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Philips' iPad, circa 1999
CJ KOOMEN
7/16/2012 2:47 PM EDT
What's in a name? Plenty.
A name is a label, a person, an object. Or sometimes it is something of a puzzle. In this case, it is a puzzle in time… an object on a company’s roadmap or possibly several companies’ roadmaps? How great things can get invented several times?
The picture comes from a 1999 slide presentation about a business development activity at Philips labeled the iHome project; a version of it used a special symbol based on the @ sign with a picture of a home was created for this project aimed a devices that combined media content display, user interaction and communications. One of the products was a PDA but also other product concepts were created within the project.
The objective was to create great digital products for the home and beyond. Entering the digital age. The start was a plasma HDTV in which we included the Trimedia multimedia processor. The team outperformed in getting the design-in done well within the time limit. Meanwhile, videoconferencing vendor Polycom rolled out a "Viewstation" videoconferencing product based on this processor core. Later Polycom acquired its competitor Picturetel who used a different technology. Philips excelled in creating innovative product concepts.
Another project, this time within Philips Semiconductors, was dubbed the “Wrist Communicator”. The project served as a vehicle to develop the RF and digital technology to be used in semiconductor products for wireless devices. It helped generate many successful semiconductor products in the communications space. Companies such as Ericsson, Nokia, Qualcomm and many others became customers. The team who did this was outstanding. It was GREAT teamwork across the globe, 24 hours a day.
So what are the ingredients for success? A vision; without that it is like driving at night without the headlights on. It generates inspiration, excitement, participation and commitment. Next, a razor sharp focus to drive the effort to a competitive success. Excellent people who have no problem to go the extra mile or two. A demanding management that supports the team 200%, and a competitive environment. But above all: excitement to work on a project that exceeds the obvious and chases the seemingly impossible combined with pragmatism and common sense.
Another example is Albert Plesman, the founder of KLM. He was a visionary but also down to earth when it came to air travel. The combination of Anthony Fokker and his path-breaking biplanes and Albert Plesman proved to be a winning combination. The partners combined pragmatism with creative vision to help launch the airline industry. An early KLM ad shows a comparison between the legendary aircraft, “The Flying Dutchman,” and the actual flying Dutchman. Early safety instructions to passengers were extremely pragmatic: "Don´t wear your hat or shawl outside the window (!) at departure; the airflow could tear it from your head causing it to get into the rudder and disabling these." Or: If you travel in an open cabin, take good goggles with you and put on a leather or silk cap to protect your hairstyle.
The instructions showed that KLM was already thinking about customer service.
Conclusion: Crazy ideas from visionaries became reality and changed the world. So don´t be afraid of creating far-fetched products since they may become reality.
-- Cees Jan Koomen, a former Philips executive, is a Netherlands-based entrepreneur.
A name is a label, a person, an object. Or sometimes it is something of a puzzle. In this case, it is a puzzle in time… an object on a company’s roadmap or possibly several companies’ roadmaps? How great things can get invented several times?
The picture comes from a 1999 slide presentation about a business development activity at Philips labeled the iHome project; a version of it used a special symbol based on the @ sign with a picture of a home was created for this project aimed a devices that combined media content display, user interaction and communications. One of the products was a PDA but also other product concepts were created within the project.
The objective was to create great digital products for the home and beyond. Entering the digital age. The start was a plasma HDTV in which we included the Trimedia multimedia processor. The team outperformed in getting the design-in done well within the time limit. Meanwhile, videoconferencing vendor Polycom rolled out a "Viewstation" videoconferencing product based on this processor core. Later Polycom acquired its competitor Picturetel who used a different technology. Philips excelled in creating innovative product concepts.
Another project, this time within Philips Semiconductors, was dubbed the “Wrist Communicator”. The project served as a vehicle to develop the RF and digital technology to be used in semiconductor products for wireless devices. It helped generate many successful semiconductor products in the communications space. Companies such as Ericsson, Nokia, Qualcomm and many others became customers. The team who did this was outstanding. It was GREAT teamwork across the globe, 24 hours a day.
So what are the ingredients for success? A vision; without that it is like driving at night without the headlights on. It generates inspiration, excitement, participation and commitment. Next, a razor sharp focus to drive the effort to a competitive success. Excellent people who have no problem to go the extra mile or two. A demanding management that supports the team 200%, and a competitive environment. But above all: excitement to work on a project that exceeds the obvious and chases the seemingly impossible combined with pragmatism and common sense.
Another example is Albert Plesman, the founder of KLM. He was a visionary but also down to earth when it came to air travel. The combination of Anthony Fokker and his path-breaking biplanes and Albert Plesman proved to be a winning combination. The partners combined pragmatism with creative vision to help launch the airline industry. An early KLM ad shows a comparison between the legendary aircraft, “The Flying Dutchman,” and the actual flying Dutchman. Early safety instructions to passengers were extremely pragmatic: "Don´t wear your hat or shawl outside the window (!) at departure; the airflow could tear it from your head causing it to get into the rudder and disabling these." Or: If you travel in an open cabin, take good goggles with you and put on a leather or silk cap to protect your hairstyle.
The instructions showed that KLM was already thinking about customer service.
Conclusion: Crazy ideas from visionaries became reality and changed the world. So don´t be afraid of creating far-fetched products since they may become reality.
-- Cees Jan Koomen, a former Philips executive, is a Netherlands-based entrepreneur.
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Bert22306
7/16/2012 4:32 PM EDT
As far as that goes, the cell phone and tablet/e-reader concepts were clearly demonstrated in the original 1966 Star Trek TV series. And while the cell phone evolved to a wearable device, in subsequent Star Trek series, the tablet remained pretty much the same throughout.
Also, the tricorder, a tablet that also scans and does data analysis, such as you might see carried by store inventory clerks, rental car people, UPS or Fed Ex workers, and now even medical diagnostic tools attached to a smart phone, for instance. Another original Star Trek device.
Visionaries come from all walks of life.
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Herbert72
7/16/2012 5:02 PM EDT
As I worked within Philips Research, we were used to say: "Philips invented it, Sony sold it".
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junko.yoshida
7/16/2012 6:26 PM EDT
It's interesting you say that. I have seen many of those examples -- especially among CE products.
But I particularly liked this piece by Cees Jan Koomen, because he shared with us the drawing of the iPad concept Philips had in mind then!
Indeed, great products can be developed (and invented) by multiple companies...
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WW Thinker
7/26/2012 11:33 PM EDT
I wonder if Philips can take Apple to court because iPad stole the idea from Philips!
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The MicroMan
7/17/2012 5:34 PM EDT
Curious article. I can enumerate dozens of great ideas envisioned long before their time, or implemented long ago, that may or not have been successful for all kinds of reasons. Steerable headlights, computer-controlled energy-managed homes (Ahwatukee house, c.1980), Newton PDAs, CD-I, video phones (early '60s), Dick Tracy watches, 3D movies (still ugh!)... Behind every one of these ideas were a lot of smart engineers. iPad? It used to be that a "pad" was where you lived. Maybe a new Philips should resurrect their earlier product as an iCrib.
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E-Unit
7/18/2012 3:34 AM EDT
Back in the 90's, Philips produced a Sat-Nav. Unfortuantely lacking the satellite, it was just a "nav" and failed to sell (or they decided not to sell it). They were eventually given away without support to anyone who made a large purchase in the staff shop.
Development in Hastings (DAP setion of Philips UK) came out with some bright ideas but they were invariably pooh-poohed by Euro management (electronic i-kettle, water cleaning product). The usual descended instruction was to find a way to circumvent the patent on a competitors newly released product. Shop floor were officially encouraged to innvoate but when suggesting anything were always chastised for it. The plant closed, officially due to losses, in 1999. I wasn't impressed with the comapny from my internal view, but it may have just been how that one plant was run.
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junko.yoshida
7/19/2012 7:01 AM EDT
I hear you. While the author's conclusion (Crazy ideas from visionaries became reality and changed the world. So don´t be afraid of creating far-fetched products since they may become reality.) remains valid, what most of us on the shop floor need to konw is how we can convince the management to let us pursue it to commercialization.
What are we missing?
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Bert22306
7/19/2012 3:25 PM EDT
I think you're missing that "pursue to commercialization" is a gamble that costs money. It's not free. You have to assign people to do the work, which means other work that may be needed isn't getting done, and that possibly you have more people on the payroll that are not creating revenues for the company.
Ideas that appear to be too far-fetched get the axe. Of course, there's also the possibility of management being too conservative. But the tradeoff can't just be ignored.
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WW Thinker
7/26/2012 11:43 PM EDT
You hit the nail. "Pursue to commercialization" is what it takes to translate from concept/vision to real-life product. However, I feel that most commercialization were done pre-maturely. For instance, today, many consumers pay for LTE phones who are very power-hungry and the services are spotty. Instead, if the LTE service is limited to only those who really need it and can afford the high price, the user experience could be fantastic. Or, if OEMs wait till 14nm process becomes available, the multi-mode LTE/VoLTE/3G-4G Fall-back become mature, consumers will be in heaven from day one!
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cmathas
7/18/2012 12:09 PM EDT
Hi CJ,
While I agree that losing the fear to create far-fetched products is critical, so is reestablishing the climate so that these products can be born. It’s easy to remember the excitement that spurred innovation “back in the day.” Do we have such excitement now? Not so much.
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WW Thinker
7/26/2012 11:52 PM EDT
Given that almost all companies universally take the approach to only enrich the CEOs and his lieutenants with millions of rewards, there are not much left to stimulate, to incubate, to nurture the far-fetched product ideas. I strongly believe that, until engineers, scientists, even those sweeping the floors can be compensated as fairly as the CEOs, the world is go to see fewer and fewer far-fetched ideas. After all, with the ever more emphasis on profit/quarter (from the financial sectors and the speculators), with the insane rewards for the CEOs (supposedly the most visionary persons in the corporate America/Europe/Asia), there are little crumbles left to create a welcoming, interesting, stimulating environment. I hope I am wrong at these.
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batero
7/19/2012 11:06 AM EDT
Interesting article!
I once read a book covering the history of Sony (interesting, yet clearly Sony-biased), and they claimed they would have eventually invented the CD technology on their own, without the JV with Philips... So it's refreshing to read a comment above from Herbert72.
My question is: In today's fast-paced life, aren't we probably misnaming intelligent marketeers as "visionaries"?
I think nowadays companies claim, or get credit for "inventing" gadgets that already existed (or the concept was already well-known...).
I believe vision, development and marketing should go hand by hand. None of them can excel without the help from the others.
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