This is not the first time that i'm bouncing off Seth Godin's Blog
But his post "Problems and constraints" Is an AWESOME Juxtaposition with Edward Harrison's post
Here is "Problems and constraints"
"Gravity is a constraint. If you're a designing an airplane, it would be a lot easier without gravity as a concern, but hey, it's not going away.
A problem is solvable. A constraint must be lived with.
For years, Apple viewed retail distribution as a constraint. They had to live with cranky independent computer stores, or big box mass merchants that didn't display or sell their products well.
Using the internet and then their own stores, they eventually realized that this was actually a problem that could be solved, and it changed everything for them.
On the other hand, there are countless entrepreneurs who believe they can solve problems relating to funding or technology that are out of reach given their scale or background. They'd be better off if they accepted them as constraints and designed around them."
The art is in telling them apart.
This is an excerpt from Edward Harrison's post -
"See, I am an early adopter who has invested in obsolete technology enough times to be wary of the new, new thing. Remember the wireless internet service provider Ricochet? I was on that. How about Sony’s MiniDisc players? I was on that too. In fact, I’ve seen a lot of format wars – like Mac vs. Wintel, Betamax vs. VHS, or Blu-Ray vs HD-DVD – and have learned to sidestep these things pretty well now. In a lot of these cases, the losing technology was pretty cool. I loved my Ricochet and MiniDisc a lot more than dial-up or a Walkman. But the defining element in each of these format wars has been distribution, not marketing, functionality, or coolness. The company with the most robust distribution channels won – end of story."
Distribution trumps functionality. It trumps coolness.
The art is in telling them apart... I'm still chewing the cud on this one...
No comments:
Post a Comment