Distributor vs. Innovator, who wins?

[Julio Franco]

There is an interesting article on NYTimes.com today titled "The Distributor vs. the Innovator", taking as example the current dominance of HP in the printer market and the big threat Dell could become in the coming years as it expands their product reach to corporate and home users.

Dell admits it, they are late for the party but they plan on taking heavy measures in order to become competitive (lower prices, anyone?), in the other hand HP simply says, it won't be that easy.

 

[Masque]

HP is right....it won't be that easy. Dell's toner carts are proprietory...cannot be refilled by a third party. Their business service support leaves a lot to be desired. This I've heard from a number of small businesses who have purchased HP since and will no longer deal with Dell....at least in printer business.

 

[Godataloss]

If the American Technology industry can serve as any indication, the distributor will always reap the majority of the rewards that arise by way of inovation.

Japan historically thrived by "adapting" existing technology. Now it is Taiwan, China, South Korea and India.