"Pick the one thing that is of burning importance to the customer then delight them with a compelling solution."
"Customers will only buy a simple product with a singular value proposition."
What about iPhone, probably the most profitable product of the last 5 years? Is it really that focused?
I don't think that many people in 2006 would have said: my phone is not enough like a computer. I would have said that cell phone call quality and battery life sucks, so give me something that will hold charge for a week, has the quality of a land line, is ultra light, small, can be dropped, etc. That would have been focused.
Steve Jobs said it was 3 products I think... it's a phone, an ipod, and a computer in your pocket. It's this thing where you can play music, surf the web, call your friends, text them, take notes, download apps, and the interface is better than predecessors because you can use your finger.
Not to say their advice is wrong... it's just that thing kind of advice is applicable in limited ways. It sounds like conventional wisdom, and isn't one of their points to challenge conventional wisdom? :)
The advice is for startups. No startup could have released the iPhone as its first product. Imagine the dev cost!
Apple's first product - the Apple I - was an assembled circuit board. Basically a motherboard. Very targeted audience, very narrow scope of value for the first release. They layered on functionality from there. The iPhone came almost 30 years later.
> give me something that will hold charge for a week, has the quality of a land line, is ultra light, small, can be dropped
I would pay dearly for such a phone. I don't need "apps" when I'm on the road; I need something small and durable that can survive anything (including being put in water).
I don't carry a purse and find it hard to make room for a smart phone, esp. newer ones which are only getting bigger and bigger.
I had hoped Nokia would make that phone, but they too seem to be only interested in the smart phone business. Too bad.
You can get a waterproof phone. My friend has the one below and he lost it at the beach, we called the phone a few hours later after he realised that it was missing and the person who answered said he found it in the sea and couldn't believe it was still working.
The fact that the iPhone was able to be "3-in-1" worked because Apple already had a leading reputation in 2 of those categories (i.e. MP3 players and one other).
They were stretching to enter the "phone" category, and it turned out to be a huge bet that paid off incredibly well.
I think all startup/business advice can be qualified with "...unless you're Steve Jobs."
I think it's generally good advice, but if you have the wherewithal to execute a combination product to perfection, then you'll win. The point is that people who focus on any one aspect of your combination product usually will do better.
Think toaster/microwaves or scan/copy/fax machines.
Also, Apple has been a "several"-hundred billion dollar company for a few years. They have the clout to do things that are not in same universe as several-hundred thousand dollar startups.
"Pick the one thing that is of burning importance to the customer then delight them with a compelling solution."
"Customers will only buy a simple product with a singular value proposition."
What about iPhone, probably the most profitable product of the last 5 years? Is it really that focused?
I don't think that many people in 2006 would have said: my phone is not enough like a computer. I would have said that cell phone call quality and battery life sucks, so give me something that will hold charge for a week, has the quality of a land line, is ultra light, small, can be dropped, etc. That would have been focused.
Steve Jobs said it was 3 products I think... it's a phone, an ipod, and a computer in your pocket. It's this thing where you can play music, surf the web, call your friends, text them, take notes, download apps, and the interface is better than predecessors because you can use your finger.
Not to say their advice is wrong... it's just that thing kind of advice is applicable in limited ways. It sounds like conventional wisdom, and isn't one of their points to challenge conventional wisdom? :)