TIME magazine Lists the Segway as "Top Ten worst Tech failures..."

[KarenH]

Originally Posted by Elgin Clock

But let me pose this question to you all:
What difference does Segway have than every other product on the list?
No real competition.
I think we can all name some other competing product in every one of those product's fields that are more popular (and thus more profitable) on that list.

Can you do the same with Segway?
What is equal in a consumer product to a Segway at this point in time?
Who is Segway's major rival?
When you have a unique product, you would love to see your product thrive, but you don't mind if it doesn't since you have the market cornered.

But what company or product over-powered Segway in the market of providing the consumer a self balancing (electro-mechanical) people transporter?

The answer is nothing compares, nor competes with it currently.
So it's ridiculous to even put Segway on the list in my opinion.

I'm sorry to report that some people DO think Segway has a competitor. As I learned last week, the Sacramento International Airport just purchased a couple of T-3's. When I first saw this on the news, I thought they were modified Segways. And if you look at the "Customer Comments" page, they include quotes such as these:

"We’re replacing the Segway we use because this is more stable. It can get up and over curbs..."

"Stability is the main thing. This one uses an accelerator on the handlebars, as opposed to the Segway, which relies on body weight..."

Although it has 3 wheels instead of 2--and if I remember correctly, it costs even more than the Segway--functionally it does about the same thing (at least, in the context of police use). I think people still don't "get" the self-balancing concept of the Segway. Most people are more comfortable with the idea of a tricycle--after all, we rode them when we were little kids.

Furthermore, for police use, if an officer has to step off either of these, say, to apprehend a suspect, which is more likely to stay put--the Segway, or the T-3? In my experience, the Segway won't. Also, the weight limits are more realistic for police officers, who are often heavier than the Segway was designed for. The T-3 is slightly faster than the Segway, which may be an advantage in police work. The T-3 has integrated lighting; you have to pay extra to get a headlight for a Segway, which is inconvenient if you need to ride at night. The customer can choose from 6 colors (the Segway has only 3), and it has a swappable power module (which enables the T-3 to operate 24 hours).

So I have to say that apparently the Segway does have competition, though we could debate whether the differences are similar to the Apple/PC differences in scope. (I.e., the Apple and the PC have different platforms, but both are computers for individual use; the Segway and T-3 have different configurations, but both are personal motorized transportation devices.) We will also have to wait to see which, if either, of these devices will have any long-term place in society.