nokia had some very cool and popular stuff. The iPhone was effectively 'a generation ahead' - as if a 'gaming console' magically came out one generation ahead of the others - but otherwise, it was all an 'inevitability'. All those things were coming in one way or another. GPS, full screen, apps, contactless payments etc. it was all well on it's way.