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We almost had a smartphone in the 90s. Why did it fail?

Overview

Shownote

Highlights

Transcript

Chapters

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We almost had a smartphone in the 90s. Why did it fail?

Planet Money

1 DAYS AGO
Planet Money

Planet Money

1 DAYS AGO
OverviewShownoteHighlightsTranscriptChaptersPins

Shownote

In the early 90’s, a company called General Magic began working on a portable device that would allow people to check email, make phone calls, even play games. It was basically a smartphone. But it never caught on. On today’s show, a theory about why this...

Highlights

This episode explores the surprising story of General Magic, a 1990s tech company that had everything going for it—money, talent, and a visionary idea for a smartphone—yet still failed spectacularly. The narrative investigates a counterintuitive theory: that the company's abundance of resources and freedom was actually the root cause of its downfall, and that constraints, not unlimited options, are often the secret to innovation.
00:00
General Magic had everything to build the first smartphone.
11:39
Constraints are essential for successful creativity
14:34
No constraints like bosses or deadlines caused engineers to build for each other.
23:04
Constraints, not freedom, often drive creative success.
25:56
Constraints can foster creativity.

Chapters

The Dream Team That Had Everything—Except a Customer
00:00
Why the Sony Magic Link Was a Masterpiece Nobody Wanted
08:52
The Three Hidden Traps of Too Much Money and No Bosses
14:34
How Failure at General Magic Forged the Blueprint for the iPod and iPhone
20:18
The Surprising Power of Limits: What Dr. Seuss and a Smartphone Have in Common
25:56

Transcript

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