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Exponential growth, trendwatching, digital products
What are clunky products — and why do they matter at all?
Why clunky products like early smartphones and electric cars are not failures, but signals of upcoming revolutions. And how to use clunky products as a radar for the future.
Sometimes you look at a product and think: “What is this nonsense?”
There are products that seem ridiculous. Big. Fragile. Too complex. Clunky.
We look at them and cringe: “Who would even use this?”
Welcome to the world of clunky products — awkward, imperfect, and… extremely important.
Clunky products are things that look like failures — but are actually signals of where everything is heading next.
In the early 2000s, smartphones were brick-like devices with keyboards. They could send emails and run games, but they looked like tools for engineers, not for people. That was the clunky stage.
Around the same time, Nike+ was launching its first experiments with fitness tracking: a sensor in the shoe, an iPod, button-based interfaces — bulky, inconvenient, and full of limitations.
But that’s where it all began.
Where have we already seen such clunky products?
Smartphones in 2003–2006 — inconvenient, with non-intuitive interfaces.
Early electric cars — 90 km range, no charging infrastructure, unreliable and expensive.
Early jet aircraft — noisy, shaky, and intimidating.
First voice assistants — couldn’t understand accents and gave irrelevant answers.
Each of these clunky products went from “what is this nonsense?” to “everyone has one.”
How does a strange clunky product turn into that “iPhone moment”?
Then comes the “iPhone moment” — a product that makes the entire category mainstream and desirable. It feels natural, simple, and “just right.”
The iPhone in 2007 became that moment for smartphones.
The Tesla Model S became that moment for electric cars.
ChatGPT became that moment for AI assistants.
Almost every innovative product follows this path — from a strange prototype to a standard that everyone understands.
The iPhone moment is that turning-point product that makes an entire category mainstream and desirable.
How can you use this knowledge to your advantage?
Look at clunky products not as failures, but as signals of the future. They show where the market is heading — even if they still look awkward.
What can you start doing right now:
Look for clunky products in other markets — among big players, startups, and adjacent industries.
Analyze what makes them inconvenient. Price? Size? Lack of infrastructure? UX?
Ask yourself: what if you remove the friction and add a bit of magic? Where could the “iPhone moment” emerge?
Watch for “user tension”. If people are using something despite the friction — it means the problem is real, and someone will soon solve it elegantly.
Can a “clunky” product turn out not to be trash, but the first step into the future?
Clunky products are not the trash of history.
They are imperfect first steps into the future. They are like the first airplanes — the wings shake, but the air holds. Look at them more closely — and you’ll be among the
Which of today’s clunky products do you think will grow into the “next iPhones” of their categories?
Which clunky products do you see around you today?
In which of them do you already feel the potential to become the “next iPhone” of their category?
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