Old school online community The Well has a very interesting new article on the success of the Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifle. While inferior to many other rifles, the AK-47' reliability, ease of use and ability to stand up to abuse have seen it become the weapon of choice for soldiers and terrorists the world over.
The author cites "Weaponomics: The Global Market for Assault Rifles", a paper by Phillip Killicoat of Oxford University:
This demonstrates something we see over and over in the tech industry. An inferior product becomes sucessful because it is made more available. Betamax is the classic example, where the freely licensable VHS took over the market. Sony still haven't learned this lesson. Count how many times they release a new proprietary format.
Another example in the article is the QWERTY keyboard. The all-pervasive standard is slower to use than modern alternatives like the Dvorak layout, but it was so widespread when the computer market exploded that has been impossible to displace.
The lesson here seem to be something that we here at the Lab mention often. Lock in is not only bad for your customers. It's bad for business too.
How is an AK-47 like a QWERTY keyboard? [The Well]
Weaponomics: The Global Market for Assault Rifles [PDF Link]
