Let's Get Real

I agree with Mr. Gruber from back in 2011:

The designs in these concept videos are free from real-world constraints — technical, logical, fiscal. Dealing with constraints is what real design is all about. Institutional attention on the present day — on getting innovative industry-leading products out the door and creating consumer demand for them — requires relentless company-wide focus.

The only thing that matters is the shipping product. Cartoons are easy. Sourcing, manufacturing, marketing and distribution are hard.

How amazed would anyone be if the Google Glasses cost $20,000? What if they had a 3 lb colostomy-bag-like battery? That's what's great about fantasy, you never need to sweat the details. Lightsabers just project out a meter and stop, the Enterprise can travel 1,909 times the speed of light, a Tardis is bigger on the inside, and Google Glasses will let you pour a scalding cup of coffee while covering your field of vision with ads.

I'll be impressed when a real device is purchased by a real person and actually does what it was designed to do.1

  1. Kudos to Microsoft for actually making the Surface. It's an achievement for sure, but it is not important to the tech market. It's not for the average person any more than the first flying car was. ↩