Good Books: The Change Function

Rajesh Jain reviewed a book called 'The Change Function'. He has some interesting comments.

This book is about - why some technologies succeed -- and others fail.

After years of studying countless winners and losers, Coburn has come up with a simple idea that explains why some technologies become huge hits (iPods, DVD players, Netflix), but others never reach more than a tiny audience (Segways, video phones, tablet PCs). He says that people are only willing to change when the pain of their current situation outweighs the perceived pain of trying something new.

In other words, technology demands a change in habits, and that's the leading cause of failure for countless cool inventions. Too many tech companies believe in 'build it and they will come' -- build something better and people will beat a path to your door. But, as Coburn shows, most potential users are afraid of new technologies, and they need a really great reason to change.