Perhaps we merely need to modify the thesis: Kickstarter is the user interface by which independent designers connect a thoroughly mature, ever-improving ecosystem of OEMs and prototyping shops to consumers, thereby potentially disrupting consumer electronics.
The real force here is small-batch manufacturing, which has been a long time in coming. Laser cutters, water-jet cutters, 3D printers, and - perhaps more importantly - the technology to enter a credit card number, press a button, and ship your CAD drawings around the world to a shop in some Chinese city where a team of machinists can whip up a thousand units for small amounts of money.
But the way this technology manifests to US consumers is via Kickstarter campaigns.
And, sure, if you want to scale any of these Kickstarters up to millions of units you'll need a real manufacturing team and capital. But, as with software startups, it's easier to raise capital once you've found product/market fit. And here we have the other advantage of Kickstarter: It makes it easier than ever to find and energize a collection of early customers.
Don't think for a minute I'm satisfied with the status quo. I'd love it if all these rapid prototyping tools got cheap enough for mass production. But that's not how it is now or for the near term.
Actually, there is one area where rapid proto has helped, and that is with PCB manufacturing. It is relatively easy to get boards done quickly. The board outlines are done with CNC, and the holes are often laser drilled.
But your job is definitely not over when you email the design file, in many ways it is just beginning.
The real force here is small-batch manufacturing, which has been a long time in coming. Laser cutters, water-jet cutters, 3D printers, and - perhaps more importantly - the technology to enter a credit card number, press a button, and ship your CAD drawings around the world to a shop in some Chinese city where a team of machinists can whip up a thousand units for small amounts of money.
But the way this technology manifests to US consumers is via Kickstarter campaigns.
And, sure, if you want to scale any of these Kickstarters up to millions of units you'll need a real manufacturing team and capital. But, as with software startups, it's easier to raise capital once you've found product/market fit. And here we have the other advantage of Kickstarter: It makes it easier than ever to find and energize a collection of early customers.