
Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos meet "Ginger" (2003) - hboon
http://hbswk.hbs.edu/archive/3533.html
======
xefer
I get the same feeling about Google Glass that I got from Segway: cool
technology, but who the heck is going to actually use it?

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sajid
I never understood what problem the Segway was supposed to solve. Same with
Glass.

~~~
InclinedPlane
Segway was based on cutting edge technology and it worked really well. Indeed,
it was impressive in its capabilities. But mostly out of novelty. In terms of
basic capabilities it was a stinker.

Compare it to a moped: much slower, much shorter range, can't carry a
passenger, can't carry cargo, can't travel on roadways, much more expensive.

Compare it to a bicycle: slower, much shorter range, can't carry cargo, can't
travel on roadways, very much more expensive, can't be used for exercise,
going up hills is easier.

Compare it to a car: enormously slower, vastly shorter range, can't carry
cargo, can't travel on roadways, exposed to the elements, potentially
comparable cost.

Compare it to walking: saves some time and effort especially on hills, less
convenient, borderline rude to use near other pedestrians, avoids extremely
low impact exercise, still exposed to the elements, very high cost.

And there you have it. For the vast majority of situations using a Segway is
actually a huge downgrade from an equivalent expenditure. For the cost of a
Segway you could buy a used car, or a moped, or an extremely nice bicycle.
Meanwhile, if you have a commute that you would be willing to use a Segway for
it would generally be absolutely superior to simply walk or bike and get some
exercise in the process.

~~~
glenra
Though there are a few uses where it's the best tool for the job. For
instance, taking a "Segway Tour" of an unfamiliar city such as Austin. It's
like a walking tour in that you can experience the local geography of the
place and see everything close up but everyone can cover more ground more
quickly and nobody has to fall behind or slow up the group because they're a
slow walker. Plus, it's just _fun_ to ride.

~~~
weirdcat
More than once I saw them being used in video productions, with a steadicam
guy riding one.

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mmahemoff
The article's from 2003, but the hype began sometime around 2000 and it was
revealed in 2001.

This and Transmeta were these two ultra-secret projects at the time, with big
names, a lot of speculation, and no accurate leaks until they were officially
unveiled. Neither really panned out.

~~~
InclinedPlane
I always thought Transmeta's code morphing technology was really cool but it
never really had a chance to mature and the patents kept other folks from
looking at the idea.

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breakall
Jobs' harsh criticism reminded me instantly of the 2003 email from Bill Gates
trashing Windows Movie Maker, the Microsoft.com website, etc. [1]

It also reminded me of presentations I've given that have "gotten out of
hand". I've found it's nearly impossible to direct a meeting like that--smart,
intense people will not be led along the carefully crafted golden path you lay
out for their time.

In Tim Adams' shoes, you may find yourself frustrated answering interruptive
questions that are answered clearly in your deck, spec document, etc. After
much experience with this, I've found that if you can give a sensible answer
to the question, and after the answer is accepted, just say "... and that's in
the document on page X", people are generally pleased with that. If they point
out a loophole, gap, etc. in your design, "we will call that out" or "we'll
add that immediately" can get you moving along again.

The "did you read the entire deck" question was funny. (Could that possibly
work?? :-P)

[1] [http://blog.seattlepi.com/microsoft/2008/06/24/full-text-
an-...](http://blog.seattlepi.com/microsoft/2008/06/24/full-text-an-epic-bill-
gates-e-mail-rant/)

~~~
ChuckMcM
I find smart people like to work that way, read the deck first then talk about
the 2 or three key things that everything else hinges on. Saves time.

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Hitchhiker
An interesting thought experiment to do.. get really smart friends to read
this piece after stripping Harvard , Bezos, Jobs and almost all the names ..
replace them with variables X_1,X_2 etc.. perhaps a good thing to do for
almost all such pieces.

~~~
mmcconnell1618
I've always thought a political news web site that stripped out names/parties
would be interesting too. When you don't have a bias for/against the speaker
you may find you are more open to ideas.

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maked00
Just goes to show the kings new clothes can fool the 1%.

