In 1998, Motorola rolled out a product that was supposed to redefine the world of mobile telephony. The Iridium, declared the company, would be the first mobile phone to provide uninterrupted wireless communication anywhere in the world, no matter what the terrain or country. It was a complete flop. In its rush to embrace a new technology, Motorola overlooked the product’s many drawbacks: the phone was heavy, it needed a host of attachments, and it couldn’t be used in a car or building—exactly where jet-setting global executives needed it most. At $3,000, people couldn’t see any compelling reason to switch from their $150 cell phones.
A version of this article appeared in the September–October 2000 issue of Harvard Business Review.
