Although Henry Ford probably never said it, it is always attributed to him...
"If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse."
No one asked for a mobile 'phone, a word processor, a touch screen or even a power source for their laptop on a long haul flight. The truth is that people will only ever tell the focus groups, interviewers and marketing people that they want what is already there, only better, faster and cheaper.
Competition never improves the breed, it just makes them extinct - no more carts, horses, pits or tilling the soil - but that doesn't stop that ridiculous mantra being spun out on every conceivable occasion. It's almost as bad as "let the free market decide." The market did decide, but the Governments stepped in to save the banks!!
A competition between people and technology is, however, one of the best ways of having fun. It's great to see so many people coming in to have a go now that the class is seen as lots more than just a 30-year-old design. May the best car win!!
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