RichardC (tich.delete@this.pobox.com) on September 29, 2013 6:00 pm wrote:
> Brett (ggtgp.delete@this.yahoo.com) on September 29, 2013 2:56 pm wrote:
> > http://www.idownloadblog.com/2012/09/24/authentec-stop-supplying-sensors-2013/
> >
> > Take a niche technology, polish it, scale production up, and deliver it to the masses.
> > This is how you stay on the leading edge as far as consumers know, and make big bucks.
> > We see this over and over with Apple: iPods, Retina, etc.
>
> You make it sound easy. But it is in fact very difficult to figure which of the
> many "niche technology" ideas can feasibly be scaled to high volume at a reasonable
> price, and will also be desirable to tens of millions of consumers. Henry Ford
> didn't invent the automobile, but in figuring out to manufacture a reasonably
> reliable product in high volume at a price affordable to the middle classes, he
> changed the world. "Polish" matters; "scale" matters; "delivering to the masses"
> matters; and each one is a formidable challenge.

Agreed, and by doing so Ford has it's own fanboyism that has lasted over a hundred years.
My guess of a year or two for finger print scanner copies to appear looks good:

Synaptics buys Samsung partner Validity to take on Apple's AuthenTec Touch ID feature
http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/10/10/synaptics-buys-samsung-partner-validity-to-take-on-apples-authentec-touch-id-feature

Nobody wanted the AuthenTec finger scanner, it was too expensive in the small volumes produced.
Now Apple owns AuthenTec and is making tens of millions of these sensors.
For Apple buying AuthenTec was a slam dunk gift on a platter that will drive more fanboyism, users want it and Apple delivered.

It was easy to predict the creation of the iPhone, at the WWDC Q&A with Steve Jobs, developers were begging Steve Jobs to turn the iPod into a phone. I screamed at the video and said "yes, sell me a phone that does not suck!" Users want it and Apple delivered.

This is the mantra that created Sony, GE, and lots of other giant successful companies, productizing and delivering innovation that people want and can use. Apple can ride this wave for another decade or two just by listening to it's developers and users, like Sony and GE.