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Re:Peter Thiel: "I Don’t Consider [The iPhone] To Be A Techn... by xiaoma on Monday November 21, 2011 @03:28PM (#3262671)
>Counterexamples? Would love to hear them.

Penicillin

Re:Peter Thiel: "I Don’t Consider [The iPhone] To Be A Techn... by tedunangst on Monday November 21, 2011 @04:16PM (#3262843)
Along those lines, the smallpox vaccine and X-rays.
Re:Peter Thiel: "I Don’t Consider [The iPhone] To Be A Techn... by parfe on Monday November 21, 2011 @04:43PM (#3262942)
The smallpox vaccine that eliminated the disease certainly had lesser know and effective predecessor as early as 1770:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cowpox

Re:Peter Thiel: "I Don’t Consider [The iPhone] To Be A Techn... by incremental on Monday November 21, 2011 @04:18PM (#3262852)
Not really a product, though, so that doesn't count as a good example. Obviously a major discovery with high impact, though.
Re:Peter Thiel: "I Don’t Consider [The iPhone] To Be A Techn... by xiaoma on Tuesday November 22, 2011 @05:50AM (#3264973)
Penicillin is produced, distributed and sold. I've bought it more than once and consider it to be a product. What do you feel is the necessary criteria for something to called a product?