Well, We Failed – Wattage is shutting down

Re:Well, We Failed – Wattage is shutting down by Retric on Tuesday May 05, 2015 @04:49PM (#9494875)

IMO, the custom radio is not really a terrible idea; the problem was all the pictures where of the same radio with a new paint job. At least make the knobs look like chess pieces, rocket ships, airplanes, or cats etc.

Then again who buys radios? Custom clocks seem far more universal and let people use a wider range of shapes.

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Re:Well, We Failed – Wattage is shutting down by jeremybell on Tuesday May 05, 2015 @05:38PM (#9495133)

To some extent, the initial product wasn't important. Yes, it needed to resonate with an audience, but it's sole purpose was to test the waters and prove that we could ship.

We liked the radio because it was unique enough that we felt it would stand out. Instead of flipping between AM/FM stations, you'd be flipping between podcasts. I think that would have sold pretty well... or at least well enough for us to prove the concept and raise the large amounts we needed.

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Re:Well, We Failed – Wattage is shutting down by ChristianGeek on Tuesday May 05, 2015 @06:10PM (#9495324)

I have to disagree...I think your choice of products and the blandness of the customizations may not have buried you, but they certainly helped dig the hole.

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Re:Well, We Failed – Wattage is shutting down by bandrami on Tuesday May 05, 2015 @09:45PM (#9496132)

the initial product wasn't important

Hats off to you for trying, but I'm going to file this statement under my "I'm reliving 1999 in 2015" heading...

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Re:Well, We Failed – Wattage is shutting down by gedrap on Wednesday May 06, 2015 @03:10AM (#9497009)

>>> To some extent, the initial product wasn't important.

I am not sure if I agree with this.

I think a good initial product choice is really important to gain the much needed initial traction.

If the initial product is good, the potential users will resonate with it. They will think 'Yeah! I want it!'. They will think 'Yeah! These <initial_product> could be so much more convenient to use / cooler'. You get the idea.

But nowadays, few people use radios other than a car radio. It's much harder for the users to resonate and see what problem it solves for them.

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Re:Well, We Failed – Wattage is shutting down by marincounty on Wednesday May 06, 2015 @05:27AM (#9497436)

Actually, I use a cheap portable AM radio every day. I started using one when I was in construction--the're cheap, and simple. I don't have to fiddle with it, don't care if it's stolen, or I break it.

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