One of the hallmarks of disruptive technologies is that initially they underperform the current technology on
the attributes that matter most to mainstream customers. The companies that succeed in commercializing
them, therefore, must find different customers for whom the new technology’s attributes are most valuable.
Identify two markets that are emerging today based on attributes or qualities that seemed unimportant to the
mainstream markets when they were introduced? (If you can’t think of anything, consider the online education
revolution as a topic to explore. Does anyone seriously believe that bricks and mortar schools will be the
dominant power in twenty years?) When identifying the two markets, explain how older mainstream products or
companies are threatened.