December 20, 2016
Newsletter

Let’s Talk About:

Hardware's Second Wave

We’re now entering into the second wave of hardware. The first wave was characterized by 3D printers, drones, and phone-tethered devices. In this second wave, we expect hardware to be personal, relevant, and ethically manufactured.

Companies must continually innovate, tackle harder challenges, or build in network effects to survive. Despite the difficulty in creating hardware and a more crowded industry, low barriers to entry have allowed truly stellar companies to thrive, and there is a common denominator among successes. The greats like Apple, Nest, and GoPro have excelled by also creating outstanding software. Software animates hardware, is difficult to copy, and provides more opportunities for consumers to interact with the physical world.

At Viget, we’re passionate about designing interactive products that leverage powerful software and create compelling experiences. In our Boulder office, we recently built a large interactive installation to remind us that not all hardware needs to be traditional or even have a screen-based interface.

Read About the Temper-O-Meter


Community Thoughts on Hardware's Second Wave...

  1. 1. Where does America’s e-waste end up? GPS tracker tells all MIT put 200 geolocating tracking devices inside old computers, TVs and printers. They dropped them off at nationwide donation centers that advertise themselves as “green”, “sustainable”, “earth friendly”. The tracked electronics ended up in Mexico, Taiwan… Most often, they traveled across the Pacific to rural Hong Kong.
  2. 2. Network Effects “Network effects: Create barriers to exit for existing users and barriers to entry for new companies”
  3. 3. All Our Eggs In One Basket “One of the most important things you can do prior to launching a new product is testing, testing, and more testing”
  4. 4. The 3 Business Models That Matter for Connected Hardware Startups “The modern hardware business is a trojan horse for software.”
  5. 5. Traffic lights in ’s-Hertogenbosch; an interview Better traffic flow IS possible, and the Dutch know how. “Humans are far better at negotiating the right of way than a traffic light installation can ever be” says Eric, “so wherever possible we try to use exactly that principle.”

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