Saturday, September 8, 2012

Need Power? It's In The Bag.


The Powerbag


There is a new product that most definitely exemplifies the following drivers of innovation: technology advances and changing customer needs. This new product goes by the name of Powerbag.

Click here to go to website

The Powerbag focuses in on one major problem that all technology-driven people are having: our phones, computers, and other items running out of battery. Let’s face it, phone batteries do not usually stay fully charged for very long. I myself can not touch my phone for hours, and by the next time I need it, I have 10% battery left.

The official website for Powerbag states:

"We’ve been there. You reach into your bag or backpack for your phone and the battery is dying or dead. Sure, you can charge it through a wall outlet or your car charger but how about those times when you’re away from electricity or forgotten your cords? Powerbag makes those problems a thing of the past. 
Equipped with a complete charging system -- battery, Apple connector, Micro- and Mini-USB connectors and an on-board USB port – Powerbag is ready to charge up to 4 devices at once anywhere, anytime. One Powerbag charge will boost the average smartphone at least 2X, and having the most common connectors out there means HUNDREDS of devices are covered. Even eReaders and tablets can be topped off! Plus with exclusive designs by fūl, carry everything you need in looks that suit your style."

The Powerbag addresses the needs of the constantly changing technological world. As Cooper said in Winning at New Products, “The world’s base of technology and know-how increases at an exponential rate, making possible solutions and products not even dreamed of a decade or so ago” (pg 8).  This product would not have been necessary even a decade ago, as the need for technological products has become more necessary as the years pass by. So, the innovators of the Powerbag asked themselves one question: how can the typical on-the-go person with many devices keep their batteries from dying? Contact (through smart phones and computers) has become vital. As my mother would say: your day has the possibility of being very unproductive if your favorite technological device dies.

The Powerbag had the answer: creating a mobile device (the bag) that can charge up to four devices at one time. Not only has this product addressed technology advances, it exemplifies how customer needs change over time. We have crossed the bridge from people wanting their phones to be charged to people needing their phones to be charged. When we were not in the digital age, this bag would have been rendered useless. Now, the Powerbag could have many possible markets to sell to: college students, business people, and travelers are just a few examples.

No one wants to have their phone die!

Potential Pitfalls


If I were personally on the Powerbag development team, I would be concerned about one of Cooper’s pitfalls in particular: a lack of market orientation.

This particular pitfall may apply to the Powerbag, as the presence of this brand has not quite gathered the technological “buzz” that many new devices do. Although they have seemed to adequately researched their potential markets, this particular invention should have been raved about the second it hit the market. We have been waiting for some device that could keep our batteries from running low as we move about our day. So why have I not heard of this before?

It may take time for the success or failure of this product to be visible, but one thing is for sure: it holds a lot of potential.

Separate from the “pitfall” of market orientation, I will also be interested to see if they can avoid the “pitfall” of poor quality of execution. Sure, we would all enjoy a bag that can charge up to four devices. But, will that drain all of the power from the bag? Has the Powerbag company tried so hard to make this bag assessable to people with multiple devices that they ignored the fact that four devices may overload the bag? The general idea is wonderful. As a developer of this product, I would make sure that the bags were tested and retested to withstand four constantly charging devices.

I am a little skeptical that the product may be at risk for malfunction and lacking market support thus far, but this product has been a long time coming. It is perfect for our technology-filled, fast-paced world, and I would have been proud to have been on the innovation team for this product.

For more information on the Powerbag, go to their home page: http://www.mypowerbag.com


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