Our enthusiasm for the Zackees LED turn signal glove is not news to regular readers; we loved it since we first heard about it. You did, too, apparently, because our first post and another from Zackees founder Zach Vorheis generated strong traffic and good comments.
More than that, the Zackees Kickstarter campaign hit its $35,000 funding campaign in just 10 days. Sweet.
So why is this an “idea” and not a “product”? Because it hasn’t shipped yet. The wearables market is reminiscent of the early PC business, when there were lots great-looking products — some of which made the covers of important magazines — that never actually shipped. (This is why then-editor-and-now-VC Stewart Alsop coined the term “vaporware.”) It’s not a product until it gets into the hands of paying customers. It is, however, a great idea.