Disruptive innovation

A disruptive technology (English disrupt - smash ) is an innovation that may be completely replaced an existing technology, an existing product or an existing service. Disruptive innovations are usually found at the lower end of the market and in new markets. The new markets are emerging for the established providers usually unexpected and are for this, especially because of their initially small volume or customer segment uninteresting. They can have strong growth over time and displace existing markets or products and services completely or partially.

Disruptive technologies are inferior to established products initially. In terms of capacity, reliability and price are today, for example, flash memory over disks far behind, so hard drives be installed in PCs. However, since flash memory are very small and consume little energy, they are used in new areas, such as USB flash drives, digital cameras and MP3 players. Due to the great success in the new markets put two developments for the benefit of a disruptive technology: the sales of flash memory increase, causing prices to fall and the memories are always better.

Examples

  • VoIP: First, the VoIP technology is still associated with disadvantages: The voice quality is poor at first, moreover, not all phone numbers accessible. The technology continues to evolve, on the development of Enablers " ADSL " the voice quality is first improved. Also, providers allow, after standardization in the SIP protocol uncomplicated access to normal landline numbers. The prices are initially higher, but can with increasing spread more and more free connections are used.
  • Digital Camera: First digital cameras were not convincing quality. Resolutions under one mega-pixel represented a major disadvantage compared to the classical small -screen photography dar. But were the benefits of this technology clearly: The image result could be checked immediately for numerous snapshots incurred no further costs and the pictures could be processed further or copy immediately. Meanwhile, the image quality has improved so much that digital cameras have virtually replaced the analog cameras.
  • Semiconductor electronics: In the early years the semiconductor were still inferior to the tubes. But when it was possible to build semiconductors for greater performance and higher frequencies, they displaced the tubes more and more, since the semiconductor electronics are smaller, more reliable and more energy efficient than the tube electronics.
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