

Maximal Unviable Products - HerrMonnezza
http://blog.leanstart.ch/post/31119923524/maximal-unviable-products

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brudgers
Stereo8 or "8track" in the vernacular of the time allowed for the selection
between four stereo programs, not eight (there were two tracks per program).

One problem from a content standpoint was aligning songs within the fixed time
provided by the loop. It was not uncommon for a song to span programs creating
a break in the piece and a mechanical thunking sound. Compact cassette allowed
more graceful handling of differences in the length of its programs (though
not as graceful a handling as the LP format).

On the other hand, Stereo8 had an excellent functional interface. Loading and
playing a tape was simpler than the LP which preceded it and the cassettes
which followed.

~~~
ams6110
I think another big reason for the success of the cassette was that you could
record your own. I remember 8 track, and while I'm sure you could buy decks
that did recording, I don't remember anyone I knew having one, and I don't
ever recall seeing blank 8-track cartridges for sale.

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randallsquared
Maybe it would have been more illustrative to pick something that wasn't
actually a commercial success? :)

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8-track_tape#Commercial_success>

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skrebbel
> _I don’t know how Philips designed Compact Cassette, but if they were not
> purposedly user-centered, at least they had better luck._

If it wasn't luck, then Philips lost something along the way. In Dutch tech
circles, Philips is infamous for continuously making exactly the fault that
the RCA made in this article: too much invention, too little market research.

~~~
Sherlock
I would really like to read about the compact cassette design history. It's a
really remarkable product in which you can appreciate a long list of trade-
offs made by the designer(s).

