Re:Solve the Problems Your Parents Have
by specialist on Sunday February 17, 2013 @12:46PM
(#5235976)
Ditto insulin pump. A friend's insurance plan just changed coverage and the unit friend uses is no longer "in plan". New unit costs $7000. Kicker, for me, is the consumable nature. There's a transmitter with a non-serviceable battery. When it dies, you're just supposed to get a new one. $1400.
Another friend just bought a hearing aid. The (other) comment about product + service is absolutely true. This friend marvels at the sophisticated DSP stuff going on. This friend is also grumpy that the internals are proprietary, so there's no way hack it, or even do adjustments. It's probably better for most people to have the expert do it, hearing is complicated stuff, but the principle stands.
With the costs of R&D, manufacturing, sales/service/support, and especially regulation/approval, it's not clear to me how the markets for low volume products are going to be disrupted.
Another friend just bought a hearing aid. The (other) comment about product + service is absolutely true. This friend marvels at the sophisticated DSP stuff going on. This friend is also grumpy that the internals are proprietary, so there's no way hack it, or even do adjustments. It's probably better for most people to have the expert do it, hearing is complicated stuff, but the principle stands.
With the costs of R&D, manufacturing, sales/service/support, and especially regulation/approval, it's not clear to me how the markets for low volume products are going to be disrupted.