3 ms·

Reminds me of Paul Graham's essay about why the Segway failed. http://www.paulgraham.com/segway.html http://www.paulgraham.com/segway.html Same principle here.

by d2049 4y ago

Reminds me of Paul Graham's essay about why the Segway failed. http://www.paulgraham.com/segway.html http://www.paulgraham.com/segway.html Same principle here. People don't look cool wearing strange robot sandal shoes.

trekkie1024 4y ago
Isn't that what people said about the first AirPods? They look dorky, no one would be caught wearing them, etc. And look where we are now :)
- randomluck040 4y ago
  This is comparing Apple (out of all companies) selling something we were using prior to the AirPods for a price which was in an acceptable range for the target audience with a dorky kinda-add-on for shoe to walk faster. I’m not sure if it holds.
  - trekkie1024 4y ago
    That's a reasonable point... what would you say is a price (if any) at which you could see these become mainstream? I'm personally ambivalent on the design but think the product could be worth trying!
    - randomluck040 4y ago
      I‘m not sure since I can’t quite figure out the target audience. Depending on the amounts a person walks every day it might be worth it but I’m on the bike or in the metro most of the time and the claimed 250% increase in speed doesn’t come close to the bicycle. That being said, I’d try them for sure and if they improve my life, I think I could live with the design. On a related note: people were Yeezy and Balenciaga shoes which (subjective) look awful to me.
- JumpCrisscross 4y ago
  > what people said about the first AirPods? Did they? My reading is people are parsimonious with paradigms. Graham's motorcycle draws on the horse. AirPods drew on earbuds, which almost universally went to great lengths to avoid the hearing-aid look, and which also got a boost from performers [1]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In-ear_monitor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In-ear_monitor
  - osrec 4y ago
    But they still looked terrible. I still don't like how they look.
- r00fus 4y ago
  A masterpiece of consumer behavior change in three acts: Act 1: Introduce EarPods that look just like AirPods will but with a cord. Act 2: Remove the headphone plug from iPhone (pre-packaging new and maligned lightning-based EarPods and adapters - all at decent margins). Final (Act 3): Finally, introduce AirPods to a receptive audience - which is not only wireless (no cord to get tied up with your keys/hands) but looks just like the EarPods and doesn't require a damn adapter.
  - tw98521358 4y ago
    Step 4 release AirPods that are different and worse for a higher price
    - asdff 4y ago
      Step 5, ensure continuous purchases because the batteries won't last
  - eezurr 4y ago
    Do you have a source for this play? I'd be curious to read whatever book/person that came from.
- permo-w 4y ago
  there was a recent post that went something along the lines of "be careful imitating high-status actors who can afford to countersignal". if anyone can afford to countersignal, it's Apple. unless they get a very significant signal boost, a startup that makes dorky-looking shoes cannot
LarryMullins 4y ago
Are they comfortable? Crocs (those plastic foam sandals) are notoriously unfashionable, but also incredibly popular because they're comfortable. Tbh they don't look very comfortable, I imagine they're heavy like roller skates, but who knows.
- iLoveOncall 4y ago
  Crocs became popular recently but for a decade or so you would be made fun of by ANYONE if you wore them. It seems that the company survived long enough for them to become popular, but that's not the case with a lot of products (Google Glasses is an example I have in mind). Having a great product at the wrong time is having a bad product.
  - LarryMullins 4y ago
    > Crocs became popular recently but for a decade or so you would be made fun of by ANYONE if you wore them. I believe they were selling like hotcakes that entire time. Popular but unfashionable, like cargo shorts.
    - atdrummond 4y ago
      Company almost went under for a time: https://socialfactor.com/blog/how-crocs-came-back-from-the-brink-of-extinction/ https://socialfactor.com/blog/how-crocs-came-back-from-the-b...
    - teawrecks 4y ago
      Something tells me you've been defending your foot fashion choices for a long while now ;)
      - LarryMullins 4y ago
        Hah, no. But I do confess to once owning cargo shorts..
    - asdff 4y ago
wahnfrieden 4y ago
it's not the look of the accessory attached to you, it's that with segway you are standing rigidly upright at rest while maneuvering around - the pose is a ridiculous signal. these have a better chance in that you are still walking with your usual gait
baby 4y ago
Segway was pricey and not super useful imo. Utility trumps everything else. If something dramatically improves people’s lives it will get adopted. Unless laws or regulations prevent it ofc (the way undocked electrical bikes were banned everywhere ;_;)

by d2049 4y ago

trekkie1024 4y ago

Isn't that what people said about the first AirPods? They look dorky, no one would be caught wearing them, etc. And look where we are now :)

randomluck040 4y ago
This is comparing Apple (out of all companies) selling something we were using prior to the AirPods for a price which was in an acceptable range for the target audience with a dorky kinda-add-on for shoe to walk faster. I’m not sure if it holds.
- trekkie1024 4y ago
  That's a reasonable point... what would you say is a price (if any) at which you could see these become mainstream? I'm personally ambivalent on the design but think the product could be worth trying!
  - randomluck040 4y ago
    I‘m not sure since I can’t quite figure out the target audience. Depending on the amounts a person walks every day it might be worth it but I’m on the bike or in the metro most of the time and the claimed 250% increase in speed doesn’t come close to the bicycle. That being said, I’d try them for sure and if they improve my life, I think I could live with the design. On a related note: people were Yeezy and Balenciaga shoes which (subjective) look awful to me.
JumpCrisscross 4y ago
> what people said about the first AirPods? Did they? My reading is people are parsimonious with paradigms. Graham's motorcycle draws on the horse. AirPods drew on earbuds, which almost universally went to great lengths to avoid the hearing-aid look, and which also got a boost from performers [1]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In-ear_monitor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In-ear_monitor
- osrec 4y ago
  But they still looked terrible. I still don't like how they look.
r00fus 4y ago
A masterpiece of consumer behavior change in three acts: Act 1: Introduce EarPods that look just like AirPods will but with a cord. Act 2: Remove the headphone plug from iPhone (pre-packaging new and maligned lightning-based EarPods and adapters - all at decent margins). Final (Act 3): Finally, introduce AirPods to a receptive audience - which is not only wireless (no cord to get tied up with your keys/hands) but looks just like the EarPods and doesn't require a damn adapter.
- tw98521358 4y ago
  Step 4 release AirPods that are different and worse for a higher price
  - asdff 4y ago
    Step 5, ensure continuous purchases because the batteries won't last
- eezurr 4y ago
  Do you have a source for this play? I'd be curious to read whatever book/person that came from.
permo-w 4y ago
there was a recent post that went something along the lines of "be careful imitating high-status actors who can afford to countersignal". if anyone can afford to countersignal, it's Apple. unless they get a very significant signal boost, a startup that makes dorky-looking shoes cannot

LarryMullins 4y ago

Are they comfortable? Crocs (those plastic foam sandals) are notoriously unfashionable, but also incredibly popular because they're comfortable. Tbh they don't look very comfortable, I imagine they're heavy like roller skates, but who knows.

iLoveOncall 4y ago
Crocs became popular recently but for a decade or so you would be made fun of by ANYONE if you wore them. It seems that the company survived long enough for them to become popular, but that's not the case with a lot of products (Google Glasses is an example I have in mind). Having a great product at the wrong time is having a bad product.
- LarryMullins 4y ago
  > Crocs became popular recently but for a decade or so you would be made fun of by ANYONE if you wore them. I believe they were selling like hotcakes that entire time. Popular but unfashionable, like cargo shorts.
  - atdrummond 4y ago
    Company almost went under for a time: https://socialfactor.com/blog/how-crocs-came-back-from-the-brink-of-extinction/ https://socialfactor.com/blog/how-crocs-came-back-from-the-b...
  - teawrecks 4y ago
    Something tells me you've been defending your foot fashion choices for a long while now ;)
    - LarryMullins 4y ago
      Hah, no. But I do confess to once owning cargo shorts..
  - asdff 4y ago

wahnfrieden 4y ago

it's not the look of the accessory attached to you, it's that with segway you are standing rigidly upright at rest while maneuvering around - the pose is a ridiculous signal. these have a better chance in that you are still walking with your usual gait

baby 4y ago

Segway was pricey and not super useful imo. Utility trumps everything else. If something dramatically improves people’s lives it will get adopted. Unless laws or regulations prevent it ofc (the way undocked electrical bikes were banned everywhere ;_;)