Where complexity lives.
The examples in the three slides above show how less powerful hardware, combined with software or services created a category breaking product. The Wii, Flip Camcorder and iPhone aren’t pale imitations of their higher-powered competitors, they deliver a new experience altogether.
They are lessons in using creative thinking to outsmart and outmaneuver brute force. They’re also lessons in smart experience design. It’s no coincidence that the winners in each case, simplified their hardware and placed the bulk of their complexity or functionality in the software.
For designers this is great news. Simple objects augmented with services can actually outperform more expensive and more complex solutions.
For marketers this is also good news. Those stuck with “last-generation hardware” can re-imagine their offerings through adding services that bring entirely new experiences to their customers.
