Synopses & Reviews
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, Anaïs 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 thats 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.
Synopsis
An irreverent analysis of the factors that shape the successes and failures of various technological innovations explains the importance of understanding a consumer market's fear of change, discussing the patterns that have marked the rollouts of computer, cell phone, and other technologies. 25,000 first printing.
Synopsis
An irreverent analysis of the factors that shape the successes and failures of various technological innovations explains the importance of understanding a consumer market's fear of change, discussing the patterns that have marked the rollouts of computer, cell phone, and other technologies. 25,000 first printing.
Synopsis
In "The Change Function," Coburn pens the ultimate guide to predicting winners and losers in high technology.
About the Author
Pip Coburn is the founder of Coburn Ventures, an advisory services firm. Before starting his own company, he was a managing director and global technology strategist in the technology group of UBS Investment Research, where he oversaw 120 technology and telecom analysts worldwide.