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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."
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...
They might as well give away a big red hat that says "Tool"
So how exactly do you explain that stupid scooter phenomenon a couple years ago? Personally, I'd love a Segway, but I'd need mass transit to get me the rest of the way. Then I wouldn't need a car at all.
Essentially they're selling a Sinclair C5 with one less wheel, no seat, at seven times the cost.
It's an interesting marketing lesson, showing that neat technical features don't necessarily turn into value propositions that would make a customer actually want to cough up the money. Its amazon.com page tries in vain to sell it, protesting its uncanny ability to go backwards, go up slopes (gasp!), and even "self balance". The trouble is - people with fully functional legs can do all those things for free right now, and people without generally can't use a segway.
And Dean - it's five thousand dollars!. I can wear my underpants on my head, shove two pencils up my nose and look like a maniac for free.
## W.Finlay McWalter ## http://www.mcwalter.org ##
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.
Google did it right, grow at a sustainable rate, and do not try to get too big too fast.
...".
While I generally agree with you, bringing up Google as a comparison is a massive stretch. You can't compare a search engine company to one that manufactures relatively expensive products. The needs, requirements, and pitfalls are vastly different. The infrastructure requirements are vastly different, the ability to adapt to market conditions are vastly different, you just can't say "he shoulda did what google did
Again, I'm not disagreeing with the fact that he got too carried away, but please use a company that has remotely similar requirements/structure to compare against, esp. not Google.
Say what you mean, dude. Like this:
For the six year period from 1993 to 1998, an average of 1,640 people in New York were killed annually as a result of motor vehicle crashes. During this same period, an average of 286,000 New Yorkers annually were injured in traffic crashes. Data for New York City indicates that 26.7 percent of these total statewide annual traffic fatalities, and 43 percent of total statewide crash injuries occurred within city limits.
This can be avoided. We should try, at least.
Pollution is being handled with hybrids and fuel-cell developments. The cars 50 years from now won't be polluters at all.
Pollution could be stopped today. The Segway obviously doesn't pollute. 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." Ridiculous. Take some responsibility. We all need to.
Noise? You get used to it. Deal.
Why should I? It doesn't have to be this way. Why are you so against fixing the problems with the current situation? Or do you really believe that it cannot be improved, that all this is a necessary evil?
Cost? Cost of what? Bottled water costs more than gas and you can get cheap ass used cars off of ebay. What cost?
You have got to be kidding. I can't believe you even typed that. I'm not going to get into the cost of running a car in a city. I will quickly mention that your average condo parking spot - a square of concrete - in Toronto is $CDN 30,000.
Traffic? Yeah it sucks.
It doesn't just suck, it's totally insane. Imagine the productivity lost with everyone spenind 2+hours a day in their car.
The space they take up? Do you know how large the US is in terms of space?
The Segway is meant to alleviate the most obvious traffic problem, that of congested cities. It clearly can't cross great distances. There is no alternative to the car for this right now.
Despite the hate, SUV sales contine to grow, grow grow, grow!
To my grow, grow, growing despair.
If Jesus wants me it knows where to find me.