"when you've started thinking like Japanese, only then you'll know that nothing is impossible"
before we move further towards a thorough understanding regarding innovations that failed to demonstrate practicality, let's take a look at some of Japan's most peculiar gadgets.
SOLAR- POWERED BRA
Here, we are looking at a solar-powered bra. This bra can generate enough energy to charge a mobile phone or an I-Pad! The whole solar thing is actually quite magnifying....but why bra?
SO SINCE PRACTICALITY = NO
INNOVATION = NO
STANDING SLEEPER
the theory is...if the bench is full and you are really tired, then this is what you do. But can we really sleep well standing? Of course not.
SO SINCE PRACTICALITY = NO
INNOVATION = NO
MACHINE GUN GUITAR
and this baby right here is........whoaaaa
PRACTICALITY = WHOAAAA
INNOVATION = WHOAAAA
DO I WANT IT = YEAAAAAA!!
MAN- PILLOW
ahahaha, loner much, aye??
PRACTICALITY = FOREVER
INNOVATION = ALONE
you know people right, how stereotypical a person can be. When a thing easily breaks down, they'll say "CHINA", but when they see bizarre or strange gadgets. What do they say?
THEM JAPANESE!
another story worth telling is about the failure of Atari Jaguar. Gamers must be familiar with Atari, the company that brought forth the game called Pong. First of all, this is Atari Jaguar.
hehe, kinda ugly, isn't it? :3
so, what's the case with Atari Jaguar? Listed as one of commercial failures in video gaming, It was initially designed to surpass the other major contenders of that time, Sega and Nintendo's processing power. However, due to lack of quality, a setback in the hardware that made programming difficult, an unfriendly controller design, and a number of crippling business practices on the part of Atari senior management, Atari Jaguar was put on its knees and remained one of a major innovation failures. However, what has become of Atari Jaguar?
IT BECOMES A DENTIST EQUIPMENT!!YEAYY!!! :D
Creativity is never wrong. Imagination is never wrong, it may be unrealistic, but it won't be wrong, same goes to art. However, what led to the downfall of Atari Jaguar and other innovations' wall of shame-rs? This is because the marketing can be wrong, business strategy can be wrong. I've filtered it down to 3 reasons that I think must be eligible in the product in order to sustain a commercial value in it. Let's analyze these three questions.
1) IS IT PRACTICAL?
Can it be used? If it can be used, is it easy to be used? Is it heavy? Is it portable? Can it be brought anywhere? Does it look nice? Can the look be enhanced? Does it break down easily? Does it lag? Why does it lag? How often does it lag? If we charge the battery, will the phone lag!? Why does Blackberry always lag!??? (this is getting personal...I'm a Blackberry user and we all know how often Blackberry lags)
So these questions must be asked for a product to enjoy success in the market. Why do handphones become a hit? It's because it can be brought anywhere, and it's not like we only want to call people in our home. We have SMS already, but why does Blackberry Messenger manage to bulldoze the market? It's because BBM only requires BB pin, not the contact's number. Thus, if the person one is chatting with is slightly annoying, he can always remove the contact without having to think that "she has my number!!! :O" Practicality is the utmost important feature in product. This is why naughty teenagers use Google Chrome instead of Mozilla Firefox. The Incognito Window. ;) (dirty minds are clever minds) Practicality. Steve Jobs threw the first Iphone in the water to see how much it weighs. Personally, I don't think that innovations are meant to be original, they are meant to enhance, simplify, and make the products more practical.
 |
| and that's what practicality is all about... |
2) WILL IT SELL?
Does it look like other product? Does it have slightly more functions that its contenders?If it does, can the price be way more than the contenders? If it doesn't, should the price be lowered? Can people accept changes? Are people actually ready to accept changes? Can the product bring changes? In other words.............Will it become a trend?
We are back to honour the late Steve Jobs, the pioneer of Apple. Apple is currently the most valuable company in the world....for selling things that other companies have sold wayy before it. However, how could this happen? Simple, because it sells. It commercializes the products, making people to have the idea that this has never been done before. All the apps, the slim and sexy figure of the Iphone and how smart the phone is which often be described as "smarter than the user", those are commercial points that Apple have in order to surpass other companies in the market. It's true though, sometimes to indicate how ostrich and dumb a man is, we say "I think your phone is way smarter than you"
3) WILL IT STAY?
Are you in to visit, or are you in to stay? Are you paying rent, or buying the house? Are you here to follow, or are you here to lead? Are you in to participate, or are you in to takeover?
Many companies have fallen, because they can't keep up with how fast the world rolls. Usually, the most common is the telecommunication companies. See how Nokia seems to lose its touch? But Nokia isn't quite a perfect example for this, Nokia has been in the scene far longer. If you want to know what really symbolizes practicality, Nokia 3310 is the symbol of practicality. We often brag about how rough and tough Nokia 3310 is. With the internet people making memes about it. Nokia rocks and will always do. However, have you ever been to the handphone stores and heard someone says "Can I take a look at that Alcatel, Better pinch yourself, it's a dream. Thus, in order to ensure the success of the product, the production team must always be aware of the surroundings and the changes in the society. They must be fast to take action before being surpassed by other ambitious companies. The philosophy is simple... (of course, talking is always easy :3 )
YOU'VE GIVEN WHAT THE SOCIETY WANTS, NOW GIVE THEM BETTER AND LET THEY NOW FOLLOW WHAT YOU WANT
well, not that easy though...it's actually hard.haha
No comments:
Post a Comment