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Tuesday, October 18, 2005

The ultimate gadget

It is not quite clear what consumers want. Individual gadgets, no gadgets, just one gadget? Or the assurance from the industry that this is the end of additional gadgets (really, I heard this once as a comment).

It is clear that consumer groups are as different as anything you ever imagined, and that may be, we really head towards the individual market. One-to-one marketing and selling, as done by Dell computers.

Anyway, the article outlines what really will come up to the consumer, and brings some nice examples about challenges ahead. Challenges in complexity, for example, saying, that while hardcore users will love all this technicalities, "normal" earthlings want something that works in order to make it normal. This normal will happen, when we don't think anymore in terms of individual gadgets. "Paul Harris, Professor of Screen Media at the University of Abertay, Dundee, said there is now a demand for an ultimate gadget, but it will have finally arrived when people no longer think of it as a gadget.

"It will become as essential as a kettle in the home. It will include a telephone, camera, texting, music store. It will allow you to download programmes and songs from anywhere." Nice thinking.

He also adds that pricing still is an issue. Once products are cheaper, they will become more mainstream, even so design, as showcasted by Apple's IPod also drives markets. "Mainstream consumers, and especially women, have little interest in expensive gadgets which are anything other than completely intuitive."

The question is - do you buy something beautiful if it has a value added price tag on top of it? Clear it, it isn't going to get easier for manufacturers.

(By Asia Business Consulting)