The_Innovators_Dilemma__Clayton
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dimension satisfied market needs, the definition of performance on the vertical axis changed once
more, to reflect demand for reliability. For a time, products offering competitively superior shock
resistance and mean time between failure (MTBF) were accorded a significant price premium,
compared to competitive offerings. But as MTBF values approached one million hours, 1 the shadow
price accorded to an increment of one hundred hours MTBF approached zero, suggesting performance
oversupply on that dimension of product performance. The subsequent and current phase is an intense
price-based competition, with gross margins tumbling below 12 percent in some instances.
WHEN DOES A PRODUCT BECOME A COMMODITY?
The process of commoditization of disk drives was defined by the interplay between the trajectories of
what the market demanded and what the technology supplied. The 5.25-inch drive had become a pricedriven
commodity in the desktop market by about 1988, when the 3.5-inch drive was still at a premium
price. The 5.25-inch drive, in addition, even though priced as a commodity in desktop applications, was
at the same time, relative to 8-inch drives, achieving substantial price premiums in higher-tier markets.
As described in chapter 4, this explains the aggressive moves upmarket made by established
companies.
Figure 9.3 Changes in the Basis of Competition in the Disk Drive Industry
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