"Teenage Engineering for X" is an excellent alternative template to "Uber for X" etc
Quote Tweet
3
31
222
Conversation
Why aren't there more studios like Teenage Engineering? Is it because making hardware is just so brutal? Because industrial design insights are rarely defensible?
I’m honestly not sure if this is a joke or actually quite a profound answer!
Coolness requires uniqueness, so everyone can’t be it. One does get the sense, though, that more people could do stuff like this.
1
3
Show replies
Replying to
I think it’s because it’s rare for technical-focused founders to really maximize the user experience side and honing the product. It takes longer and goes against the lean startup kind of ethos. Economics of software can support an ongoing evolution, hardware is more all at once
1
1
4
This is an interesting answer! Because you have to “build in the cool up front,” you need more up-front capital. It’s harder to de-risk the idea before “spending on the cool,” and you can’t easily test “the value of marginal cool."
1
8
Show replies
Replying to
in terms of small-batch hip-ness and quirky innovation, some others in descending order
- clothing/bags ()
- fermented food (hotsauces)
- synths (, Madrona Labs)
- software (Panic)
- science spinoffs (amino.bio, Gaudilabs, Formlabs, Prusa)
1
1
15
Quote Tweet
I screwed around for weeks in Ableton, playing with different scales and synths to come up with unique 'audio logos' for the different stories. If my kid ever decided to spam the buttons, I wanted her to discover she could effectively play it like an instrument.
Show this thread
0:39
2K views
1
Replying to
Teenage Engineering are clearly geniuses who put enormous care into making their products great and both of these show through.
1
1
6
Why can’t everybody... ? This depends heavily on both what you think is great, and what you think “great” is.
1
1
5
Show replies
Replying to
It’s capital intensive and risky - especially if you want to be that uncompromising. And you have to be good at marketing. But Jesper Kouthoofd previously co-founded creative collective (and fashion label) Acne. Stars do not often align like this imo.
1
2
This Tweet was deleted by the Tweet author. Learn more
This would be hella interesting to see.