02-19-2015, 12:23 AM | #21 | |||
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I'm certain that there must be exceptions to the "makes sense" rule, but Segway ain't one of them. Quote:
With regards to your position at Segway, I don't understand the coyness. I searched for a bit, and could find only "webmaster". Did you hold other positions? |
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02-19-2015, 07:51 AM | #22 |
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02-19-2015, 02:13 PM | #23 |
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Please don't take this thread off-topic by discussing the posters who are posting to it. We all are entitled to our opinions regardless of our backgrounds. Thank you.
Early market analysis isn't always good enough or accurate to determine the value or potential success of your product. Again, the marketplace is littered with examples of products from successful companies who did good market analysis ahead of time and the product still failed. Launching a brand new product *category* (motorized personal transportation that wasn't a vehicle) is a whole different ballgame. And that made it especially difficult for Segway. But sure, by all means, stick to the simplistic explanation. It explains it all just perfectly. John
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02-20-2015, 11:17 AM | #24 | ||
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02-20-2015, 12:17 PM | #25 |
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I disagree, and will leave it at that, as this continued conversation is fruitless. There are many reasons for a company's products failure, and you can't put it all onto one department or a single department's leadership.
A marketing analysis was done, a marketing plan was put into place, it was executed upon (you can argue whether the execution was adequate or ideal), and it didn't work. But that alone does not explain why the product failed to produce the quantity sales that were initially projected to investors.
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02-20-2015, 05:26 PM | #26 | |
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However, Segway set the pricing when Gen 1 was introduced, and I'm not aware of any significant manufacturing limitations, or quality control problems (The Gen 2 software problem was still four years in the future). Product costs for any product are relatively easy to determine, if you know the volume (which may be the issue, as Segway leadership clearly had "big eyes"). Essentially, the product was "as expected". I'm still looking for any evidence that Segway's pre-investment market analysis was even reasonably accurate. If Segway's own market analysis was accurate, forecasting an 8K per year average sales volume average, over YEARS, would investors have kicked in tens of millions of dollars? Investors do their own due diligence, but if Segway's own analysis had said, "never more than about 10k per year", we would all still spell it segue. |
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02-20-2015, 09:54 PM | #27 |
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Is it at all possible that once DK got his mind wrapped around a 2 wheeled, self balancing, human transporter that no amount of market analysis was going to stand in the way of full production?
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02-20-2015, 10:08 PM | #28 | |
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Dean Kamen was clearly infected with the thought that his machine would change the world. He had a high profile as a capable inventor (well-earned, in my opinion), and he was willing to put his own money in up front. I sincerely doubt there were many at Segway in the early days who would have been willing to seriously dispute the "vision of the future", which was what the company was all about, after all. |
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