While knowledge may normally be cheap, even the lofty Harvard Business School Press has jumped the gun on "Ginger" (a.k.a. "IT"), paying a $250,000 advance for the rights to a book about the futuristic product.
The kicker: even the publishers haven't the slightest idea what the book's subject will be.
Even the media has fallen prey to the hype, speculating wildly. Washington Technology Online (www.wtonline.com) has posted interviews with those who think "IT" is a hovercraft or a flying carpet. (Don't get your hopes up too soon; inventor Dean Kamen says most suggestions he's heard have been "beyond whimsical.")
It's easy to become excited about a product Silicon Valley entrepreneur John Doerr says will be bigger than the Internet. After all, our society has been given a healthy dose of a fantastic sci-fi future.
From Star Wars to The Jetsons to H.G. Wells' The Time Machine, we are intrigued by that which is cutting edge, innovative, possible.
We're a generation of visionaries.
It seems everyone has a theory on "IT" -- the predominant ones being that "IT" is small enough to fit in a duffel bag, easy enough to be put together in 10 minutes and simple enough to only require a screwdriver.
It is important for consumers to err on the side of caution where little information is concerned.
After all, some believe "Ginger" is nothing more than fuel for discussion.
Amazon.com already has a posting for "IT" -- although it does concede, "Sorry, no price information available, as product remains unknown."
Well, that's a relief. Unlike Silicon Valley heavies, most people don't have the funds to throw away on a concept that's at least a year out of production (and, furthermore, is completely under wraps).
For now, consumers' best bet is to read up on "Ginger," attempting as best they can to separate the hype from the reality -- even if reality is small enough to fit inside a duffel bag.
