There are inspired products, and then there are products that makes me scratch my head, wondering just what were they thinking (WWTT). Among the second type making news this week --Bookswim is a startup company that wants to bring the Netflix model to... books. You remember books- bound paper, conveniently printed on both sides? For $20 or so a month, readers can borrow the books they want to read. The tomes arrive in the mail with a return envelope, and the readers can take as much time as needed to enjoy them.
I know you're thinking what I'm thinking, and that is... library. Maybe I'm spoiled by having some of the best libraries in the country nearby, but why would I pay $20 for a service I can get for free? With online requests, I can have any book in the system, usually within a day or two. If the idea is that readers are saved the time of going to the library or book store... readers LIKE going to the library and the book store.
This week is the 50th birthday of one of the most famous WWTT products, the Ford (NYSE:F) Edsel.
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