Aww. Harsh.
I worked for Canon in the early 90’s. This was before the phone became the universal portable piece of technology. We were experimenting with different formats, including a watch, a wallet, a calculator (not the mobile phone shape of the day), a pen. I wore a Casio multi-function watch so got the watch. I wore a Seiko (?) PC watch that ran Japanese DOS to see what inspiration comes. Good times.
This sort of thing has a tiny success window to hit. You have to have something technical but also personal like a fountain pen glasses, or a leather wallet. Steve Jobs’ Apple managed it, but they had a huge war chest, and could make mistakes. They would have laughed off having $20M overspend in the warehouse. You have to go for the big success: other tech companies are watching, learn from your mistakes, and make a better product from the next generation of components the moment you relax. Winner takes all says the market: no points for a ‘jolly good try’.
Which is a shame. Because it seems like a ‘jolly good try’ to me.
