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16 items
Why do the most advanced tech products feel so forgettable? In this Fast Company piece, Koto CEO James Greenfield breaks down how consumer electronics lost their sense of imagination and what brands need to fix. If your marketing still sounds like a spec sheet, this is for you.

Consumer electronics keeps getting better. It just doesn’t feel like it. Greenfield’s take is straightforward: engineering leads, brand lags behind. Most companies sell through specs, features, and small upgrades.
Everything works, but nothing sticks. When every TV is 4K and every device is “smart”, those words stop carrying weight. A big part of it comes from copying Apple. The industry borrowed the look but not the thinking behind it. Strip it back without substance and you end up with brands that blur together. The ones that stand out take a different route. Samsung’s The Frame treats the TV as part of the home. Sonos builds around sound and culture. Nothing leans into attitude.
Dyson turns engineering into something you can see and feel. The difference shows up quickly. Some brands describe features. Others define a role in people’s lives. In a category where features get matched fast, brand is what carries through. Playing it safe doesn’t reduce risk, it removes any reason to choose you.
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