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| The Change Function: Why Some Technologies Take Off and Others Crash and Burn | 
| Author: Pip Coburn
Publisher: Portfolio Hardcover
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $1.99
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (21 reviews)
Sales Rank: 557392
Format: Bargain Price
Language: English (Published)
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 240
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6 x 1
Dewey Decimal Number: 338.476
ASIN: B000NA6U2O
Publication Date: June 22, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
The ultimate guide to predicting winners and losers in high technology
Pip Coburn became famous for writing some of the liveliest reports on Wall Street. He quoted everyone from Machiavelli to HAL, Anais Nin to Yoda, Einstein to Gandhi. But along with the quirky writing, he consistently delivered sharp insights into technology trends and helped investors pick stocks with long-term potential. After years of studying countless winners and losers, Coburn has come up with a simple idea that explains why some technologies become huge hits (iPods, DVD players, Netflix), but others never reach more than a tiny audience (Segways, video phones, tablet PCs). He says that people are only willing to change when the pain of their current situation outweighs the perceived pain of trying something new. In other words, technology demands a change in habits, and that?s the leading cause of failure for countless cool inventions. Too many tech companies believe in "build it and they will come"? build something better and people will beat a path to your door. But, as Coburn shows, most potential users are afraid of new technologies, and they need a really great reason to change. The Change Function is an irreverent look at how this pattern plays out in countless sectors, from computers to cell phones to digital TV recorders. It will be an invaluable book for people who create and invest in new technologies.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 16 more reviews...
Helpful Insights into Why Some Technologies Succeed November 13, 2008
Mr.Coburn provides useful insights into why some technologies succeed in the marketplace and others that seem equally good or better do not. The answer often lies in not viewing the technology from the user's point of view, either in its use or how it is presented. Includes interesting and helpful illustrations of real technologies that failed and some that suceeded. This book complements Everett Rogers' "Diffusion of Innovations", which discusses how innovations are adopted in social systems.
 Interesting but do not show the details October 4, 2007
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
The Change Function: Why Some Technologies Take Off and Others Crash and Burn
Interesting theory and well written book. Besides that it's hard to me figure out how to apply it to my business. Evaluations are qualitative and highly dependent of the assessor's knowledge. It requires a detailed guideline to be applicable on a company operation.
 Essential requirements for high-tech product success March 13, 2007
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
Intel icons Gordon Moore and Andy Grove are each credited with a high-tech development axiom. "Moore's Law" says the cost of putting the maximum number of transistors on an integrated circuit (like a computer chip) doubles every 24 months. This leads to the "price elasticity argument" that infers the ideal price at which consumers will find new high-tech products attractive. "Grove's Law" posits that people adopt new technology when it is "disruptive," that is, when it becomes 10 times better than anything else available. But author Pip Coburn, who writes with a lively pen, believes that high-tech leaders must put these revered principles aside, and focus instead on the people who use their technological marvels. Those who appeal to consumers will thrive. Those who do not will lose money as their products go down in flames. Is Coburn correct? As the founder of a firm that advises investors on high-tech stocks, he makes a compelling argument. We suggest that technology executives, portfolio managers, and anyone else concerned with the success of high-tech companies and their products will want to read this thoughtful book before placing their own bets.
Do I have a "crisis" that gives me greater pain than the TOTAL cost of your solution? February 7, 2007
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
On one hand, this book seems to belabor the point that products are only adopted by the market if the user's have a "crisis" that outweighs the costs of acquiring and using the product. On the other hand, anyone in business selling a product should read this book.
The key concept is USER CRISIS. The whole point of the book is this -- if we don't want or need something, it doesn't matter how little it costs and how well it works.
Numerous examples are provided which illustrate that the tech industry's infatuation with Moore's law (cost will decrease and performance will increase steadily until consumers *eventually* will make the purchase) and Grove's law (success can be achieved by creating 10x improvements to technical capabilities) continues to misdirect billions of dollars.
The book illustrates how the tech community continues to believe that any cool technology will be adopted by the masses if it's costs come down enough. In other words, the majority of consumers will purchase ANYTHING if it costs little and does neat things.
Cautionary Tales for High Tech Execs January 15, 2007
1 out of 5 found this review helpful
You have passion for your product, your team is energized and your investors are doubling down. Your potential customers are interested -- but they're not buying. Why?
Change is painful. You may see your business in The Change Function's cautionary tales -- if you do, the change may have to come from your side of the equation.
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