I know this has 91 comments, I know its on the front page, I know that three days ago I got slapped for being on the other side of this issue, but, really... this thread is HN worthy?
Yes. It tells an important story about product creation.
DuckTales had to make it over 65 episodes and under budget. It had simple goals and it accomplished them.
Look at Apple at their brightest hours. You can say that the iPhone was Apple throwing down the gauntlet and rejecting the tyranny of buttons and saved us all, but the reality is simple. Touch was expensive and bad for a long time, so Apple waited until touch was cheap and good, then they solved for X. They didn't care if you didn't buy iWorks for your iMac and your iPad, they just wanted to sell hardware.
That is the secret to success for many products and avoiding it is the road to failure for many others: if affordable{solve for x();} else {do something else();}
MS and Disney have shot themselves in the foot numerous times. MS making sure they didn't hurt other product lines created huge waste and left consumers hesitant. Disney obsessed with the Disney Princess and drove away everyone but the pre-teen girl and parents didn't bother taking their kids to see The Princess and the Frog because Dad would lose his mind and empty his walled if he thought he'd have to spend another second in Hanna Montana-ville. Instead of just solving for X, they lost consumers who assumed they'd get screwed down the road somewhere.
This is a story about a finely crafted work of art being influenced by a commercial market.
Not everything on the site is a "how to succeed in business without really trying" morality play, linkbait product announcement, or self-help column. The guideline is "stuff that is interesting" and it's intentionally vague.
