Friday, March 22, 2013

Grinding Away at Technological Innovations: It's All About the Money



This Article is a Guest Post.

How far do you think we could have advanced technologically if not for the power of the almighty dollar? Grant it, we have come a long way in the past 200 years. The human species has evolved from horseback transportation and muskets to Jaguar automobiles and laser guided rockets. However, how much further could our technology have carried us if not for the intervention of those driven by greed and power? It happens all the time and so much could have been spawned from ideas driven by those that were stifled in creation.

1. A Better Product - There have always been competition in the world of those who invent an item and those that improve upon it. Instead of seeking a more efficient method than the current item, many are drawn to the instant glitter of the lawsuit. What does this mean to the general populace? Tax payer money is wasted and no new innovations are created. Why not focus on your inferior product to beat out the competition and prove your innovations are superior? Because it is easier to launch a lawsuit. Thomas Edison launched a smear campaign against AC technologies hindering Nikola Tesla's innovative ideas of providing power to the masses instead of developing a better device and/or delivery system. Apple is famous for slanderous comments made about competitors especially when it comes to the cost of an operating system.

2. Reinventing the Wheel - I've heard this comment so often that it makes me sick. It means that why should one design a product that is tailored perfectly for their goals when other products exist on the market? What many of these people don't realize is that this "reinvention" of this so-called "wheel" is what drives a majority of the technological market currently. Can you remember the last time anything was truly invented by a company that didn't include products from other previous inventions? Apple didn't invent touchscreens, cordless phones, GPS, or chat servers that are found in your smartphone. They simply created a more efficient way to utilize these products simultaneously. But, they'll sue anyone trying to make a move in their turf. Isn't that called a monopoly? Even Smart TVs are only an adaptation of technologies already created.

3. Cost of Creation - Everyone wants to make a buck. The only reason why goods cost as much as they do is because everyone involved within its creation wants to make a dollar. Want a tablet with 1TB of storage capacity? Something like that would cost close to $1500 because Kingston wants to sell the memory for more than $1000. It's the same physical dimensions as the others with newer techniques that allow the chip to store more data. They want to maximize their profits. There's nothing wrong with capitalism. But it is responsible for our limited growth as a species. Since everyone needs money in order to survive in today's world, anyone involved in the development of any kind of innovative product requires a paycheck.

A new way of governing patents and lawsuits needs to be developed for today's world. Regulations and laws of the past are becoming obsolete one-by-one. Frivolous arguments are being perpetuated because someone can see the money in the situation. There was a time where inventions were a way to improve the species. Now, they are viewed more as a way to get rich and nothing more.
Author Bio:

Ken Myers is the founder of  http://www.longhornleads.com/ & has learned over the years the importance of focusing on what the customer is looking for and literally serving it to them. He doesn’t try to create a need, instead he tries to satisfy the existing demand for information on products and services.


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