Why A Prototype is Not A Commercial Product
One of the common blind spots in tech start-ups: Thinking their idea/first gen/alpha/prototype should get people hopping up and down in excitement. A prototype is just that, and is often very, very far from commercial viability.
Exhibit One: The new 360-degree viewing helmet from Toshiba. (And, the accessory will be a neck brace…in a range of “fun” colors.) At least, I hope this is a prototype.
From “The Future of Virtual Reality” (via Timothy Totten at Final Embrace…Yes, a blog by a funeral director, but, really, go check it out.)
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Tags: product development, Toshiba, virtual reality, entrepreneur sanity check
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May 8th, 2007 at 10:23 am
Mary:
When I first saw this I wondered why she had the TV in front of her. Now I think they’re trying to make this thing “nostalgic” since so many TVs are flatscreen but the one on her head looks more like a TV from ten or twenty years ago.
I’m also wondering if the tiny woman they chose was really the best option. Can you say “skewing the sense of scale”?