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Buy a Segway... Please
aedunn writes "Wired has an article about everyone's favorite Human Transporter - Segway. Seems as though the company is looking at some hard times. Among other things, the article cites Segway's price, low speed and tightened spending in the corporate world as reasons for Segway's slow sales."
knew this was going to happen. It's the dotcom bubble all over again; useless products at high prices, with expectations inflated by hype and spin. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
A company with an overpriced useless product and no business plan is having trouble surviving. Film at 11.
Tis a shame that the economy has hit a downturn, but there's an interesting site that a happy owner has up, about how he's losing weight and saving money with his: The book of Seg.
The Right Reverend K. Reid Wightman,
What a time to try selling these things, right when the Northeast US has been hit by blizzard-like snows. Not so Segway-friendly, I imagine. Probably the #1 reason why I thought they were a bad idea in the first place.
Trolls lurk everywhere. Mod them down.
People don't like wobbling down the sidewalk looking bloody stupid after all.
They might as well give away a big red hat that says "Tool"
Gee, a company producing an overpriced, overhyped scooter of dubious legality for city use is having trouble selling it? What an utter surprise.
That they're rather pointless and only marginaly more usefull than a $50 bike?
I have been saying since day one that this is one of the worst inventions I have ever seen. I'd love to see a segway owner try to get around Manhattan this week. The only value I have seen in something like this is possibly for mailmen who normally walk their route or in large warehouses. Those are pretty niche groups and I don't see anybody making a huge profit from them.
Who did they think would by one of these? Corporates? Until suits see everyone else riding one they'll keep away. Suburbanites? They wont get you anywhere - you need an SUV to travel. Kids/Students? Can't afford it. Urban? Sidewalks are too crowded, and too slow for roads.
Basically, imagine the limited marketshare that scooters/rollerblades/skateboards occupy (as transportation, not as stunt vehicles), then make it way more expensive.
Hi, I'm Steve Jobs. Apple bought me a nice plane, and I return the favor by renting it back to them! I hope they buy me a Segway, so I can rent that back to them too! I was hoping those cheapskates would give me one after I said something nice about them, but no dice. Those things look really useful for crowded sidewalks - why, I could take up the room of 3-4 people and be going just as slow!
Hey, I only make $1/year! Gimmie some toys!
I almost bought one and then I realized that I could get a bicycle for a fraction of the cost.
And it is more fun to recharge the power source for the bicycle.
Seriously... How lazy can people be? They should give these things away to people that buy Hummer H2s (read:idiots).
Life is the leading cause of death in America.
"I wouldn't have predicted the mountain would be so big," Kamen says, "and that there would be so many hills to cross to get to the top."
This guy makes more money than I do?
I've only seen those things in use in bad sitcoms. They're ugly, awkward, expensive, and completely unneccessary for living today. I've seen fifth graders come up with better inventions.
"I only speak the truth"
Karma: null(Mostly affected by an unassigned variable)
The fact that you have to STAND while riding a Segway!
If they just stuck a seat on it everything would be different.
It's Christmas everyday with BitTorrent.
I would feel like a tool scooting around on one of those. Not to mention it is expensive, heavy, slow, and ugly.
they are stupid? Its like the fat chick - scooter saying. Maybe sell them over in Africa, Europe,or China and that entire population rolling around.
The Segway, no matter how advanced it is, is not something people were anxious to have. Maybe there are uses for it, but people don't see them, and they don't want them.
Toss in the down economy, and it's no surprise.
I don't think the plans for selling Segway were any more than "it's so cool and the guy behind it has a great reputation," and that is NOT enough.
It's basic economics.
"The Sage treasures Unity and measures all things by it" - Lao Tzu
"Segway's price, low speed and tightened spending"
Low speed?!?! AFAIAC, doing more than 10mph on one of those things would mean a large number of underpants changes along the way.
Read the article. I see Wired is still bandying about vocabulary with abandon.
So, anyone outside of Wired's offices know what a Stirling engine is?
Its funny, if he hadn't had such high expectations, he could have a small but profitable and growing company, it sounded like he had orders for 10 per week or 520 per year, if he had not leased a 70,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility, and planned to revolutionize the world selling thousands a week, which increased his fixed costs, and the numbers he needed to sell to be profitable, this would be a completely different story. Google did it right, grow at a sustainable rate, and do not try to get too big too fast.
Degaussing scares the bad magnetism out of the monitor and fills it with good karma.
I'm sure that a Segway is very usefull on the East Coast right now. With all of that snow, the sidewalks are virtually empty.
These things will end up as a rental device at places like the Boardway in Atlantic city, of in Panama City Beach in the summertime.
I'm already looking on Ebay to get one cheap.
"This must be a Thursday, I never could get the hang of Thursdays."
How about the stupid name, and the gaffe of using the acronym "SHT"?
For a smart guy Kamen really dropped the ball on this one. He should have waited for his miniature Stirling engine to be ready for production, and for the computer hardware required to balance the thing to be much, much cheaper. Exactly what target market was he aiming for with an 80lb. $5000 scooter?
Seems the Segway is not yet appropriate for this age, neither for long distances nor like a bike - its more of a 'F L A S H Y' item - no real utility I guess - nor the necessary speed . . . Though at first sight ppl may get bowled over - the auto-balancing mechanism using gyroscopes though is indeed a unique mechanism for personal transport as they call - UPON THAT ITS ONLY FOR INDIVIDUALS ALL THIS ADDS FUEL TO FIRE AND YOU HAVE SEGWAY IN TROUBLE READ MORE Read More
As for other markets, when I worked in a industrial plant in the Netherlands, the foreman and others who had to go a long distance had bikes with banana seats. Very low tech but usable.
And I don't think that too many folks in the NE of the US are going to be able to use theirs for several weeks.
Seriously, who didn't expect this idea to tank?? An overpriced scooter with far too embarrasing publicity stunts and too much pre-production hype for it's own good.
No sig
Nobody without loads of cash to blow is ever going to buy one of these unless the price was in the sub $500 range. You can buy a powered scooter for that price ($500 or cheaper) that will take you to your destination just as fast if not faster and you can actually carry it as it doesn't weigh more than 20-30 pounds if that. A $50 bike will just as much and are generally accepted in most places and most people learn how to ride a bike during childhood so its not such a hard thing to do. I'm sorry, but the Segway will never work like they hoped as its just not what people need.
An optimist believes we live in the best world possible; a pessimist fears this is true.
It will change the world by making everyone look like idiots! Even drunk homeless guys move faster than you! And it costs as much as a good PC!
No thanks! I'm already an idiot! I dont need that device!
I'm getting a 65" Digital Widescreen. Beat that one Dean!
Back in the early/mid eighties in the UK there was a scientist/inventor/businessman called Clive Sinclair. He had a string of successes in consumer electronics, starting with a digital watch and progressing to home computers. One of his final products was a revolutionary electric one person "car", incorporating lots of new and clever technology. It was predicted that it would be huge success, as where most of his other products. But it was a dismal failure. Nobody wanted one. It looks like history is repeating...
Segway is going to die the same way C5 did despite it's enormous marketing budget. People have voted with their wallets against silly "inventions" like this in the past and they will do it again. If I were Kaman I'd try to start cutting losses now before he has to move out of his beautiful mansion.
Your pizza just the way you ought to have it.
Don't forget it's too expensive and too light to leave lying around. So where am I going to store the chain (and the groceries) while I'm TOOLing it around to the corner store and back?
Not to mention we don't have sidewalks in SubZeroBurbia.
and kill two... help two struggling technology startups with one purchase :D
the article cites Segway's price, low speed and tightened spending in the corporate world
...equals early sales and then - nada. So I can spend thousands of dollars to go as fast as I normally do only to put up with the annoyance of having to store the thing when I arrive at my destination? Super. Let me get my checkbook.
;)
What they really need is a performance boost... Take the auto industry. We spend billions each year buying cars that go a bazillion miles an hourt (despite the 65 MPH speed limit) and rugged SUVs that can climb mountains just so we can can feel safe picking up the groceries. I say put a high performance chip in there, some racing stripes, steel spikes to ward off pesky lo-tech pedestrians and some oversized rims - then you're looking at something to feature in the next Vin Deisel film.
So someone builds a machine to replace walking, and they are having trouble selling it?
Go figure.
As the economy recovers, corporate spending is again on the rise, and with it will come the rise of the Segway. Truly, the Segway will change the way we walk to the cafeteria and the bathroom!
No one is buying their personal transporter and they're losing loads of money. Which gives me a nice segue to mention fuckedcompany.com
Trolling is a art,
When we "re-design cities around it" (Steve Jobs, if I'm not mistaken). Once we re-design all our cities, I'm sure they'll be selling like hotcakes.
Some men spend their entire lives trying to kill themselves for having been born. --Ross MacDonald
I thought they were not selling these to the general public yet. Rather, only to business and municipalities and such. If not, then perhaps they should try something that all the cool businesses are doing nowadays: ADVERTISE! MARKETING! BTW: I said when I first saw this thing that it was not going to be a big hit. It's a scooter! Yes, it is probably the most revolutionary scooter. Yes, it is cool technology. Yes, it would be neat to own won. But it's still a $3K+ scooter! The general public will not get past that. Replace the car? Hardly! Joe Dirt has no where to carry his case of Bud. >
Perhaps Segway should have found a use (i.e. market) for their product before forecasting sales...sounds to me like sales are right on pace for a ridiculously expensive novelty product.
I'm sure it will eventually lead to some great advance but the current incarnation is trash, hence the current company is probably destined for the trash heap as well.
...but.... Smegways explode when they tip over.
"Times have not become more violent. They have just become more televised."
-Marilyn Manson
Anothe strike against the company, backlash from all the hype. We were promised an earth shattering, mind blowing, world changing "it" of an invention. "Something people would design cities around." Instead we get an expensive scooter that you can't take with you on public transit, use on many city streets, drive on the street, or fit in your car to take with you. After a year of magical mystery hype about this wonderful invention and "leaks" about the nature of it, even if it cost $50, I'd probably not buy one out of spite.
Then again, maybe the Segway they HAD to put on a dog and pony show because when people see it they probably think, "Wow! That guy riding the Segway looks like a dork!"
<a href="http://www.joblessjimmy.com">Work is dumb and so is Jobless Jimmy.</a>
Think of the benefits: Less people driving cars! Unless more than one person wants to travel, and unless they want to carry luggage or groceries or anything else for that matter, or if they want to listen to the radio while they travel, or if they want to go more than a dozen or so miles...hmm, lets try this again.
Think of the benefits: Easier personal transport! Unless you run into a flight of stairs, or uneven or wet ground, or want to travel for longer than 45 minutes after which you'll have to lug it around with you like so much dead weight...hmmm, this isn't working either.
How about this: The Segway is amazing! For only $5000 you can get a motorized scooter that allows you to roll where you once walked! That is truly revolutionary, unless you count the bicycle, rollerskates, rollerblades, skateboards, wheelchairs, non-motorized scooters...Aww forget it, I give up!
while people all over the world rely on the bicycle to get around -- and get some exercise -- only a greedy and fat US company would dare offer a $5000 no-exercise pod mobile.
you can also think of a segway as a little coal power plant. the power electricity we use, the more pollution. or if you don't like coal, how about a nuclear power plant? it certainly doesn't run on solar power.
segway's leverage of the corrupt government markets is another part of this company's devious business plan. by making industrial models that sell for far more than the standard $5000 model and then getting the public to pay for them.
maybe the many millions of dollars that went into segway and all the hype could have used to build more bikepaths and walkways?
all in all, a segway is nothing but a expensive toy that meets no actual societal needs. it is antoher remnant of the dotcom era meeting its just demise.
>> ...as reasons for Segway's slow sales.
Maybe I'm naive but I don't understand how sales of the Segway can resemble anything other than the pace of continental shift.
Belay that... continental shift is faster than what I'm imagining. Think "static".
Pinky: "What are we going to do tomorrow night Brain?"
Brain: "I would tell you Pinky but this 120 char limi
And a bike is A LOT lighter. Eighty pounds? Come on! This rules out me (I'm a reasonably stong girl, but not so strong as to want to lug 80 lbs. into my office stairs).
Can I bum a sig?
The Segway is just a ruse, a delaying tactic until the real Ginger is released. ;)
Ha. I'd like to see anyone at that company try to get around on a Segway after the snow we just got in New England.
Can't you see that everyone is buying station wagons?
Yes the price is a problem. And younger people would be willing to ride a bike. But my grandma could handle one of these things, and it would actually be a big help to her. She is otherwise stranded at home, dependent on taxis, neighbors, or public transportation (which in the wide- flat- towns of central California is problematic at best.)
"The most sensible request of government we make is not, "Do something!" But "Quit it!"
You mean nobody wants to spend thousands of dollars on an electric scooter that makes you more certifiable than a pocket protector? What a shock...
"our car gets about 21 (18 city) miles per gallon, so i've saved about 5-6 gallons of gas in 100 miles / 14 days. as of today gas was about $1.71 per gallon, so that's 5 x $1.71 = $8.55. the car i gave up when i got t the segway ht got about the same mpg, so i think it's fine to use our current car figures. in other areas of the country, the price of gas might be lower or higher."
And how much does it cost to charge up the segbeast?
thank God the internet isn't a human right.
Maybe if they actually sold Ginger they could make money. There is a lot of evidence supporting that the IT-Segway is NOT Ginger.
In other news Sluggy Freelance just finished up a Segway spoof strip.
"Not knowing when the dawn will come, I open every door." - Emily Dickinson
The Segway thing is another good example of another product that was created at great expense because it seemed a 'cool thing to make' with no thought as to who would actually buy one.
It costs $5000 dollars. Anyone wih 5 grand spare to spend on a Segway would probably rather be seen in their BMW than pootling along the pavement on one of these.
I put this on the pile of "cool ideas that'll never work in the real world" along with picture messaging.
How many vehicles are good to drive in a blizzard? Bicycles, motorcycles, and automobiles with low ground clearance all suck when it gets deep and slippery. For those people that don't drive cars (two wheels are plenty for me) winter in general sucks, but you find ways to make it work.
Indeed he does, but why does he need a Segway? He can translocate by will alone, after all.
Think man, think!!!
Perhaps it is not so much the lack of spending in business, or the speed of the unit, perhaps not even the difficulties Segway has faced in California...
On one level, a design standpoint, people might not feel comfortable with the layout of the unit. From the 1800's we have been trained to see a two wheel vehicle with one wheel in front of the other, now Segway comes along and changes the visual and expects people to be comfortable with it. I will equate it with the feeling you get when you arrive at a web page that automatically takes you to full screen with no navigator in sight. I know it is like apples and oranges, but the feeling of discomfort at looking or using something you are not used to on a vernacular level is the same.
Another example is the steering concept Mercedes developed a number of years ago which used two joysticks to control direction, speed and braking. Now in a spaceship, you wouldn't want anything but, as Will Smith showed us in Independance Day, but in a car, although it provided the same control, the comfort level of the driver was its downfall.
Now on another level, the technology has not been proven, well it has but on a very limited scale. How many people do you know personally have used one even once for more than 5 min? Have you used one for more than 5 min?
On the last level, perhaps people have a subconscious adversion to trusting a gyroscope to keep them upright. Intelectually they may trust the science behind it but still feel like they are going to hit a stone and end up looking like one of those liquid filled glass birds drinking out of a glass, or flying off the thing like when they were kids flying down the hill on a skateboard.
flinging poop since 1969
Okay.. I know the segway is pretty useless for day to day life, but I was fortunate enough to actually use one in a few situations during my vacation in december...
Seadream Yacht Club (a cruise line), has 4 segways per ship for passenger use (the ships are very small, so that's actually an okay number).
We went on our cruise the week after they got them, so they were still experimenting with their itinerary. We learned how to use them in nassau, on the pier right off of the ship.
They work exactly as every test driver has stated.. Once you get comfortable on them, you just think about moving forward and you go forward. It's all based off of the weight distribution on your feet. There's a tendency to lean forward to try and make it go faster, but this goes away eventually.
Turning is a little weirder as it's geared off of your hand motion (sort of like a motorcycle throttle). If you are going full speed forward (depending on the key your using to control the max speed), and turn, you're going to fall off. That was something we had to learn to deal with..
Anyhow.. after we learned how to drive them, we got to use them in a heavy pedestrian traffic area.. Key West. We used them for a quick tour of the island, driving on the streets and sidewalks, weaving into and out of traffic, bicyclists and pedestrians flawlessly. They stop on a dime, turn on a dime, and will throw you to the ground on a dime if you're not careful.
For day to day use (for most people), they're completely useless. For people who need to interact with pedestrian traffic, they're great.
The place i'd like to see them used more is in the vacation industry. Seadream is planning on using them for tours of portofino, and other places in europe. This is where it would truly shine.
The last thing that I find a little weird is that Seadream had a decent amount of trouble actually getting segway to talk to them and sell them units. For a company thats having problems moving product, they should probably change their policy in dealin with outside vendors.
Sure they only wanted 8 or 10 of them, but given the clientele and quantity of people who will get to use/see them, it's free advertising.
If they could get them to be a little lighter (under the 86 pounds they're at now), and a little more collapsible (so you could carry it with you on vacation), and made them a little cheaper (1500 bux or so)..
I think they've got a chance.. Otherwise it's just a novelty
Guess the swollowed the hype hard. What ever happened to market research. Dreams are fine but we Americans can crush dreams like this in heart beat. Then buy it cheaper in five years at liquidation values.
I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it.
...this is the best story Slashdot has posted in a long time. You don't know how happy it makes me to hear that this company is in financial trouble. This was a moronic idea from the start. A friggin $4k+ SCOOTER?
This scooter (and I love calling it that since Dean thinks it shouldn't be called such a demoralizing name) had several problems from the start.
1. Can it keep you warm in the winter? NO
2. Can it keep you cool in the summer? NO
3. Will you be able to take girls out on a date on such a thing? Possibly but no girl will agree to such an arraingement so effectively the answer is NO
4. Will you look cool on such a contraption? Yes for 5 minutes. For the rest of all eternity, NO (and yes this one matters you anti-conformist geeks. Normal people care if they look like geeks and try to avoid doing so.)
5. Is it as cheap as most other scooters? NO
6. Will it get stolen as soon as you park it next to your local trendy cafe? YES
7. Is it awkward? YES.
8. Was it overhyped? YES.
9. Will it in the words of Steven Peter Jobs, CEO and Founder of Apple and CEO of Pixar "change the way cities are built?" NO. Don't listen to Jobs. He knows Macs. He knows animation. He knows nothing else.
10. And top ten on the NDP's list of why the Segway sucks, "FAT MAN ON A LITLE SCOOTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Mac OS X and Windows XP working side by side to fight back the night.
South park. Episode 511 "The Entity". Nuff said.
I saw it yesterday and nearly choked I was laughing so hard! Look here for a still from the episode.
Summed up popular opinion at the time quite well...
Be nice to people on the way up. You will meet them again on your way down!
I think the SegWay suffers from extreme overbuild. They really should have initially targeted the $2000 market then offered an upscale/ more durable model to industrial buyers. They also should have been prepared to handle 3-5 years of losses during product introduction.
Take a look at newcomers to the US auto market like KIA and DaeWoo as a model. For $1,000 I can buy a really nice Mountainbike-road hybrid and mount a small 2hp motor on it that has most of the advantages of the Segway.
"God fights on the side with the best artillery." - Napoleon, Marshal of France - speaking truth to power
and overpriced, but you can't find them anywhere. if you want to revolutionize the world with your product, you don't make it only available from amazon and a few other random places online- you sell it at wal-mart. if the segway were significantly cheaper and could be found in the bike section of wal-mart or target, people would probably be buying them...
:)
...but they're not.
You just can't demand what they're asking, period.
Perhaps it's just the suck factor.
They were of limited use in a world populated by pedestrians and horse-drawn carriages, and there weren't very many good roads for them in the early years. Many people argued they'd be of use to any one and that horses were better. (They didn't break down as much!). But after a couple decades, car builders managed to make them more reliable, and roads were built, and now many people can't imagine living without one.
Kamen has a history of being brilliant. Sometimes that translates to reality, like some of his medical devices. Other times, he misses the mark. Look at the iBot: bloody genius piece of hardware that could help people with disabilities lead better lives. But the thing is horrendously expensive, and the vast majority of the people who could use it can't come close to affording it. My wife happens to use a conventional electric wheelchair... and even that costs US$8,000. Insurance companies won't touch something like the iBot.
The Segway isn't so expensive, but it has simple social stigmas attached to it: it looks utterly ridiculous, and does present a hazard to pedestrians, regardless of what the company might say to the contrary.
Sure Jobs got excited about it... he's another guy who thinks outside the box. Most people prefer the comfort of their boxes, however. God bless 'em both for having the courage to be original in a world that rewards conformity, and languishes in complacency.
Hahahahahahah ABCNews story
Um i can buy a razor scooter that moves faster for $50 and attach a gas powered engine to it and it'll last 10X as long. 1. Create product. 2. ??????? 3. PROFIT! ahh the old dot com thought proccesses are alive and kicking.
Wheel of Time: Book by Book and Sumview (summary review) Bigdady92 style: http://bigdady92.blogspot.com/
Ginger: $5000
Marianne: free! winner! winner!
- For the complete works of Shakespeare: cat
From a bumper sticker seen around Edmonton years ago:
"Jesus saves. Gretzky gets the rebound. He shoots. He scores!"
Really, the parallels are striking. Secrecy leading up to release that caused rampant speculation. Overhyped to the point that the public really thought that something revolutionary was in the offing. Released at the beginning of an economic downturn.
And then the let-down. "Oh, it's just a car/scooter." Then people stay away in droves.
There are many overviews of the history of Edsel. Read this one or dig up another and see if you agree.
the no
The Segway is the 2000's equivalent of the Sinclair C5 (a 1980's electic personal transport vehicle). No doubt a good technical achievement it can't compete with the tried and tested designs of bicycles, motorcycles and cars. The road systems are designed for particular modes of transport unless you have something that can move through a different medium, floating the air perhaps, failure is assured.
You may think me a tired, old, cynic. I'd have to disagree about the tired bit.
and his downfall, the c5
it's known as history people...
Sinclair- noted inventor, compared to edison
Sinclair- invented novel weather exposed,
and not very compatible with existing traffic
vehicle, that a few die-hards bought, and killed his rep & company
http://www.sinclairc5.com/sinclairstory/c5built.ht m
every day http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
"Tis a shame"
Yes, indeed, Mary Poppins.
You tis a fucking idiot.
Stupidest invention ever. I own a 2002 Honda Civic, let's compare it to the Segway.
Segway:
Top Speed: 12MPH
Range : 10 Miles
Max Occupants: 1
Honda Civic:
Top Speed: 110MPH
Max Occupants: 5 (Plus a huge trunk for storage)
Range : Unlimited (or until I run out of gas money)
Considering my Honda Civic cost only 3 times as much as a segway, and I get much more utility from it. I live in Florida, so an A/C is required (or it is no better than my bike).
I want my rights back. I was actually using them when our government stole them after 9/11.
From a bumper sticker seen in the Edmonton area years ago:
"Jesus saves. Gretzky gets the rebound. He shoots. He scores!"
Ask Ninnle into your system today!
The ONLY Way, Truth and OS!
It's not surprising they're not selling seeing as you can't even buy them yet. Sure, you can pre-order them from Amazon, but there's no indication of how long you'd have to wait to get them - they say they'll start shipping them on the 1st of March, but who knows how fast they can make them, and how many other people are in the queue first? I'm sure some people who are considering getting one are going to wait a little while.
Also, I think they're probably one of those things that perhaps one person in a community will get, a bunch of people will have a go and love 'em, and you'll start getting a lot more purchases.
'Course, lowering the price wouldn't hurt, either...
The damn things look like something Dr. Seuss might have invented for geting around Whoville.
I for one am very interested in the Segway. I might even buy one. But I've never, ever, seen one 'in the flesh'. I can't go into a store to buy one. I don't know anybody who has one.
It's such a new product and so unusual that for people to buy one sight-unseen at this high a price requires a leap of faith that is uncommon amongst consumers.
This guy needs to put them in stores. Lots of stores. The stores need to let people test ride them. They need to do demonstrations in the streets at lunch time so people can see how cool they are.
I wouldn't be surprised to see them be a big hit, but the average guy will want to try one first.
It's hardly surpising that the laws are for sale. Now that the money machine has sputtered and died, they'll change back quickly enough as soon as the first pedestrian with any pull gets clobbered (they don't all have indoor parking).
/. If the government wants us to respect the law, it should set a better example.
Ok you win the top secret prize. I made a bet with Steve Jobs that I could sell shit to the whole world. It's not working as well as I planned. Wobblie if you contact me at our toll free number 1-866-4SEGWAY I will gladly redeem your prize of 1 fresh off the assembly line SHT.
Dean Kamen
I live in New England. We got 27" of snow here this week. And, when it isn't snowing -- it's either cold, raining, or miserable out. Out of 365 days it is probably nice, warm and sunny about 85 of them. So if you want to talk about impractical -- the Segway is it. If you live in Arizona where it is warm and sunny 91% of the time.... sure. But, in this climate a Segway is nothing but an expensive toy that you can putz around on. It's not going to replace the automobile anytime soon!
Let's see, one person transport, two wheels?
Tried and true technology, been around since the 19th century, with plenty of refinements that have made it better over the years...
Oh, and no %$#@$#% batteries to charge...EVER!
It's called a bicycle!
I always thought is was a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.
Look - the Segway is an attempt to alleviate the total unmitigated disaster that is modern automotive traffic.
If you could all be so kind as to take a step back.. waaayyy back. Think of cars, particularly in cities. The fatalities. The noise. The pollution. The cost. The traffic. The space they take up. Were a self-respecting geek to examine this system from above, encountering it for the first time, I imagine they would recoil in horror. I can't see it as anything but a giant cluster-fuck.
Look at New York, downtown. Practically everyone living there would tell you that traffic is nigh-on impossible. But still, we tolerate it. We love our cars. We cannot give them up, not now, not ever... in fact, we want bigger ones!
People will not come to terms with the fact that the responsible thing to do is to explore these options. We simply must.
Now, I am fully aware of the Segway's limitations. Obviously it has problems with inclement weather, battery life, etc. Again, I must remind the reader that this is the first of it's kind. The arguments presented against the Segway are often ludicrous:
- "i can't use my hands".. you can't when you drive either
- "i've gotta stand up".. that's part of the point, they take up less room
- "they'll kill people on sidewalks".. amazing, this argument. It's a total non-starter. Anyone on rollerblades or a bike is much more of a danger.
Come on! We are the ones who should be embracing this! Who's gonna convince Kamen to invent the Segway you really want? You know, the chariot version, that gets 5x the distance, and is 1/5 the price? It cannot get here by itself.
I'm sorry for the rant, but frankly the blank-faced pessimism disgusts me. Where is your sense of wonder, Slashdot? Don't be like those fucking lemmings who close the case on new technology before it's even been tried.
If Jesus wants me it knows where to find me.
I've stated it before and I will again - it is boring! I got to use one on my Disney cruise. I would rather walk or ride a bike. They are dangerous as well. If I wanted to stand all day I'd work a counter job. The segway takes away ANY activity that a person might get on thier job. I would rather pay $500 for a gas powered scooter than $5k for a moving floor.
"If you are on fire you can just stop, drop, and roll. If you fall into Lava you are just dead." - my 5yr old daughter
"If they don't come up with a Stirling engine or a killer fuel cell, this thing will go the way of the 128K Mac," says Saffo
Kamen could only dream that the current Segway would be like the Mac 128. After all, it's the machine that has now led to a multi billion dollar company on machines that are descended from it. If 12 years from now 7% of his market were riding iSegways and he had billions of cash in the bank, he'd be a happy man.
Perhaps a better comparison is in order, say something like "Betamax".
See, the Hummer H2 gets 10/12 mpg. That's not a lot. That's shitty mileage. 22 mpg is not shitty, it's rather middlin'.
I drive a Ford Escort wagon; I get about 27 mpg. It's not a Honda Civic---I'm a very tall and lanky fellow---but it's a responsible kind of car to drive; I can haul a lot of stuff in it too. Everyone remember when families could get away with station wagons? Then they needed minivans and now SUVs. What's changed? Did everyone adopt sixteen new kids?
(Well, there's also (a) the fact that I couldn't afford a Hummer H2, and (b) I couldn't afford to put gas in one if I had it.)
--grendel drago
Laws do not persuade just because they threaten. --Seneca
At 80 pounds how do you get it out of your car's trunk? "It's easy," Smith chirps. "I grab one side and get a friend to lift the other."
Tell those engineers to put away the happy pills.
I remember when word first started out about "it", and "it" was it's name.
Anything that was so revolutionary, would need to be hype and clouded in so much mystry.
I knew from the start, all the hype was to try and get people interested as to want to buy it.
Anything that has to be first over hyped to sell is doomed.
Wise men speak because they have something to say, Fools because they have to say something!!!!
http://www.stirlingenergy.com/
Stirling engines aren't used for automotive purposes, not because they are slow or can't generate power. If they are designed right, they can throw out high revs and plenty of power.
The problem is they are not very good where the load on the engine will be rapidly varying. They don't accelerate quickly. Like severe turbo lag.
Government of the people, by corporate executives, for corporate profits.
If they really thought this to be the bike of the future, the should have priced it in this class. For the price of a Segway I can buy a decent motorbike or used car!
Kosi
Ruggedise them add a tow-bar, optional trailer and market them to airports, train stations and the like for commuters to haul their bags around.
Government of the people, by corporate executives, for corporate profits.
From the howstuffworks thingy...
Invented by Robert Stirling in 1816...
--grendel drago
Laws do not persuade just because they threaten. --Seneca
Enough with these "silly" inventions. Why would anyone ever want a television? Radio is good enough. Moving pictures will NEVER catch on.
And while we're at it, let's mock those idiots up on the hill trying to make that flying machine. Why would man want to fly, anyway? What a stupid idea. They should just stick to their bike shop since a bike can travel further anyways.
Segway actually has a great business plan:
He hired scores of lobbyists, who spent much of last year trying to persuade state legislatures to rewrite their laws to permit his scooter to operate on city sidewalks.
His lobbying created a barrier to entry, meaning that anyone who wants to copy his idea will have to go through the same procedure, which will take about a year. Timing is everything. Even if the current version of the Segway flops, they have first dibs on the next model.
All they need is to change their way of doing business. By adopting the microsoft business model, they'll conquer the market! 1) Buy all competing solutions. 2) Now you have a helluva loan to pay back, time to get some customers: "Fund" certain politicians' campains, and in return have them pass a law making it legal for hospitals to force people giving birth in the hospital to buy a Segway in order to take their baby home. 3) Time to expand into the market where they don't belong. Convince everybody that a Segway really is a lot easier to use than a car, and therefore much better. 4) Say that air travel is ruining the economy, and that Segway is the answer. 5) All who travel by train are criminals. 6) Market domination is just about achieved... time to raise the price.
A guy who works in my building has one that he rides around occasionally (his wife works for Segway), and he let me try it out.
It's pretty fun to ride around, actually, very simple to use. I got the hang of it in about 5 minutes with coaching, and was doing loops around the third floor atrium of the building (Morse Hall at the University of New Hampshire) shortly thereafter.
If I had $5,000 to spend on a toy, I'd do it in a second.
That being said, I'd like to repeat the sentiments of previous posters: In the final equation, it has few advantages over a bike, and several disadvantages, and If I needed a way to get around without a car, I'd buy a bike first. Bikes go faster, even a mild lardass like myself can outride the segway's ~15 mile charge, and you can attach all kinds of trailers and racks to a bike if you want to haul stuff. Plus, there's the health benefits to providing the motive energy to moving your butt around.
Bikes are much larger, but much lighter. It's a bit easier to keep your clothes clean & pressed while riding a segway, so it could be a bicycle substitute for the suit type- as long as they don't mind looking like dorks.
This thing could be fairly useful for door to door postal service and similar applications.
Most people here probably know that the Segway is based on the technology developed for the Ibot 3000 , a balancing, standing wheelchair- truly an innovation for the disabled, and I'm sure it will sell very well.
The Segway, then, might be a good thing for the elderly, those still healthy enough to stand at any rate, to help them get around. But if they're fit enough to ride on this, maybe they should be riding a bike too...
Anyway, my conclusion: Fun, but a waste of money for anything outside of a few specific demographics and jobs.
Get a bike. You'll live longer.
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms should be the name of a store, not a government agency.
You mean someone came up with a way for the American population to get even fatter and it isn't selling?
You will not drink with us, but you would taste our steel? - Walter Matthau, The Pirates
While the Segaway is an interesting use of technology, I had to laugh at the hype once we saw "it".
Revolutionary? Hardly. In fact, the majority of the U.S. has no use for it. Think about it - the typical usage profile is short distance with no storage. Doesn't sound like I want to head to the grocery store 5 miles away to carry a week's worth of bacon.
Campus use? Break out all the old "fat chicks on mopeds" for an update.
Corporate use? Talk about the exec perk. I'm sure the minions will love having a boss that can't even walk between meetings.
Police use? Not likely. In fact, isn't San Fran banning these things for use by anyone?
I'll wait a couple of years before I buy my Segway collectible on eBay.....
10 MD
Dean Kamen designed some incredibly sophisticated electronics and computer controls that do the job of a third wheel.
If your bitterest enemies are people who hack the heads off civilians, then I would say you're doing something right.
Segway = $3000
Skateboard - $40-$60
Solution - sue the skateboard companies!
They mention in the article that they don't want to be associated with the mayhem of "razor" scooters. They should embrace the mayhem, create a Segway based event in the friggin' X-Games. Get some Sk8ter Boi to fly around in one with more powerful motors and baggy pants.
C8H10N4O2 | Developer > Code
Perhaps they realized that all the goo-goo gaa-gaa that they generated at launch still doesn't overcome the dork factor; that people riding these look like dorks who are trying to hold in a massive bowel movement, while at the same time, thinking "Look at me! Look at me!"
"Would it kill you to put down the toilet seat?" -- Maya Angelou
An object sold that makes it easy to get around but makes americans stand is a bad Idea, the whole reason the car sell so well. I think the biggest turn off for these is that you need training to use higher speeds with the segway and most people spent enough on the machine itself. ok now I saw the end of segway when they came on screensavers with it almost a year ago http://www.techtv.com/screensavers/opinion/story/0 ,24330,3396726,00.html
now if screensavers leo thinks it is lame then well by god it went out a while ago.
I think that the 'angry' responses are from people who would buy one if they could easily afford one - much like linux users who put down macs, while secretly drooling over one.
Did it deserve the huge media hype? Does American Idol? Probably not. Will it make you fat? No. Will cities tear out roads to accomadate it? No. Was it overhyped? Yes. Is there any reason to kick it when its down? No.
The Segway seems to be a good product that is trying to fill a niche. Since it *is* overpriced, and fighting a cultural battle (SUVs driven to get the mail at the end of the driveway), it won't do well. I think the idea is ahead of its time. Change the way cities are built? Maybe. But not now.
Just remember, the Segway didn't have sex with your mom. I did.
My nan actually has one Sir Clives wheel chair assist motors, very good too, just bolted onto her existing wheel chair and zoom of she goes :-)
All we've got to do now is instill in her the need to recharge it.
Mark
Not for personal travel but for internal movement of heavier products. Loading/unloading large loads etc...
Imagine a walmart with 3 people running the whole show. An online ordering system and a delivery service. If you want to make it fun, use capacitors, a small battery and a mircowave charging system--theft prevention, can also include a charging system dependency. Automates the entire warehouse at low cost and minimal floorspace.
A boon and/or replaceable (robotic/tools) arms. More versatile factories, makes cars on day, vcr's the next.
Wheelchairs that climb stairs without endangering the occupant or bystanders. Soft tires that can run over a childs foot without harm, and collision inhibit system (short range motion detectors and or thermal for safety).
Can it run linux yet? Can I hit a button on my remote, or beer shortcut key and have one in 20 seconds or so. Can it go shopping at the local grocery store for elderly (excluding produce and meats I'm picky).
Who owns the patent to the giro?
I still wonder, what changed? What caused him to suddenly try to take over the world like this? I prefer to think that it was just the pressure of the dotcom boom that got to him. Too many venture capitalists whispering in his ear that he was missing out on the big picture. It's a shame, really. If this thing came out with about a hundredth of the fan fare, then he'd probably be doing fine, and none of us would be looking at him like a crackpot -- and a few years from now we'd all have one. But this nonsense about hiring thousands of lobbyists and such was really pretty ridiculous. He knows full well that "good for you" technology cannot be shoved down the public's throats. I just don't understand what he was thinking.
www.HearMySoulSpeak.com
women?
If you want to save money and lose weigth, why not use a bicycle? Not an option in the US? Not that I don't have sympathies for the segway, it sure looks funny.
Here's a guy that made a cool hack. It's something that has never been done before - a unique view at a problem that could a) change the way a great many people move about or b) fall flat on it's face.
Guess which future the people of Slashdot take the most pleasure in. (Hint: {nelson} HA! HA! {/nelson})
"Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus."
The Segway is a standing wheelchair.
Perfect for people who have 'bad knees' - the knees can take a load, but don't fair well with the bending.
If you say 'this is a medical device' you enter a strange, parallel world where every move you make requires paperwork. But without the medical tag, its hard to get insurance to pay.
Thus, the Segway is being sold the way its being sold w/o the company pointing to the medical needs.
The 'novelity' of the Segway is the self-balancing feature, but "The market" does not feel $5000 is worth it. Kamen and Company need to examine what price point makes them money on EACH unit w/o reguard to past expenditures and price them there if they want to stay in business at this time. The sunk costs of R/D are sunk, and the product isn't moving.
If it was said on slashdot, it MUST be true!
Your analogy is utterly flawed. The difference between then and now is that the automobile was MUCH better while the Segway is, at best, a little better, but overall, actually much worse.
Because the automobile offered so many advantages over walking and the horse and buggy, people were willing to pay the price of building and rebuilding roads to suit the new vehicle. But, who is willing to rebuild our cities to use a Segway? Because of weather our cities would have to be domed. Are you willing to pay for that?
If not, are businesses willing to provide showers and changing rooms for employees who drive in on Segways? No way. Currently their employees get to work via cars, busses and trains. Why should businesses be compelled to spend MORE money so employees could get there via Segways?! There is no advantage to change.
Similarly, there is no advantage to change our streets, because we are currently getting where we need to be without changing them.
And right now I can go shopping and actually have room in my car to bring home enough groceries for a family of 4. There is no advantage for me to suddenly change my shopping practices and go every day, getting only a few things at a time. Wasting MORE time at the supermarket is certainly not an advantage in my book!
I could go on and on, but it's a simple fact that the automobile offered huge advantages that the horse and buggy did not. That is why we changed our society to suit the automobile. We will never do that for the Segway because doing so would mostly offer disadvantages, not advantages.
If someone says he and his monkey have nothing to hide, they almost certainly do.
some country's that werent bombed to bits during WW2 and had governmnets who wernt so short sighted in the golden decades after WW2 still have old city centers. with realy tight streets that dont sute car needs.
basicaly tourist atracting mazes.
a lot of them are banning "big" motorised vehicles
segway could be a solution there.
especialy in the more southern countries that have more or less good weather...
i mentioned them before tourists, isnt there a tour operator that is intrested in those things.
imagine raceing after your guide on your segway
[remeber your a tourist, you look silly no matter what you do!]
a bicyckle doesnt lend it self to that task if your a middel aged overweight desk worker...
i'm sure there is a market for the segway they simply havent looked in the right place
There is no way I would prefer to use a Segway over my bike!!!
Compare the price, the weight or health benefit of a Segway over a bike...
Why would people spend so much money on something as useless as a Segway.
Well apparently people seem to think Segway is pointless too so I am starting to think that there is still some future for the human race.
Black holes occur when God divides by zero.
At 5grand you could almost afford to get what Lance rides at the TdF. It has no need for fuel cells, helps to improve congestion as well as personal health, and given the right person and terrain can outrun the Segway. Or you go the MTb route can cover stuff Segway can only dream of; not to mention that Segways don't jump. ;-)
But mostly importantly, you already know how to use it.
Fatalities suck, but death is something we'll never eliminate. We'll put up with a certain amount to have our precious cars.
Pollution is being handled with hybrids and fuel-cell developments. The cars 50 years from now won't be polluters at all.
Noise? You get used to it. Deal.
Cost? Cost of what? Bottled water costs more than gas and you can get cheap ass used cars off of ebay. What cost?
Traffic? Yeah it sucks. It can be managed though. Besides that gives you more time to sit in your wonderful car and read, listen to the radio, surf the web...etc (I'm talking during gridlock conditions here not just when your waiting for a neighborhood streetlight to turn green). Besides, take a look at my hometown's Big Dig project in Boston. We put our entire central artery undergrown. Despite the MASSIVE and OBSCENE budget and time overruns, hundreds of cities around the country are interested in doing the same thing.
The space they take up? Do you know how large the US is in terms of space? We're the 4th largest country on the planet. We're not running out of room anytime soon. That being said, if cities are to be redesigned for any reason it surely won't be to accomdate Segways but to accomdate Hummers instead.
Despite the hate, SUV sales contine to grow, grow grow, grow!
So in conclusion, the Great American Love Affair with the Car is one of those very few immortal relationships. It would be best to try to make our most beloved form of travel better than to resort to undignifying and demeaning forms of travel such as tiny useless ultra-expensive scooters.
Mac OS X and Windows XP working side by side to fight back the night.
1) Invent cool new device.
2) Charge more money than people will pay, so noone buys one.
3) Profit!
i use a segway human transporter (ht) to go over 7+ miles per day, i have given up a car, we're saving over $600 per month (payment, insurance, gas, parking) and i've even lost 10lbs with my extra time that i have each day to do more things like (exercise) as opposed to sitting in traffic. in washington state, cars are the largest source of air pollution.
you can read about it here on my personal journal of owning a segway ht:
http://www.bookofseg.com
recently, i hit 100 miles logged on my gps unit, it took about 14 days of commuting to hit that, i didn't count other trips or previous commute trips so i could keep careful logs. for the first 100 miles or so, i personally saved about $582.00+ by using a segway ht. some things weren't quantifiable, results may vary for others.
more info can be found here:
http://www.bookofseg.com/100miles
pictures from my daily commute:
http://www.bookofseg.com/commute
with the first month's saving from using the segway ht we gave it to charity, local groups.
feel free to email me any time.
cheers,
pt
Then again, I'm just a technician. "What do I know about diamonds?"
then they'll be come a novelty. Competing products will enter the market and the price will come down.
I don't like at it as Segway vs. Car, I look at it as Segway vs. Walking. There is a LOT of waste in people taking a car (with just themselves) on a trip to a store less than a mile away to pick up a couple items. Walking does away with much of that waste, but cots in time. Segway is a balance between the two, making it faster/easier than walking, but more environmentally efficient than driving.
Does it mention that it was just a stupid idea?
SEGWAY...when you need a solution but you're not quite sure what the problem is!
(Sorry, Dean)
--K.
Sig: Bad people happen. Try to avoid being one of them.
You can purchase it right from MediaGab/Amazon
Shamless Plug!
What about those of us who want to look like dorks but have a budget?
See this person's Segway journal. I'd buy one in a minute if the price was reasonable (at least under $1000).
A Segway would save on my commute time, save on insurance and maintenance costs, not pollute the air, and possibly help me lose weight.
My friends and I were walking around last week and I had a great idea. Wouldn't it be fun to strap one of your passed-out drunkard friends to a Segway and just let it drive them around? It doesnt fall over- they could wake up somewhere really cool!!!
slashdot: where everyone yells sarcastic metaphors to themselves to understand the issue
NOT a replacement for bicycles
--I agree because its an over priced, slow hard to steer (4 hours of training needed), with basic maintenance well beyond the avg person "toy".
Its a whole new class of transport object.
--One that does not allow for much storage and much personal safety. If the user ever hit something and did an endo, at the speed it supposedly goes, the lawsuits would fly. Especially if it took someone out.
The only thing it has in common with a bicycle is the handlebars and the fact that the wheels are round as well! Apart from those 2 physically similar components everything else is different.
--I agree, bicycles are not allowed on the sidewalk and this thing will be. Which increases the danger 10fold. Add some alcohol and now you have a real weapon. On a bike, since it requires balance, this would not be a problem.
You wouldn't say that the razor scooter was a replacement for bicycles. Or those sneakers with hidden roller skate wheels.
--Totally incorrect analogy. A razor is a form of skateboard. i.e. 4 wheels. The comparison would be between skateboards and Razors, OR between roller blades and Sneaker skates. Given that the Segway has 2 wheels the typical analogy would be with the bike. Which if you think about it has already been beefed up, a la Motorcycle.
I am shocked by the closed minded attitude of slashdotters over the segway.
--I'm shocked that you don't truly understand how this "device" will interact with its surroundings and how many "inventions" have come before it that serve a much better purpose.
--But that's what's nice about this forum, you are encouraged to put forth your opinion. BTW, God's last name is not dammit.
and can really be thought of as a sort of "pre" wheelchair thingy.
I don't think that's what the investors ready to change the way cities are built had in mind.
Is there a market for Segways? Sure, but it's a marginal one, just like wheelchairs, and it's going to stay that way, so he just better face that fact that he went into the wheelchair business, and ended up in the wheelchair business, even if he didn't intend it that way.
KFG
...I want my flying car!
Why do US mail carriers run around with the pouch over their shoulder? Back-relaxing solutions for varying distances I have seen include a trolley, a ruggedized bicycle and a scooter (as in Vespa).
is having to believe that Kamen would burn the
VC's that he relies on so badly, just to put
up a smokescreen.
When I first saw them I thought: "Why didn't they make those when I was a *kid*?!"
...how is it the general public's problem that when they developed the Segway, they didn't factor in all sorts of realities such as infrastructure to support its use and manufacturing costs?
I'm actually sort of irked that they got all this free press for a product that has virtually no practical use. A skateboard is more practical for most people.
They have gotten enough support...time for them to work a few things out on their own without being propped up by the fan base.
If I could afford a Segway it would replace my car. If my wife had a Segway it would replace public transportation. We own two cars. I commute 5 miles, my wife commutes 2 miles. We only commute with one car because of the associated costs and hassle, but need two cars for evening and weekend situations. A Segway would be a godsend for us. Make the Segway affordable and we could eliminate one of our cars. Oh, and guarantee that our city government won't run off in a spat of fear and illegalize the thing. The fear and skepticism the Segway has received has been downright ridiculous. See and use a Segway before demonizing it.
A real war will provide an increased demand for things like wheelchairs, artificial limbs, etc.
-fb Everything not expressly forbidden is now mandatory.
Perhaps Segway should ask....A NINJA.
Seriously, I doubt Segway's financial problems have anything to do with "decreased corporate spending".. The damn thing just looks gay. I', sorry, but, it's as simple as that. The thing looks gay, and no one wants to ride it. I think i'm like most people --- i'd have more fun laughing at someone _going by_ on one, than actually _being_ on one.
If Segway wants to survive, the best thing they could do is fire Dean Kamen, get rid of the lil' sissymobile they're trying to sell, and work on something the public won't feel fucking ridiculous using. For example, give the world a motorcycle that doesn't look like you're trying to compensate for something. Many of us have no desire whatsoever to look like a knuckledragging chimp, or look like we sort of enjoy something big and vibrating between our legs. Give the world a contained, safe, silent, fast, and fuel-efficient single-person vehicle. Weld two Segway frames together and build a Kevlar body around it. I think the public would respond well to that sort of thing.
If they do nothing, then the situation wont change -- you'll still look like youre standing on a runaway 1930's lawnmower, hurrying to catch up to the Gayhound bus to Manfrancisco.
Bowie J. Poag
Forgot to say... we seriously considered buying electric scooters to commute, but found them too difficult to control, especially negotiating curves. I doubt the same is true for the Segway because, if anything, it's hailed as being exceptionally easy to maneuver.
Personally, I think it's the company's pompousness and intensive lobbying that backfired on them--not the mertis of the device itself.
Best Buy can have you arrested
you know, if i did have five grand to spare, i think i'd opt for a vacation, or a new car, or something else moderately important - not a scooter.
and i think that perhaps the heart of the sales problem they're having is that plenty of people would agree with me.
The wise follow a damned path, for to know is to be forsaken.
the P.T. Barnum of the venture world.
Unfortunately with all they hype, the statements that Ginger aka IT would "change the way future cities are designed," good ideas like the wheelchair were lost
Get up and pick something you believe in, work your ass off, face all the naysayers and give it your best shot. You must be enthusiastic about what you are trying do. Try to get other people excited about it. If you fail, people will call this excitement "hype" and say they always knew it would fail. If you succeed (the same) people will call you a visionary and say they always believed in you.
It ain't over 'til its over. In 15 years the streets of some cities may be full of Segways or one of its descendents or clones. City planners may yet have to design them to accomodate it.
Stop worrying about the risks of nuclear power and start worrying about the risks of not using nuclear power.
Our OS who art in CPU, UNIX be thy name,
Thy programs run, thy syscalls done,
In kernel as in user!
I'd be interested in learning how the Segway has achieved the ENORMOUS amount of hype that it has. It's crazy I tell you. I've talked to people who think it uses some new alternate energy source that will revolutionalize the world. I mean, they have acted like this thing is going to bring us world peace or something. The wierd thing is, I have NEVER seen any journalist say, "Segway... so what?" All you ever hear is them drooling over the thing and begging the company to let them try one. I've never heard ANYTHING negative from the media. I don't ever remember seeing this level of hype, and lack of criticism, about any product before. Anyone have any clues as to how they achieved it?
Wow.
I've heard rumors someone is building a device that will allow you to transmit power directly from the muscles of your legs into a drive shaft..The idea being, that you could concievably have a 100% *human powered* vehicle. Scary.
Like the Segway, it uses only two w heels. Everything on it is rumored to be mechanical....Everything from the gears to the brakes, all mechanical, all human powered. Unlike most hybrid vehicles, it doesn't require any charging, or any external power source. It cant be used unless theres a person on it...The engine is literally the passenger. I've even heard rumors of two-seater versions floating around. Awesome.
ITS A FUCKING BICYCLE, ASS-HAMMER.
Bowie J. Poag
One of the engineers from Segway HT was giving a talk at Boston University this afternoon, which I missed because usually they are later in the day. I caught him leaving the building, gliding along on the Segway out onto the slush and snow. I have to just say that I am impressed with its handling given the weather. At least I was surprised, I expected it to fumble around and be difficult to maneuver.
Or riding a Segway is learned skill and you need some experience to handle it in the snow, which I would assume a Segway HT engineer would have.
This from a Forbes article - Dec 2001 article here
I think that they are marketing the segway all wrong. Instead of it being all nice and about being a good citizen, they need to market it like SUV: Intimidation, bullying, bigness.
Think about it, The seg makes you physically,taller, bigger,and heavier. When I was watching a commercial about the segway, I saw that people on foot would automatically get out of the way of the segway person, and the segway person never even appeared to think about making room for others.
This marketing if done right would apply to the same instincts that SUV owners tend have, *and* they have money to buy one too.
thanks for reading.
appreciate replies
Sigs are dangerous coy things
> (4 hours of training needed)
It took me the better part of a summer to really
get the hang of riding a bike, and I already had experience with trikes.
>A razor is a form of skateboard. i.e. 4 wheels.
Razors only have 2 wheels. Skateboards have 4 wheels, but on two trucks, not independent suspension.
I'd market these things as an alternative to GOLF CARTS. There are entire towns that have golf carts as the primary transport (Peachtree City, GA). Factory floors, college campuses, resorts... A version with a place to put your golf bag might even be a contender for an actual golf cart...
-fb Everything not expressly forbidden is now mandatory.
The modern automobile is an unmitigated disaster, one that has buried the earth in asphalt and caused more wars and strife than assassinations ever did. However, corporate America's expectations are also an unmitigated disaster. We have become subjected to a daily hypemachine stuck on some sort of feedback loop that drowns out real conversation. Kamen contributed to that hype immensely with the Segway, which when viewed by a real human is just a scooter. It's a scooter with a few neat tricks, but it's a scooter. "IT" flooded the news when it was leaked, "IT" flooded the news when it was released, and now "IT" is in the news because of the failure of "IT". The extensive newscoverage of the Segway is even reported as news.
Compared to other alternative forms of transportation, the Segway ranks pretty low. It involves no real user-power, so it isn't particularly healthy. It weighs 80 pounds, so it isn't particularly portable. It involves pretty extensive electronics, so it is impossible to work on. It requires user intervention, so you can't read a book. Compare that to Electric bikes, which have longer ranges, lower weight, can utilize user power, cost nearly one-tenth as much money, and can carry a sizable number of groceries. Or to the subway, which requires a high initial investment and understandable traffic loads, but which can carry hundreds of thousands of people to their destinations faster than automobiles, and free the user to do with their time what they wish. Or motorized scooters, which can travel faster than the segway for much longer distances at about the same cost. Really, the only thing the Segway has over current alternative transportation options is the ability to go backwards. The balancing mechanism at the core keeps the price too high to be a real alternative to anything, but remove that and the entire design is gone.
The Segway's obvious limitations as transportation are not why people are venomous about it, but people are venomous about hype that doesn't pan out. Look at the backlash against the commercial that hyped the second-to-last Joe Millionaire as if it were the last. Many people spent the last 5 years being taken in by hucksters who believed their own exaggerations, then exaggerated thoes until they believed their exaggerations^2, then exaggerated those... We've had people claim that a way to complain publically about websites would revolutionize human communication, a way of selling dogfood online would make all public shopping spaces obsolete, a system of releasing odors into the air on cue would necessitate the re-purchasing of all human interface displays, and a way of trading low-quality recordings online would revolutionize world law. Dean Kamen's IT falls squarely with the former three examples, as a hype machine that grew monstrously out of control. A market valuation of 650 million dollars? Two-hundred sixty times gross revenue? The yearly salry of 16,320 people? For an expensive electric bike company?
I don't think most people here are closing the case on this new technology. I think most people here are closing the case on another company that grossly overpromised, tremendously underdelivered, and stood there blankly wondering where their fortune was. If they can redesign the entire internal mechanism to run on inexpensive mechanical principles and low-cost electronics, can get the range AND SPEED up to 30 miles at roadway speeds, and can sell the thing at real stores rather than online, they still would need to readjust their expectations from inherited world domination to working eagerly to satisfy the customer's needs.
Kamen us all to flock to his new invention like so many lemmings just makes us feel cheap. He should be working his tail off if he wants our money. He contributed greatly to the health of many Americans, but if he wants to break into this new market he needs to drop the entitlement.
The ______ Agenda
It's a stupid status symbol. So many americans are so fucking obsessed with their image it's not even funny.
They could have put a more efficient engine in the H2 without a major drop in performance (if any at all), but no... People want to show off they can afford the extra fuel. Of course, having people buy these increases the demand for fuel and drives the price up (it's already high enough IMHO.) This makes a few rich white fellows rich and happy, but also helps make heating oil too expensive for the poor.
If you must know I drive an '89 Volvo 240 that gets about 20 mpg in the city. I spend $20 a week on gas, so about $1,040 per year (and that's if the price doesn't go up as it already has.) I'm by no means a rich fella (just out of college and paying back loans.) so I can't afford a new car for a while (I want to pay off my student loans before commiting to any new loans)
If I could, I would buy a civic hybrid (about 40 mpg) I'd pay half of that $1,400... $520 a year... plus a one time $2,000 tax deduction. If the civic lasts for 10 years. that means I'd have saved $7,000.
Or, I could buy a Honda Insight. 61 mpg in the city means I'd be paying 1/3rd of that $1,040, or about $650 in savings a year (plus the one tme $2000 tax ditty) 10 years would mean $8,500 in savings.
Now, some freak on CNN is estimating that if America goes to war gas could go up to $5.00 a gallon. I'm guessing that's a bit extreme, so $3.50/gallon is a fair guess. $20 a week at $1.40/gallon means I'm buying 14 gallons o' gas. 14 * 3.50 = 49, so, 49 * 52 weeks in a year = $2,548 a year on gas with my Volvo. or $849 a year with the insight. $1,698 of savings isn't bad at all. Over a 10 year period I'd save $16,980 on gas plus the $2,000. nearly the price of the car ($20,000 with manual trans, AC and stereo.) That'd be like buying the car for $1,020. damn... my Volvo is worth more than that.
Heh... just calculated savings at $5.00/gallon... $26,270 over 10 years.
But keep in mind I'm not much of a super self image kinda guy... I don't have fancy rims on my car, I don't dye my hair or dress in crazy clothes, I don't wear logos (what a great idea! pay some rich asshole extra money so you can be his bitch... I mean billboard.) I don't like being ripped off by rich guys who don't need more of my money. My guess is that it's fashionable to buy fuel inefficient veicles because of the amount of cash oil companies are sending car companies who never seem to make a nice looking car that's fuel efficient. Why not? They could use their more efficient engines in SUVs. People don't need a 340 horse power engine in a 3/4 ton Suburban. My Volvo weighs about 1.5 tons and has a 114 horse power engine. It can tow 3,300 lbs and has a gross vehicle weight of 4800 pounds. Typical suburbanites will never need to tow that much.
-Derick
Segway Human Interactive Transporter
Insert sig here (slashdot) Insert cig here (Lewinsky)
I think it's a wonderful gizmo, and I want one -- but not at that price. Maybe they're trying to get their R&D back too fast, or maybe their manufacturing costs are still too high, but regardless -- they really need to get the price, and availability to the *general public*, down into the fancy bicycle range. People who need local transport already pay a few hundred for a good bike, and as people age out of the desire to do their own pedalling, they'd be the ideal market for the Segway -- IF it were priced in their existing range for transportation devices.
~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
I can buy an excellent used car for less than a segway. What would you rather: a 5 grand glorified pogostick that can go 11 miles an hour or a 94 Ford Mustang that can go 110 miles an hour. Secondly there is the chick factor: you think your going to pick up girls on a Segway? Maybe if they ride piggyback...
There's a growing sense that even if The Future comes,
most of us won't be able to afford it.
-- Lemmy
That's the big problem. Delivery people, who might actually find this thing useful, can't use it all day because the battery life is too short. For casual users, it's too expensive.
The real problem, of course, is excessive hype. This is a minor invention with way too much promotion.
5k for 11 mile range pretty much best case. Probably improove with a fuel cell or stirling if they can make it work. But whatever they do if that price stays at 5k you have somethign that costs as much as a used car that provides little to no storage, no protection from the elements, has no deffined traffic avenues, awkward on a sidewalk, a target on the road, and easy to steal. 80 pounds is annoying to you but provides opportunity for a thief that they don't have with a car. No matter how nimble it is its dangerous for other people on the sidewalk, just imagine walking around a mall where say 20% of the people where scooting around on these, there is a reason most malls don't allow rollerblading and skateboards.
While they could be made usefull enough to buy if you designed a traffic infrastructure around them they would still face a serious limitation in their speed. Cars sit around in congestion for a long time but when the road opens up they can cover alot of ground in a hurry that the Segway can cover only so fast. Even with a congestionless infrastucture for segway you would have a 45 minute one way commute if you lived 7.5 miles away at an average of 10mph. How many buisnesses, especially in metropolitan areas can draw a 15 mile diameter circle around there office and say all of their employees live in it ? And thats if you assume a congestionless climate controled environment independent infrastructure that allows everyone optimum use of a segway. It sucks to sit in a car for 30 miutes to go 2 miles in heavy traffic but when it opens up you can then cover more than 15 miles in the last 15 minutes at the speed limit. Obvious safety concens limits how fast you would want Segways to go and if you don't have a climate controled right of way there are obvious limitations to people spending 45 mintues in the elements on a daily basis. I mean after all which would you preffer, sitting in traffic for an hour and a half in the rain or a 45 minute undisturbed ride home in the rain on one of these gizmos ?
I can see a use in the most dense population centers, NY and LA obviously come to mind but its gonna take some serious work and commitment on the part of city planners and that will only come from significant numbers of people buying into the technology... and as most people have pointed out in bits and pieces it just dosn't seem that Segway by itself can replace a car except in very limited cases.
One wheel would have been way more cool and with all that balancing schtuff in it, it would work better than a two wheeler. It would be less wobbly as it would be able to bank in turns. So, when he gets his act together and makes a one wheeler, I *may* be interested.
Would many companies have some reason to buy Segways? I can't see the senior staff of mine demanding Segways as perks.
One of the many things I hate. thingsihate.org
That's why if they want it to succeed in the open market, and not just as a niche product that will be forever overpriced and unpopular for that reason alone, I think they need to go after the high-end bicycle market. Better bikes aren't $50, they're $400-$1200. If the Segway was priced at say $500ish, and available at major retailers, I think they could pull in a lot of buyers.
And a million units sold at $50 net profit is a lot more money than a few dozen units at $500 net profit.
~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
Yeah... I live in the suburbs of the Motorcity. We don't have sidewalks... what would I do, ride it to my car 15 feet from my house? This was about the stupidest thing I had ever heard. They should just give up on the segway and double their efforts on some sort of hoverbike.
I think the two markets overlap quite a bit, but not in the Segway's favor. Anyone who can use a Segway can use a wheelchair, but not everyone who needs a wheelchair can use a Segway (muscle/nerve diseases, paralysis, etc).
Plus the segway uses a gaggle of specialized sensors, software and whatnot to keep it stable and upright... a problem the wheelchair solves much more cheaply by sporting two additional wheels.
I take drugs seriously.
In 5-10 years when all these land yachts wind up in used car lots, or being teenagers' first cars, or Undocumented Worker-Mobiles (I know more people who've been hit-and-run by groups of scared-looking men than who've had AIDS -- it happened to me), or in general falling into the hands of Those People who pay higher insurance rates than We do ... well, the playing field will be leveled just a bit.
Then we'll see who's serious about the inalienable right to own and operate a Death Hulk.
I look forward to it. It should be amusing.
If this thing cost under $1000, it would be a fun gadget, like expensive skis (I realize everybody's threshold for "fun gadgets" is different). But at the cost of a decent motorscooter, small motorcycle, top-of-the-line electric bicycle, or very upscale bicycle, it just doesn't make much sense. I mean, paying large amounts of money to go around at 12mph??? You can't even talk yourself into saying that "it's good for you" because it provides no opportunity for exercise--walking is healthier and less dangerous.
I've been scratching my head over the same thing. The only thing I can come up with is that it seems that Dean Kamen has a Steve Jobs-type charisma and celebrity status, and everyone knows that half of a journalist's job is celebrity ass-kissing, which is why you haven't heard anyone say "So what?". Everything you see written about Dean Kamen says stuff like "inventor, entrepreneur, all round great guy, blah blah blah", but what it comes down to is that he's trying to sell a scooter for 5 grand that's being outlawed in the very city centers it was intended for in the first place....San Francisco comes to mind.
Here's why I think the Segway is failing: Those who can afford it and those who would use it are two separate markets. The people who can afford it would tend to be successful professionals who have cars to drive to work and live in suburbia. Are they going to drive their cars to the edge of the city, pull their 80-pound Segway out of the trunk, and cruise to work that way? I think not. Those who would use it would most likely live in the city where they work and would cruise there in a Segway. The problem is that when you are paying $2100/mo for 600 sq ft, you might want to think about stretching your legs and walking instead of racking up another $5000 bill. Also to consider is the fact that most city dwellings are in highrise buildings...Are you going to haul your Segway up the stairs?
-R
OK... so you go to the store for a couple of items.... what do you do? Carry them home in a backpack? And, what if it's raining? No toilet paper for you! The Segway is a toy. It's not going to replace cars or walking anytime soon.
No, the high end bicycle market is $3000-$5000. Which actually makes the Segway competitive, but notice all the people here saying "Why not just get a bike?"
Many of those (including me) are people perfectly willing to drop several grand on a bike. Price isn't really the issue. The issue is that the Segway just doesn't really make any sense at all to someone willing to ride a bike.
KFG
I don't see an apology over there to the effect of "If you're smart enough to get this joke, you probably thought it yourself less than an hour after the Segway was unveiled."
Look at the number of morons behind the wheel in those rice-burning lowered street racers...
I'm pretty sure you'd be just as dead if one of those jokers smashed into you while you were out running, or cycling. Would you somehow be less angry if it was one of them that clipped you? (You should probably be on the sidewalk anyway, whenever possible. Not because you have no right to be on the road, but more because having the right-of-way doesn't do you much good after you've been ground to hamburger...)
For those that would die defending it, Freedom
has a sweet taste that the protected will never know.
It is surprising to read so many neophobic anti-Segway critiques based on the "it looks dorky" argument. I think it looks beautiful, and would love to have one. I know what it is like to be punished and verbally assaulted by the narrow minded normal majority, since I used an excellent DaHon folding bike for several years. Even though the bike was convenient, lightweight, and had great acceleration/handling, only open-minded kids and women thought it was cool at first sight. Every time I rode I had to put up with packs of teens and men noisily putting me down for the crime of being different.
Being surrounded by change-hating idiots is part of life, and their mean attitude is its own punishment. In my view, any nation that embraces cars to the point of daily dependency is insane. Get a horse!
I suspect the SFPD has slightly more important things on its mind than cracking down on Segway users. Buy one from Amazon and I bet you'll get one ticket per year.
sulli
RTFJ.
For various purposes at the low but useful power range. 1-20kW
o gy /Energy/Devices/Stirling_Engines/?tc=1
They are expensive still though.
Google lights the way:
http://directory.google.com/Top/Science/Technol
Government of the people, by corporate executives, for corporate profits.
currently being developed for the suv afficionados.
I finally saw one of these in real life. Police were using them to travel around Chicago's Ohaire airport. One passed by me heading out of the terminal. Minutes later he returned, riding the segway carrying coffee and donuts.
This is a fact. It's irrelevant to me, but a fact nonetheless. I don't drive like an asshole, but I put my family in an SUV to afford them an added measure of protection from the people on the road that do drive like assholes.
My family and I are entitled to as much safety as we can afford. That others drviers cannot afford the same degree of protection isn't my fault, nor is it my problem. Like I said, I'm already a good driver... If other people manage not to crash into me, then there's no safety issue.
That, my friend, is not a fact. It is an opinion. The difference is that a fact can be supported by some kind of evidence, and an opinion can be spouted in the absence of any evidence.
Sure, there are plenty of SUV drivers that probably shouldn't be operating a vehicle that comes anywhere near that mass, but the same can be said of the drivers of many smaller vehicle types. Take the Import Street Racer crowd as an example. Sure, their cars are smaller, but that doesn't make me feel any safer when they go whizzing by at double the speed limit, or as they dodge in and out of dialy traffic as though there was a prize waiting for them at their destination.
None of this, of course, has anything to do with how dumb an idea the Segway is. (And *THAT* is just my opinion, but it seems to be supported by the marketplace.)
For those that would die defending it, Freedom
has a sweet taste that the protected will never know.
I remember having a simmilar notion about sneakers as a kid.
A Hummer driving through the Australian outback is a tool.
A Hummer trying to parallell park in front on Neiman's is being driven by a tool.
- "That's just the kind of fuzzy-headed liberal thinking that leads to being eaten."
(Kamen has been trying for more than a decade to develop an external-combustion engine.)
Hmm. Isn't that a description of a steam engine?
This guy really has to get out more. ["This guy" = (Kamen | Wired writer)]
You are not the first or second or even the 10000th person to point this out on the thousands of forums where the Segway has been discussed. We've all seen the Sinclair deathtrap by now.
Hey now. When was the last time you fit 5 people in a @#$@# Civic?!?! Perhaps if you hang out with a bunch of midgets or toddlers........
Dear lord, oh how I hate that pathetic war cry ...
... People just don't like stupid ideas, and flawed "business plans", get it?
BullSh*T
Nothing "wrong with the economy", so to speak.
The dot-com burst wasn't anything to do with the "economy" either.
it was just a bunch of idiots throwing money at business plans that were basically, non-existant. The vapor-plan.
What they bought into, was the dream.
That's what you get for "Leap first, ask questions later.." you get burned.
" ...that people riding these look like dorks who are trying to hold in a massive bowel movement... "
I think she looks pretty damn hot on one..
This just in the segway now comes with snowshoe accessory. For just $1000 US more.
IT was a STIRLING engine that could purify even the dirtiest water by recycling it's heat (ie, energy) - enough for a whole village of people.
..it !
0 02/111 4kamen_2002.shtml
l
Mabey it's just me but that SOUNDS like the
1)
http://www.cmonitor.com/stories/news/state2
2) http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/8.09/kamen.htm
I know the USPS and some other companies bought some segways to try out - how long were these trials to last, and what is the outlook so far? Does anyone here know?
RTFM; please, I beg you.
He licenses everything else out to other companies.
The company that makes the segway makes nothing else.
Personally, I think the think might be great fun, but I've got a few problems with it.
It's too expensive for what it does. I can't see spending 5 grand on something like that, even if it's great fun. I can't use it to get to the office even in the best of weather (30+ miles). If I both lived downtown and worked downtown, I might use it if it weren't so expensive. But the subway is far cheaper.
Since I live out in the suburbs, I couldn't even use it to go to the grocery store. I could get TO the grocery store, but I doubt if I'd be allowed inside with it. I'd be afraid it would get stolen if I left it outside.
The limited distance isn't as much of a problem for most, I suspect. Anyone going more than 11 miles will probably drive anyway. What would be far better than extending the distance is if it were far lighter, and folded up into a backpack. Then I could use it to go the 15 blocks from the office and carry it onto the train.
That is exactly what people who are critiquing the Segway are saying. They aren't saying it angrily, they are saying it by way of explanation. For $500, I'd buy one, for $5000, no way. I could pay $5000 for it, but there are other things that are a lot more fun that I can get for that kind of money.
much like linux users who put down macs, while secretly drooling over one.
You are as wrong on that one as on the Segway. The price difference between a Mac and a Linux PC isn't large enough to make that factor into most people's buying decisions. Sorry, but the reality is that people use Linux because they want to.
BOMBACLOT!
...would buy one. They'll be a collectors item one day and go for many times the price. (at the moment, I'm just a poor student...)
Oddly enough, I read this article last week, about one hour before I went to my product design class - with Professor Karl Ulrich. We spent half the class talking about the Segway, and if I garnered anything from the lecture, the main reason for the failure (thus far) is because the company forgot the basic tenets of product design. Rather than creating a product based on customer needs (i.e. a portable dialysis machine), they tried to create customer needs based on a product family (dynamically stabilized transportation, a la the ibot).
As a side note, the Segway uses a lot of expensive parts, and two of them at that. There is one gyroscopic unit, but two motors, two controls boards, etc.. When you add it up, the price becomes unreasonable for almost anyone. Granted, most of us probably thought it was neat, but we definitely can't afford one.
2 Adults and 3 kids can comfortably sit in a honda civic (especially the new ones). I went on a road trip with 3 friends and we all rode in comfort, and still had room for the cooler in the backseat.
I want my rights back. I was actually using them when our government stole them after 9/11.
Yes, that's the "consumer model" Segways that was being talked about when the news and hype first hit a couple years ago. It is the "P-series". If you see pictures/videos of Dean Kamen on a Segway, you'll notice that he's riding on a Segway with smaller wheel (the rims are "solid" looking instead of the multi-spoked "performance car" looking ones). They are about 20 lbs. lighter (69 lbs.), and are believed to be targeted for sale at around $3,000. More importantly, they are smaller -- two of these smaller "P-series" Segways are supposed to fit in the trunk of a small-to-mid-size car.
The P-series are still undergoing development testing. Supposedly, the extended community tests at Celebration, Florida, will be the first use of the P-series outside of Segway LLC.
I bought an I-series for myself (couldn't resist), but I look forward to the P-series. In fact, had the P-series been available already, I probably would have spent the extra $1000 to buy two P-series (it's a lot of fun to ride with a partnet).
Call me a fool if you want. But I'm having fun. And, it goes more places than my former coworker's jetski...
1. Rollerblades are easier, work better, are more maneuverable, and a Lot Cheaper.
2. Bicycles go just as fast and have an effectively infinite range with no recharge necessary (except for that stop at the pub). And, are cheaper.
3. Skateboards can probably go just as fast, are just as maneuverable, don't have to be recharged... Etc.
4. People have had all of the above cheaper, better alternatives to the Segway, but they don't use them because they're dangerous to put in the street and are illegal to use on the sidewalk. Mainly because of the danger to pedestrians. Which is why the Segway won't be legal for sidewalk use either.
Result: The segway doesn't stand a chance. How could it? Can't put it in the road (you'll be roadkill), can't ride it on the sidewalk (you're just as dangerous to pedestrians as an inline skater)...
Kind of makes you wonder how much thought they put into this weirdo pogo-stick-looking thing. Are all the people in startup companies yes men? Did no one speak up and say, "Yes, but if they make riding things on sidewalks legal, can't I use my bike or rollerblades?"
Tsk. Rich people are crazy.
Farewell! It's been a fine buncha years!
Call me when Segway can hit 200 mph. Why buy a Segway when I can spend twice the money on something that goes 150 mph, and negotiates traffic and pedastrian traffic extremely well. It is called a motorcycle and it has been around for years. What was drugs was Dean Kamen on and where I can get them?
If what you are reading sounds funny, or sarcastic, lame, or stupid
it is because it is supposed to be. just laugh
walk bike skate or scoot, which would you rather choose at 1/100th of the price of one of those stupid things.
yeah its a cool idea, and has very advanced technology in it but its just not praticle. maybe if the price went down to 200 or 100 dollars then it would be a hot seller.
- MOSKIE
Bitch, bitch, complain. I wouldn't buy a car without renting the same model first. Why should Segways be any different? If there is anyplace to RENT a Segway, I haven't heard about it. How about renting them, for example, at all of the Las Vegas Strip hotels? You rent the thing outside the lobby of Casino A and turn it in at Casino B. When you are ready to return to your hotel, you get another one from the pickup line at Casino B and return it to Casino A. The Segway is the perfect vehicle for Vegas Strip transportation: The casinos are all within 1/2 to 2 miles of each other, and few tourists carry any baggage except for their (dwindling) bankrolls. Only problem, it would put the Vegas taxicab mafia out of business.
Much cheaper than buying a Segway.
Sounds perfect for London now the Congestion Charge is stopping most people using cars in the City...
My buddy left his office window open for the first time in two years yesterday, because of the lack of traffic smoke and noise. Apparently fresh air in the City is a rare thing indeed.
So what if the buses suck, the tubes suck, the taxis are too expensive? Just Segway your way around London!
And work on your reading comprehension skills as well.
Poster said the difference in time for traveling 5 miles via Segway and walking was 20 minutes. Note that the Segway, rated at 12mph manages a 5 minute mile, or 25 minutes to travel 5 miles. A person taking 45 minutes (20 minutes more) to walk 5 miles is doing a 9 minute mile - between 6 and 7 mph - pretty quick walking, but no where near a run.
Personally, I think the Segway as a general purpose vehicle is pretty useless - limited to relatively flat well maintained roads, etc.
Now where is my Buck Rogers (as in Armageddon 2419 - the original book) anti-gravity belt so I can move around at about 20 mph - and not have any bulky vehicle to worry about?
Segway has some fundamental flaws, the biggest one is that standing still in one place is better for people than walking. It is harder on knees and legs to stand still in one spot than to walk. I think it is a big piece of equipment with little real use. Hello pet rock, CB radios and, oh yes, personal computers.
I go to a lot of trade shows. Trying to cover the entire floor and see everything at a huge show like Comdex is exhusting. At the end of the day, my feet resemble hamburger.
At this year's Consumer Electronics Show, the first Segway purchaser was there, on his Segway. I wanted one so badly, if they had been renting for $100 a day, I would have done it.
Yeah, it's a niche market, but so are those little sit-down scooters - and I did rent one of those on the 4th day of a previous CES.
"How perfectly Goddamn delightful it all is, to be sure" Charles Crumb
Step off or I'll pop a cap in your ass! Nah I will stick to a bike, they cost alot less and keep me in shape. How lazy can we become? Uhhh.. its too much work to walk 75' to my mailbox.. take the segway.
Now we're really off topic! But recently on Car and Driver Television (on TNN?) they did a comparison of the H2 vs. the Hummer.
The conclusion was the H2 provided 80% of the capability of the Hummer, at 50% of the price.. with much more comfort.
The Hummer folks kept a very close eye on GM to make sure they weren't tarnishing their name.
When I first heard about the Segway, I was interested for a day or so. Then I was hit by a bout of pragmatism.
My issues with it:
The Italians, and Europe in general, seem to have more of a handle on local transport. I've seen so many scooters in England, France, and Germany... Check out ItalJet Fills a nice niche between Bicycle and Motorcycle. (no, I don't work for 'em) .. hmm 90mpg, can lock it up, easy to park, and I won't be tempted to take it on a twisty mountain road (like a nice Kawasaki Ninja) and kill myself on a canyon run! Oh, and I could buy two of them for the price of one Segway...
I'm waiting for the Ford Hybrid Escape which will get about 35-40 mpg in the city. It's due out in 2004. You can read about it here.
Granted, it's not a full-size SUV. But it's still much better than 21 mpg of the conventional Escape.
Next time do your homework before bringing a new product to market. If you want to compete with the bicycle, you have to price it in the same range. Maybe if you'd done that first, you'd realize you can't compete with the bike because you can't make any money selling them for that price given what they cost. Then we'd never have had to put up with all your stupid PR and lame ideas. This thing is nothing more than a toy for people with too much money.
Make it an even $1k and I'll THINK about buying one, maybe. Maybe if I lived on the ground floor, never had to take it up stairs, and had my head up my ass!
At any point does the article say the maybe people don't want one because they don't want to look like a prick?
There is no doubt that the many urban problems you cite exist and we need to solve them, however the urban changes that would make the Segway even remotely useful (combined residential/business, paths, etc) would also make all other common forms of transportation equally useful. Any city designed to accomodate a Segway would probably be better suited to a bicycle (smaller, greater range, more flexible). A little planning on the part of individuals would also help... if you don't want to spend 2+ hours in traffic, plan your work and residence so that you don't have to... The Segway is simply unrelated to urban problems. I already have the better Segway... a Litespeed bicycle... of course it costs about the same :(
I'll give you a tip. You don't "win" the argument by proving that you don't feel any need for a segway. The person is not claiming everyone should need or want one. They are saying it has legitimate uses for people, and the hostility towards this possiblity is really unnecessary.
I'm sure bicycles looked silly when they first were starting to be used. I know cars did... and at the time they were considered redundant and only for the wasteful rich.
If they want us to buy the Segway, it better be under $400. The current price $4000 is half the price of a car with a 100K miles + 10 years warranty.
I'll ride it around while wearing my sweet leather trenchcoat and shades. I'll make it look COOL and Matrix-esque!
Well, probably not, but I won't look like a dorky fat guy on a short scooter. I figure it'd save on gas though, so I'd ride it around quite a bit, thus, getting it out in the public's mind.
Yes! For the price of on Segway, you can have me advertise your Segway!
Expecting the SHT to have cities designed for it is the stooopidest thing I've ever heard. People are lazy! People can walk, ride a bike, a moped, a motor scooter, motorcycle or take the bus even but instead choose to use cars even to drive 1 mile to the store even though these alternatives are all cheaper than a SHT. It's just too expensive and even so, I doubt they would sell anywhere that doesnt have mostly warm weather for the entire year. For $5k I could buy a motorcycle that would have about as much storage area, but would have much greater range and speed. I don't see a market for them.
-- After all is said and done, more is said than done.
2 SMALL adults and 3 SMALL kids, unless you equate "can fit" with "fit comfortably."
Try finding some friends who are over 6'2" tall and see how well they fit.
I'm sure I would agree with you if I were a midget (under 6'2").
~D
The car needs money, and gas: "It's easy, just get up and walk. You'll make it there eventually, and think of the health benefits!!!"
The laundry needs doing: "You just buy 3 gallons of Febreeze, and forget about washing. Clothes can only get so dirty, and let's face it, brown looks much better on you than white."
The Segway is $5,000 for about $500 of advantegeous value: "Just walk. Or bike, or blade, or skate. Sure, you may not like the exercise and work now... but would you do it to save $5,000?"
I hope Kamen felt terrible when he said that crap about the battery and that guy's response to the weight. If he used the mentality of "just do it yourself" to combat low battery life and heavy weight, we should use the menatility of "just do it yourself" to screw the Segway and lose some weight cycling/walking.
See the Book of Seg guy and his plump wife featured on segway.com http://www.segway.com/segway/personal_beth.html
The thing was over priced, with a TON of hype for what turned out to simply be an electric scooter with a fancy control mechanism. Big deal. Get yourself an electric Razor scooter and forget the over-hyped, over priced thing.
excitingthingstodo.blogspot.com
Another great example of /. fanboys hyping some infeasable product as big news.
Hi, here's a $5000.00 thing which replaces walking short distances.
Would this be considered a Segway Fault?
___________________________
I'm not a geek, but I play one on TV.
you can read all about my weight (5, 11" - 167lbs) my bmi is 23, which is more than healthy-- all over at my site. the pics on the segway site were taken when pre-owning a segay (at training) since then we've both lost tons of lbs, we've been using the extra time we have each day to exercise, also i used to sit in a car for an hour per day, now i do not. you can read about this here http://www.bookofseg.com/weight
of course only anonymous posts would ever post something like this.
Imagine how much of a jack-ass you'd like riding one these things.
If they could make a hover wheelchair like Dr. Xavier from the X-men, then THAT my friends, would be marketable.
How about 2 6'0" 200lb people in the back seat and the same in the front. Not everyone needs one of those SUV (Supid User Vehicles). Yes it was comfortable, and we drove from Florida to Michigan and back, and no one bitched about having to ride in the back seat.
I want my rights back. I was actually using them when our government stole them after 9/11.
oh brave new world, that has such people in it!
I admit that I'm looking at this from a NY perspective but...
How do you lock the dang things? Can someone just hop on your Segway and drive off? Even if you lock it, can't someone (according to the article) "just lift it into a truck"? And if you got a bicycle lock, where would you attach it?
Considering that, in NYC, most delivery people carry heavy chains and locks and drive beat-up bikes so no one steals them, I can't imagine that the lifespan of a Segway on the New York City streets would be much more than 5 minutes.
"Hey, guys! Come down and see my cool Segway. Hey, where did it go??!!!"
Things are what they are... Pretending things are different from what they are doesn't change the reality. It just makes you a Democrat.
(Yeah, yeah... Cheap shot...)
For those that would die defending it, Freedom
has a sweet taste that the protected will never know.
Buy a freakin' vespa! Yeah, you ride them in the street, but they go fast, are cheaper than a Segway, and you can ride them MUCH farther.
Why would anyone want the limitations of a Segway over the freedom of a scooter?
They think the same thing about you, because your choice does affect others ... it is not just your business.
Why exactly would someone buy the thing. All that it is is an electric scooter that costs like 4500 dollars. If I wanted to ride around the sidewalks on an electric scooter I could have bought one two years ago for less that 1000 dollars and be riding it every day. Sure my low tech electric scooter would have wheels in an inline configuration whereas the Segway has them in a single axle configuration but that hardly makes it worth the extra 3500 dollars. It certainly is no revolution in transportation since I believe the idea of electric scooters have been around a very long time. Most of the last century I believe. This Dean Kamen is apparently a student of P.T. Barnum's no doubt.
Another important consideration is the scalability of the business. Google can just slap some more servers together and put them online. A manufacturing facility does not work that way, there are many specialized machines, not ten thousand nearly identical ones. You obviously dont have a great concept of how manufacturing works.
Agreed--I'd love to buy one, but not for much above $1000.
What if they were available some other way besides Amazon (the only place I've seen them available)? Start small (too late for that) and open a few Segway dealerships in places likely to draw business. Perhaps have a Rent-a-Segway in spring break places like Daytona Beach or Lake Havasu, where college kids with money to burn in a week would go Segway-cruising up and down the strip.
My thoughts...
Government's idea of a balanced budget: take money from the right pocket to balance...oh who am I kidding?
Here is a classic case of a product without a market. What need or problem does this device satisfy? Even the US postal service has decided that it won't work in their applications - limited range, and letter carriers ending up frozen because they aren't walking.
I got to see one at the International Auto show in NYC two years ago, and it drew a small crowd; nothing like the crowd the Hummer and H2 drew.
For a few hundred dollars this thing could supplement a bike purchase for your kid, but for thousands of dollars it better be able to do more than replace a bicycle.
-ted
How sad has the human species become now that we have to have an idiotic looking little contraption to take us around at 15mph instead of using our feet or a bicycle, both of which would provide us with exercise that our bodies need?? If I saw someone on one of these things I would probably start laughing. I would rather ride in a wheelchair (no offense at all to any handicapped people).
Yeah I am going to pay months and months of salary so I can get NO exercise! YAY!
I never understood what they hype was about.
The infrastructure is already built and
on higheways it is not as convenient as cars.
On the other hand it is not that convenient
in places where many people walk.
I would rather bet on some kind 'use as you go'
1-person small electric cars for cities.
But first we need to have complete
automatic driving control so cars can
return 'home' when not in use.
It would also be good for old/disable/no-license
people. And great if they can follow 'owner'
after his/her cellphone.
As others have said, it's a combination of infrastructure, cost, and perceived usefulness. The word 'perceived' means just that--there exists an ingrained love affair with the automobile that isn't easily usurped. I believe that Segway Corp. has failed only in their advertising and promotion.
Is 250 million super fat americans rolling around on 2 wheels.
No really. I said EOM.
> They should give these things away to people that
> buy Hummer H2s (read:idiots).
Think of all those pro wrestler Hummer-drivers who could come knocking on your door. Not that I think they're likely to hurt you, but when they hear about it the police will be onto you as a suspected steroid dealer faster than you can say "Crisco makes the cheapest body oil"
No, the low end bicycle market is $200-$500. Which actually makes the low end Segway an order of magnidude more expensive, but notice all the people here saying "It's competitively priced to a bike."
Hard times for Segway? Never!!!! You know, I liked
my "it" so much, I sawed off both my legs and duct taped my body to my Segway so that I'll never need to walk again!! (big grin) Thanks, Segway!
The consulting agency I work for has several "business managers", whose role is largely to travel around the city to our various customer sites, scope out new work if it's there and keep tabs on the work that's currently being performed. These guys are in cars probably 50% of the time, and probably close to 1/2 that is spent trying to find a car parking space in a crowded city.
Most consulting companies of any size have several people who do this sort of role. They might be called "account managers" or something similar.
Rather than walking everywhere (city covers too large an area for this to be practical), or riding bikes (not an option when you're wearing a business suit and there's no place to shower at the other end), Segways would be a viable alternative and could possibly shave up to an hour a day in car parking time for each of these guys. At the hourly rates they get paid, that's not an inconsequential sum of money.
Furthermore, a lot of the people that these guys meet would tend to be impressed rather than scornful - it could well reinforce an impression of "a go-ahead company not afraid to try something new" in the minds of the people that we want to impress. Don't get me wrong - *I* think they look pretty silly, but I can see that certain corporate types would be fairly impressed.
It was a recumbent bicycle encased in a fibreglass moulding, "invented" in Britain by Sir Clive Sinclair in the early 80's, and got very similar publicity to the Segway. In fact, when I saw all the media hype about "it" and Steve Jobs saying cities will be re-designed around it I really got powerful deja-vu.
Needless to say it bombed. The reason being that it was only going to appeal to people who would probably buy bicycles or maybe mopeds to travel around in, but it was overpriced, dangerous in heavy traffic (too low to be seen by trucks) and made you look like a loon.
Personally, I thank god the Segway is popping its clogs. At a time when obesity is a rapidly growing problem brought about by lack of exercise, if they caught on we'd all end up as terminal lard-buckets.
"And the meaning of words; when they cease to function; when will it start worrying you?"
> If they just stuck a seat on it everything would be different.
The original post was meant to be FUNNY. It was a SARCASTIC remark. He didn't mean it seriously.
Jeezuz - you really have to spell it out some times!
"And the meaning of words; when they cease to function; when will it start worrying you?"
It's because my city (San Francisco) wasn't redesigned in the first place by idiot zoning boards that demand only residences in the residential areas that I have not one but five corner groceries within two blocks of my home, and a nice supermarket just beyond.
I'll admit, I don't live in the suburbs, because to do so would probably lead me to throw myself under the nearest moving SUV.
sulli
RTFJ.
I'm sorry I laughed at someone's misfortune, but the photo of the segway rider laying on the ground while paramedics attend to him is too much. Of course I'd like to mention that I did in fact break a leg in a bicycle accident, after I started up after waiting for a School Bus to allow passengers to exit. So, having been there, accidents on contraptions, I get to laugh.
P.S. If Amazon will send me one of these Segway Scooters, free of charge, then I will stop posting on Slashdot about the "segway accident" and killing off their market of rich, know-it-all people to buy the damn things. Just send the Scooter to "Anonymous Coward" care of Slashdot. All of us Anonymous Cowards will take turns riding it.
I'd get one in a minute, but at half the price. I own four bicycles (road, mountain, city, touring) and a car, and riding this thing, even just indoors, was like nothing else. You can't do it justice in a description. You pretty much have to see the goofy childlike look on everyone's face when they run around on it. The only close feeling is like you just sprouted wings. I train and travel on my bicycles, and am on them any time I can be, but if I have to be presentable after heading out over suburban/small city terrain, I'd rather have a scooter. Reasonably efficient, cleaner, and you smell better. But why have this 8 foot long contraption sticking out fore and aft when all you need are the wheels. I've spent as much as a grand ten years ago on my best bike, and would spend two grand on a Segway tomorrow. But not five. As for the cool/nerd debate, when I was a kid (60s), being seen on a skateboard was one of the easiest ways to get pummelled on principle. Then the 90s happened and voila - instant coolness. Taste is fickle.
"Win treats sysadmins better than users. Mac treats users better than sysadmins. Linux treats everyone like sysadmins."
Note I said "better", not "high end" :) I'm thinking mainly of the middle-aged "I like my bike but it's getting to be too much work" market, who might pay several hundred (because they're also old enough to think in terms of durable quality), but certainly not several thousand (because at that price, you might as well get a car).
Also of the upper-middle-class teen market that are fad-followers and may be able to save up a few hundred, or get an indulgent parent to cough up -- lots of these kids wouldn't be caught dead riding a bike, because it's not trendy enough. Spritz up the Segway's appearance to catch that market's eye, cuz they aren't going to buy anything that LOOKS like "old people".
~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
It was a product cooked up in some VCs office between crack hits that 'sounded like a good idea at the time'.
1 - Build Segway
2 - ?
3 - Make profit
Sadly the corridors of dot com companies that were supposed to be its roads all collapsed and burned.
So there is zero logical point to owning one of these 4,000 dollar toys.
"I started thinking," he says, "there are 6 billion pairs of feet walking around this planet, and there are about 2 million people in the United States in wheelchairs - 6 billion versus 2 million, 6 billion versus 2 million." He never finishes the thought, but the conclusion seems obvious.
Yes, it does. There are 6 billion people on this planet, and 2 million of them need a wheelchair. There are 6 billion people on this planet, how many of them need a Segway? The implied comparison of 6 billion against 2 million hightlights in the most ironic way possible the hyperbolic fantasy that is Mr. Kamen's world.
Screw that...buy a Rascal
"Simon Says, Fuck You" - George Carlin
Mission:
To provide the American household and low-income communities throughout the world with safe, low cost, low emission transportation through a hybrid-electric LSV (Low Speed Vehicle).
Business Description:
The company, Mobility by Arianna is in the business of producing and selling low cost, low emission LSVs. Our first LSV is the "Windigkeit", named after the German word for windiness. Appropriately named for the quietness of the vehicles operation and associated feeling of freedom. We have coined the phrase: "When driving the Windigkeit the only sound is the wind at your ear". With a 48-inch by 96-inch footprint, it is very easy to drive, and more importantly these days, to park. This (4) passenger vehicle has a proven efficiency of 80 mpg and a range of 200 miles per refill at 25 mph. Powered by a very small gasoline-electric generator that replenishes the (4) 12vdc batteries and drives the electric motors.
The initial prototype and current model tests have shown proven reliability and vehicle efficiency. This vehicle proves our competitive edge in providing an extremely low cost 4-passenger vehicle. Which is capable when sold in high quantities of transporting the more than 2 million Americans who are teenagers, the elderly, and the environmentally conscious. This vehicle will be in the form of a finished vehicle or an optional kit for Americans to purchase that complies with all LSV safety requirements, allowing travel anywhere on public city streets with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less. We plan to retail this vehicle kit for under $5,000.00 and have a return of 10% net profit within the next 5 years.
The U.S. is leading the world in increased spending for alternative transportation. Hydrogen infrastructure and fuel cells are a stated goal of the president. The past three years have seen significant increase in public interest for low emission vehicles. Between Dec 1999 and March 2001, Honda Motor Company sold a total of 8,531 Honda Insights, a hybrid-electric ICE (Internal Combustion Engine), in the U.S. The 2002 MSRP was $19,080. GEM had sold 7,000 neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs) for $10,000 by the end of 2002. This leaves a large opportunity for extremely low cost vehicles. There is a demand that we can fill.
Our vehicle will significantly advance progress of alternative vehicle market penetration through low cost. The key to our success is the use of available fuel and materials to limit implementation costs, thereby mitigating the risks related to new technology development. Our success is a result of using readily available gasoline electric generators and electric drive assemblies. The vehicle body is made of high quality metals, wood, and composite material. The kit will require: The purchase of (4) 12 vdc auto batteries, the installation of wheels, generator kit, and simple attachment of the roof to the vehicle body.
The LSV market niche limits our exposure to competition from large and small automobile manufacturers. Our ability to carry 4 passengers at a 200-mile range limits our exposure to other LSV manufacturers, which use only batteries. These LSVs typically have a range of 80 miles and need to be recharged for eight hours. Additional market risks include the following. Large auto-manufactures joining the extreme low cost vehicle market. Significant changes in LSV safety and operational regulations that aim to increase the difficulty of registration of LSV model types in California, or other states.
The company is currently seeking a location for a kit packaging/distribution plant within the northern California region for the current production model. In addition we are seeking financial support through federal and state grants to cover operations and marketing expenses. Current financial support relies on personal investments of the management team. Our quarterly cash flow expenses are $37,000, with income of $17,500. This includes initial yearly production of (12) vehicles with a two-year projected annual increase of 100% per year followed by an annual increase of 50%.
Monterey Gardiner established the company in 2002, he has gathered a diverse group of teammates. His team has a background in hydrogen fuel cell technology, robotics, vehicle power plant engineering, state vehicle regulation, design and testing of aircraft structures.
The future is bright. Plans for 2004 include the use of revenue from outside investors to fund rental of manufacturing space for small-scale distribution within California. We will begin marketing directly to the customer and through limited retail stores throughout California and the nation. 2007 to 2010 begins development of a CNG based hybrid-electric platform. The CNG development will follow the transition to a full production vehicle model. The main challenge at this stage will be the ability to adequately store the CNG, without impacting vehicle performance, or customer satisfaction.
Between 2011 to 2015 revenue from the CNG based models will be used to fund the development of a hydrogen based ICE (internal combustion engine). 2015 and on will see the final stage of the business development through the use of a Fuel Cell configuration in place of the hydrogen ICE power plant. The timing of all development will depend on the ability to meet the following goals:
v Reach a sustainable level of market saturation,
v The ability to optimize the vehicle platform,
v Maintain sufficient power and weight ratio
Name recognition will be gained through a strong marketing plan. Advertising in newspaper, television, press releases, event sponsorships, and community outreach programs, and trade shows. The initial prototype will be unveiled at the 2003 Bibindum challenge. Followed by possible test-drives at California fuel cell partnership in Sacramento. We are also working to introduce the vehicle to car sharing programs in the Northern California bay area region.
We at Mobility by Arianna are excited about the future of low emission vehicles and are particularly excited about the " Windigkeit". It truly provides a needed alternative to the current offering of high priced, high pollution vehicles being offered. This high value vehicle provides snappy performance, without the high cost. We will provide the critical mass required to evolve the vehicle market from advanced technology vehicles for a select few to anyone who truly wants to own one.
any serious comments may be directed to
mrgardiner@cheerful.com, altavista.net finally tanked.
-Monterey
Another big problem I saw with the Segway is the lack of protection for the rider from the elements. Maybe in sunny California, this isn't a huge issue. But in much of the country, a big attraction to driving a vehicle around for even short delivery-type trips is the shelter it provides from the rain or snow. You get in, close the doors and windows, and you even have a climate controlled environment with heater or air-conditioning.
Any type of motorized transportation I'm paying thousands for should offer some of this, IMHO.
Otherwise, as many people pointed out - why not save all the money and ride a bike, or even a small scooter/moped?
i seem to be fine in seattle with my segway ht, i wear a coat and hat if it's raining, that's about all there is to it, it's really not a problem. i also take a car, car pool, bike or work from home too. it's about choices and less car trips total per year. if you can bike to work great, many of us can't for many reasons-- so it's car or something else, i use a segway, gave up a car, saving over $600 per month. it's all relative, so far i've been pleased, results may vary.
How exactly are you going to stop pollution today? Ah, yes, that's right, by stopping INDUSTRY! How could I forget? See, you're not anti-pollution, you're anti-capitolism (ooooooh, what a great evil, huh?).
The Segway obviously doesn't pollute.
Ummmm... Think again. It uses electricity, that means you have to get that electricity from somewhere, so where would that be? Well, since most of the power plants in the world are coal-burning, that means that your electricity is probably coming from a coal-burning power plant. Since coal-burning power plants are more polluting than regular combustion engines, and less effecient, then I figure your precious non-polluting Segway is at least as polluting as a car.
Of course, if you freak-ass greens hadn't stopped nuclear power cold, then you would have a relatively pollution free source of electricity. For now, store the rods, or turn them into bullets and armor, and when we have our space elevator, we'll jetison the whole lot into the sun.
50 years? That's confortably out of your frame of reference, isn't it? "I won't worry, they'll have it solved in 50 years."
Actually, that's what we call forward thinking and a belief in the ingenuity of man. If you could stop screaming "NOOOOOOOOOO, YOUR DESTROYING THE PLANET" and start trying to solve the problem, then perhaps we would have a solution, and sooner than 50 years... But all you can do is obstruct.
Ridiculous.
Actually, I find your argument ridiculous. It makes no sense... but you won't listen long enough to hear why.
I had 5 grand to blow, but I bought a RealDoll instead.
;)
Well, which would you choose?
(P.S. No, not really. It's funny, laugh.)
My deviantArt site
1.- show segway to some rich people who love it
2.- report how they loved to the media
3.- end user notices it's useless and expensive
4.- not profit
Price it at $1200 planning on dropping the price by 33% over 2 years.
For $5,000 there is little economic incentive.
You were mistaken. Which is odd, since memory shouldn't be a problem for you
You can't replace a car with a segway so its a poor argument.
p ?ModelName=Reflex&ModelYear=2003&ModelId=NSS25 0L3
t id=5&itemi d=27
Its a 2nd car.
WOuldn't it make more sense to buy a fast scooter? Take a look at this:
http://www.hondamotorcycles.com/scooters/model.as
Same price, but better range, better service, you can sell it when you get tired of it?
Or how about a nice bicycle:
http://www.raleighusa.com/items.asp?dep
Its 1/10 the price, and you'll get 15 years of use.
I think you hit the nail on the head. I could see a lot of really old baby boomers going for the eco-friendly, way-cooler-than-a-wheelchair Segway, if and only if it didn't cost as much as their college tuition.
"The most sensible request of government we make is not, "Do something!" But "Quit it!"
At $500, I think the Segway would rapidly become ubiquitous, both among the middle-aged who can't pedal up hills anymore, and among teens looking for the coolest new toy.
~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
now that the thread has "cooled" down. if you're in the seattle area, feel free to send me an email and i'll arrange a demo (as in you can try my segway ht).
cheers,
pt
pt@bookofseg.com
(Insert bombastic superlatives here)
;)
You can't tell how much I love myself..
BTW: I am looking for a girlfriend. If you are the lucky one, you'll get to ride my "segway".
Slashdot community, please notice: I am looking for a girlfriend.
Nave H. Weiss
Say.. are you a girl?
Slashdot community, please notice: I am looking for a girlfriend.
Nave H. Weiss
You guys are comparing the Segway to all current forms of transportation but only listing the drawbacks of it. Yes a bike is cheaper and lighter, but not easy to go fast (especially in a suit) and though light, still cumbersome to carry anywhere. Yes a scooter/motorcycle is faster, but it is not environmentally friendly, its loud, and requires a good deal of maintenance. NEITHER of them can be used INDOORS!!! The Segway will literally replace walking in many circumstances!
You could segway out of your apartment, onto the elevator, down the street all the way to work, into the elevator, and park it in your office. That's Dean Kamen's vision for the Segway.
$5,000 is very expensive relative to walking, which my legs provide at the cost of a good nights sleep and a hearty breakfast, but its nothing relative to possible saved car payments, insurance, gas, maintenance. If you're in a situation where you have access to more than one car or don't really need a car at all the Segway could end up saving you money. I can't wait until a Segway is financially viable for me.
http://www.bookofseg.com has really opened my eyes to all of this. Everyone should check it out.
Another strong point against the Segway is the gayness factor. At first people on Segways will look goofy to us but with time we'll get used to it. Men in a VW New Beetle/Mini Cooper, general computer nerdery, pocket protectors, all have become accepted with time. It wouldn't even be an issue for a generation born with Segways in use. If you won't use a Segway because you're worried about how you'd look then you have a serious image problem and need to grow up. It's people like you that keep the penis enlargment spam companies in business.
A Segway for me? Yes please!
"6. Will it get stolen as soon as you park it next to your local trendy cafe? YES"
I can't figure out your logic.
If it sucks as badly as you claim, why would anyone steal it????