
Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos meet "Ginger" - jasonlbaptiste
http://hbswk.hbs.edu/archive/3533.html
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marknutter
I don't want to sound cocky, but I could have saved Dean a lot of grief and
time if I had the chance before he launched the segway. The reason the segway
failed is because people look like fucking dorks when they ride them. I'm
surprised Jobs didn't make that remark (maybe thats what he meant when he was
criticizing the design).

When they revealed it on the Today show they had people riding around on them
with bike helmets, sweater vests, and bowties. I've ridden one, mind you, and
it is an incredible machine.. but I wouldn't be caught dead riding one of
those things in public. There's a reason Jobe rides one in Arrested
Development.

For all Dean's smarts, it was his inability to connect with the every day
person that caused the flop. Never underestimate the power of cool.

~~~
grinich
Have you rode one before?

If not, I highly suggest you try it. The control system feels so natural. It's
like a motorcycle on your feet.

~~~
chadgeidel
I've never ridden a Segway (although I certainly would like to) but having
owned motorcycles for over 15 years (mostly sport bikes), I'm having a hard
time understanding this analogy.

To be fair - I've used a similar analogy for a modern sportbike. "It's like
running really fast" - most modern sportbikes are so compact that they aren't
anywhere in your field of vision.

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teye
Awesome to read a detailed account of instant-on insight and tough questions
from two giants. Steve's intolerance of business as usual is particularly
inspiring.

~~~
nzmsv
Really? I can't believe they missed the obvious:

 _"You have a product so revolutionary, you'll have no problem selling it. The
question is, are people going to be allowed to use it?"_

That's Segway's problem right there. Just because something is revolutionary,
doesn't mean it will sell. These business giants made the exact same mistake
we all make - assume other people will get as excited as we are.

~~~
teye
The obvious? I side with pg. "Too lazy to walk, ya fuckin homo?"

<http://www.paulgraham.com/segway.html>

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jordyhoyt
That's... not exactly a quote, now is it?

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akgerber
It should have been written "'Too lazy to walk, ya fuckin' homo?'"

Although I'm not entirely sure of his conclusion that bike-like styling would
be a solution to this problem. Plenty of us get the occasional homophobic
insults from jagoff motorists.

On that topic, I think another reason the Segway wasn't very successful is
that it has few compelling advantages over a $300 bike-- it has the same
speed, has a lower range and is harder to refuel, doesn't fit in that well
with existing infrastructure, and doesn't get you exercise. The only upside I
can think of is that, because you aren't exercising, you don't sweat (slow
down riding your bike or take a shower!) and that it's high-tech.

~~~
ido
It also doesn't require effort and people are lazy.

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philwelch
"Not a good reason, in Jobs's view, because the code could easily be reverse-
engineered. No it couldn't, said Tim. Could, said Jobs."

I don't know where Jobs gets his instincts about this stuff, but he was
totally right: <http://tlb.org/scooter.html>

~~~
qq66
I don't see any evidence that this is a "reverse engineering" of a Segway - it
seems to be more of a "re-engineering" from scratch.

~~~
InclinedPlane
Is there a practical difference?

~~~
qq66
Yes, a re-engineering cannot be prevented by the original company through
secrecy, obfuscation, or legal threats.

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brown9-2
Is the rest of the book this good?

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9oliYQjP
I read it back in 2003 I believe, just after I got into Macs and got really
interested in studying about Steve Jobs. It was an entertaining read for sure.
Nothing spectacular but this particular chapter is the one that stands out to
me after all these years.

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shadowsun7
I found this illuminating. Are there any other accounts of Jobs in action?
He's very direct here, and to-the-point, and just so _sure_ of what's right,
and what's not.

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hvs
Holy crap, the Segway was released eight years ago.. I feel old.

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revorad
The problem with the Segway is that it is too slow for a motorised vehicle.
Even though it moves a lot faster than walking, I bet it feels really slow
because you're not doing anything else while riding it. If I'm not exerting
physical effort to move, I want the damn thing to move _fast_. Unlike with a
bicycle or car, there is no link between what you are doing and your speed.

Maybe they should add some kind of stepper thing which speeds up the thing.
So, old people can just cruise at the base speed and others can step up the
speed.

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jbeard
The book, "Code Name Ginger" is actually great. It's a complete 180 from the
Steve Blank model of Customer Development and is a good reminder of how great
teams can create the biggest craters.

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proee
I think the movie "Mall Cop" sums up the Ginger demographic nicely.

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jasonlbaptiste
Oldie, but goodie.

