
Dyson Lightcycle Task Lamp - yeutterg
https://www.dyson.com/task-lighting/dyson-lightcycle-technology.html
======
nickloewen
This has some very appealing aspects—I'm particularly intrigued by the stand
design—but I'm mystified by the idea that a lamp designed to last six decades
apparently requires an app to operate many of it's key features. Sixty years
ago there was, as far as I can tell, one significant digital network in the
world[0], and the smallest computers weren't desktops--they were _desks_.[1]
It seems all but impossible that Dyson's app is still going to be available
and functional for more than maybe a decade of this lamp's projected lifespan.
Computer technology just evolves too fast. I would really appreciate if $600+
appliances would include in the box everything that they need to operate to
the best of their capabilities, so that we don't end up with lamps stuck in
alarm clock mode when Dyson doesn't upgrade their app to work with iOS 16.

[0]: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semi-
Automatic_Ground_Environm...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semi-
Automatic_Ground_Environment)

[1]: eg [https://www.computerhistory.org/revolution/mainframe-
compute...](https://www.computerhistory.org/revolution/mainframe-
computers/7/166/664)

~~~
baroffoos
Devices that require apps to use are infuriating. I recently got a bose
soundbar and subwoofer and the instructions tell you to install the app so you
can connect the subwoofer to the soundbar. I don't have any devices that can
run the bose app...

I eventually found out if you use an AUX cable (not included) you can connect
the two devices together without an app.

~~~
jacklewis
I understand the frustration but you really have the need for a bose
soundsystem while not owning any modern computing device or smart phone?

~~~
larkeith
Keep in mind that many (all?) smartphones are deliberately obsoleted within
2-3 years of release - as an example, my S5 (released 2014) only supports
through Marshmallow (obsolete as of 2016). Any apps requiring Nougat or later
are unavailable to me. Given that I personally use my phone for communication,
browsing the web, reading, and note-taking (and occasionally SSH), this isn't
a concern, but it might well be a deal-breaker for a Bose soundsystem, unless
their apps happen to be backwards-compatible (though being IoT-connected would
be enough to make me avoid it like the plague regardless).

~~~
kbenson
Same situation here, but with an S6. I would probably pay a subscription for
an AOSP based install that was supported and got updates. The volunteer level
of support for supporting different devices that LineageOS gets means that for
some phones (namely the one I'm using), have poor or nonexistent current
offerings. :/

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sdan
$500 for a lamp... I'm out of words. I don't care how much tech you put into
it, at the end of the day, it's not going to be tremendously better than a
lightbulb hanging over your desk for $5~10.

~~~
purplezooey
said every dude walking through Restoration Hardware

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NeedMoreTea
Whereas an Anglepoise lamp _actually will_ last 60 years. Many already have.
It's too early to know if their LED variant will.

Dyson had one decent idea that everyone else adopted too - cyclones instead of
bags. Everything else seems to require paying 10x what a sane premium and
expensive cost might be - lamps, hair dryers, fan heaters.

The innovation is making it appear complex enough to justify the absurd price.
I bet they are still using too much ABS plastic that'll be disintegrating
after 5 years.

~~~
ianhowson
I got my wife the hair dryer and I'm genuinely impressed with it. It weighs
nothing, uses proper PID control for heat and fan, heats up and cools fast and
just _feels good_. The device stays cool while heating the air and it blows a
lot of air while making hardly any noise.

In short, I can't imagine a more perfect hair dryer.

Sadly, I am bald and do not get to use it. I did spend a while gushing about
how neat it was, though.

~~~
subculture
AvE did a fun teardown of the hair dryer [0]. If you haven't seen his videos
they're all pretty terrific, especially the Juicero one.

[0]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-vJxez9UF8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-vJxez9UF8)

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keyle
That's great, but who wants to pay that much to have the same light for 60
years?

One "advantage" of consumerism is cheap = changeable

The sad part of modern technology is that you can't fix it yourself, nor do
you understand how it works. It doesn't make you any smarter.

That said, having a luxury product that last 60 years is a very niche market.

~~~
doe88
> That's great, but who wants to pay that much to have the same light for 60
> years?

This. Technologies evolve/improve so fast, you don't want to be stuck with
them forever anyway.

~~~
oeuviz
My coffee maker is from 1972 which makes it more than a decade older than the
user. So there seems to be a market for high quality, unbreakable technology.

But then again, how many years could it be operational when depending on an
app.

~~~
submeta
Curious: What kind / brand is it?

~~~
michaelt
I once had a really good 40-year-old washing machine at a place I rented.
Later, when I needed a washing machine of my own I looked up that top-quality
brand and discovered in the intervening time they'd been brought by one of the
bottom-quality brands, replaced their entire product lineup, moved their
manufacturing abroad, and most likely replaced every employee too.

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hiven
God these products are terrible. All that added cost to protect some budget
LEDs from burnout or discolour. They cost next to nothing. There is no
innovation in this product.

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aidenn0
Yet another expensive over-engineered product from Dyson.

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masklinn
> Heat Pipe cooling technology. […] Dyson engineers addressed this with
> technology often used in satellites.

Or in many/most CPU and GPU heatsinks for the last decade or so, both Intel
and AMD have heatpipe-based stock coolers in their range. There are heatpipe-
based heatsinks available for $10~15.

~~~
ianhowson
It's novel for an LED lamp, though. Most manufacturers just put a heatsink on
the back. It's ugly.

If you're going for the best possible LED lamp, irrespective of cost, I can't
think of a better cooling method.

~~~
masklinn
> It's novel for an LED lamp, though.

Kinda? It already exists, but usually to better spread heat to the sink in
_high-power_ LED lamps (50W+, not equivalent, actual).

And my point is outlining that it's "satellite technology" is complete
bullshit marketing copy.

I would expect more or less every laptop with fans[0] to use heatpipes, even
for gaming / workstation laptops it hasn't made sense to stick a radiator on
the CPU/GPU in a long time.

[0] apparently fanless devices don't, I guess there wouldn't be enough of a
heat differential between the CPU and a hypothetical heatspreader for it to
work?

~~~
bayindirh
> And my point is outlining that it's "satellite technology" is complete
> bullshit marketing copy.

Actually, I have a friend who works at a company which designs extreme heat
pipes and heat wicks for satellite applications.

He has a satellite-spec heat pipe specimen which he shows around with heat-
sensitive paint to demonstrate heat transfer speed, and it's way faster than
conventional heat pipes. It's _almost_ instant. Don't know the secret sauce
though.

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sizzzzlerz
For that kind of money, it not only needs to light my desk, it better damn
well make a perfect martini!

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goldenshale
For that much you would think it would also be a piece of art to improve the
space in which it sits. This looks more like an erector set component.

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fifteenforty
You could buy a BenQ WiT for $180. Vastly more practical for most nerds,
cheaper and has a replaceable DC transformer. The name isn’t as sexy though!

[https://www.benq.com/en/lighting/e-reading-
lamp/wit.html](https://www.benq.com/en/lighting/e-reading-lamp/wit.html)

------
abtinf
This is crazy expensive for a desk lamp, but I can imagine applications that
would justify expensive lighting. I’d happily pay 10-20x premium for
guaranteed ultra-long life bulbs to use in built-in home fixtures—especially
difficult-to-reach locations.

~~~
askvictor
Except that the guarantee here is only for 5 years :-/

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javadocmd
As someone with a basic understanding of thermodynamics, I'm highly offended
by the assertion that their cooling technology is "energy free".

------
ctack
A couple fo years ago someone figured out how to recreate sunlight. I can't
wait for that to take off and was hoping this might be the start. I think this
is them [https://www.coelux.com](https://www.coelux.com)

~~~
ctack
Wow, looking at it now and they're orders of magnitude more expensive than the
already expensive Dyson lamps.

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KentGeek
Personally, I'm done with Dyson. James was a vocal supporter of Brexit, gets
what he wants, then decides to move his company's HQ to Singapore. That kind
of blatant hypocrisy taints their products for me.

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dreamcompiler
Not sure about the point of this. Okay, the heat pipe is a reasonable idea,
but a light that matches my local sun cycle would be useless: At night (when I
actually need it) it would be off.

Clearly I'm missing something.

~~~
achow
_> Okay, the heat pipe is a reasonable idea.._

Even that is not.

...water cooling process works by condensation. As the processor heats up, the
liquid essentially vaporizes, keeping the CPU cool. The vapor then travels to
the opposite end of the of the heat pipe, where it condenses back into liquid
when cooled off.

2016\. Samsung Galaxy S7 [https://www.howtogeek.com/365535/how-does-water-
cooling-work...](https://www.howtogeek.com/365535/how-does-water-cooling-work-
in-a-phone/)

~~~
Animats
I have a Shuttle PC from 2003 with heat pipe cooling. For about 10 years, they
made machines with a heat pipe system to transfer heat from the CPU chip
surface to a finned plate at the back of the box behind the fan, allowing a
more compact package.

But for an LED? Come on.

The cutting edge technology in LED lighting is to use power supplies that
don't need electrolytic capacitors. The capacitor usually fails long before
the LED.

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EngineerBetter
Wow, it takes something to make Philips Hue look cheap. I'll stick to those,
which I can fill several rooms with for the same price.

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baddhidurgarao
dyson lightcycle task lamp is good product.

~~~
hiven
It really is not. It’s insultingly expensive and all that overengineering
offers no real world value. Don’t get sucked in.

