Remarkable vs Mainstream

When the iPhone first came out, it was remarkable. 

But not everybody wanted one. Price. AT&T. And most importantly, “What will I do with this thing?” The culture was set up against it. It was remarkable. 

Then, over time, the culture flipped. 

Now, the iPhone, plus the equally remarkable Android phones, are mainstream. 

New model releases don’t impress us much. Using them is just part of our daily existence. Oh crap, I dropped mine. I’ll just get another. 

Apple, Samsung, Google, and all of the others spend just as much, actually more, engineering time and effort to make the next version as they did the first one. It doesn’t cost them any less. It’s not easier.

Who benefits when the remarkable becomes mainstream? 

It’s a bit of a paradox — the work is hardest when no one cares, but the payoff is biggest when everyone does.