Doesn’t Matter: Best in class, last in line
When I joined Nortel, my friends Lisa Fast and Marilyn French St-George had re-invented the payphone. This electronic creation featured a bright fluorescent display that was readable by sight-impaired users. The digital readout could spew site specific ads. The phone even had a card reader that was tilted upwards to prevents cards being left in.
Like so many Nortel products, the Millenium was THE best product in its class, but… the payphone business was going to rapidly decline to near-zero! Last in a line. Doesn’t matter if you’re the best.
It’s sort of like designing the absolutely most awesome HDVD player. Doesn’t matter.
Netscape 9. Doesn’t matter.
The most incredible Second Life destination. Doesn’t matter.
The absolutely insane Windows Mobile 7 OS. Doesn’t matter.
Meanwhile, back in New York, infamous PosterChild is repurposing some useless public tech installations. This says it all. Nature does reclaim.
Now, Verizon is battling a new assault on the hapless payphone…
http://www.newyorkshitty.com/?p=28218