Wired ran an article entitled Atoms are the new Bits or something reasonably similar, about DIY manufacturing and using Chinese manufacturers to build items because they're working on becoming what is in effect scaleless manufacturers (where it costs only slightly more to make one of something than it does to make 1000).

It's an interesting read, and I think that this idea definitely has something behind it. For some of you that have been on the recieving end on some of my comments about smartbooks and tablets, one of the reasons for this is that in my computer class I'm doing a mock project about tablets, and in my business/marketing class I'm creating a fictitious company that's based on the premes that the Tegra 2 platform will be strong enough to run a linux WoW client, and that we can import smartbooks from China at a low enough cost that we can compete in the existing netbook space at a profit, and market what I'm jokingly calling WoWbooks. What's scary is that from everything I'm doing in class I'm rapidly learning that the idea isn't insane at all. I'm tempted to get a Tegra 2 development board, test my theory, then file some trademarks and look for manufacturers. Hell even if Tegra 2 isn't that powerful the next chip just might be…

Anyway, just thought I'd throw in my two cents. If you're interested there is also a huge DIY movement based on US companies doing similar things (the makerbot is one of the cooler things I've seen), it'll be interesting to see if US based companies can compete price for price on small scale runs with Chinesee companies once you factor in the costs of shipping.

Anyway, it's not likely to have much impact at once, but we really may finally be entering a post industrial era in a literal sense, where people can design things in their home and bring them to market relatively few boundaries to entry.

Time will tell.

Wired ran an article entitled Atoms are the new Bits or something reasonably similar, about DIY manufacturing and using Chinese manufacturers to build items because they're working on becoming what is in effect scaleless manufacturers (where it costs only slightly more to make one of something than it does to make 1000).

It's an interesting read, and I think that this idea definitely has something behind it. For some of you that have been on the recieving end on some of my comments about smartbooks and tablets, one of the reasons for this is that in my computer class I'm doing a mock project about tablets, and in my business/marketing class I'm creating a fictitious company that's based on the premes that the Tegra 2 platform will be strong enough to run a linux WoW client, and that we can import smartbooks from China at a low enough cost that we can compete in the existing netbook space at a profit, and market what I'm jokingly calling WoWbooks. What's scary is that from everything I'm doing in class I'm rapidly learning that the idea isn't insane at all. I'm tempted to get a Tegra 2 development board, test my theory, then file some trademarks and look for manufacturers. Hell even if Tegra 2 isn't that powerful the next chip just might be…

Anyway, just thought I'd throw in my two cents. If you're interested there is also a huge DIY movement based on US companies doing similar things (the makerbot is one of the cooler things I've seen), it'll be interesting to see if US based companies can compete price for price on small scale runs with Chinesee companies once you factor in the costs of shipping.

Anyway, it's not likely to have much impact at once, but we really may finally be entering a post industrial era in a literal sense, where people can design things in their home and bring them to market relatively few boundaries to entry.

Time will tell.

It is a really cool design tablet bag.