Ikea's model seems better suited for a web business anyway. This idea matches more with the physical, custom retail experience. My question: Same day delivery? (Of course not, I know, but will they do better than the eternal wait times for other custom furniture shops?)
Reading into this more: While we surely need an easier way to swipe for a subway ride, other than buggy MetroCards, why is .24% usage considered a success? Worth the cost?
Think of them in terms of what they threaten, and they seem like a failure. But measure them in attention they've brought to this cause, and they're a pretty significant success. Planned or unintentional?
It's a CEO Speedwagon! The story is a nice antidote to the Pearl Jammed version of Ticketmaster's evilness. There's lots of nuance. And, though it might have made a grab for fees early on, Ticketmaster--and Live Nation--finally seem to be innovating, creating services that actually make concerts better.
There is tons of smacktalk coming from HP on this. Is the confidence justified? WebOS has plenty of lovers, but iPad's a market share monster. Competition, still, is healthy.
A long time ago, some friends and I rented out a wave pool at a Disney water park so we could have the waves all to ourselves. So after the tourists were kicked out, we put on our own music on the sound system and shared waves, a group of 10 friends. I think it cost $100 each. This is the same thrill, I'd imagine.
If we were able to say why, definitively, something went viral, then viral wouldn't seem so unusual or special, would it. We're all left to guess when something like this takes off in an organic, viral way. What's more interesting than guessing at that is what the fallout will be for business--and the publishing model. That's what this story explored.