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Segway HT Starts Selling
Ninja Master Gara writes "The much-hyped "IT", Dean Kamen's Segway Human Transporter, started selling Monday with a no-refund deposit of $495 on the $4,950 people mover for deliveries starting March 2003 on first come first serve basis.
"The Segway Human Transporter is one of the most famous and anticipated product introductions of all time," Jeff Bezos, chief executive and founder of Amazon.com, said in heralding the availability of the vehicles on the online retailer's site." It's also the most overhyped and overpriced toy ever, and I'm kicking myself for posting it since that just contributes to the problem.
IT is most likely the Stirling Engine that Kamen has been working on for a long while.
The cheap modern Stirling engine of Kamen's dreams would indeed be an incredible development is it ever comes to fruition.
Once more unto the breach dear friends...
...I could buy a top of the line custom built titanium bike and have money to spare. The bike would be smaller, lighter, cheaper, easier to maintain, not run out of power, go faster, access more places and give people exercise. Ooops! I said the nasty E word, exercise!
Seriously, it's amazing how much money can be made off of human laziness. People are willing to pay 5000$, along with the effort of maintaining these things, to not have to move their legs
Outdoor digital photography, mostly in New Engl
For the money, I'd rather have a Yamaha Zuma, (MSRP $1699). (or Honda or Suzuki equivilent) Plus, it runs on gasoline so I don't have to plug it in for 8 hours to recharge it. I can just pull up to any service station and get another 100+ miles for $2.
So let's recap:
Segway HT: Range 10-15 miles. Top speed 15 mph. Must find electrical outlet to recharge with. Cost - 5,000.
Gasoline Scooter: Range - 100+ miles, easily refilled with gas. Cost - 1,700.
Bicycle: Range: variable. Fuel: biomass. Cost - $200.
Strange, the less it costs, the more sense it makes.
bance.net
I think the key point that just about everyone I've seen posting so far is missing is this.
The Segway was not developed primarily for the consumer.
If you look through their website, they have already implemented the Segway mostly in industrial and commercial applications.
They're only starting to sell the Segway to consumers now because this is the second phase of the project.
Although the applications of the Segway in some communities as a personal mobility device may be limited, I doubt that we will fail to see it successfully implemented in various divisions of labor.
AA