Once self-touted as the greatest invention in history of humanity, Segway was quietly sold at the end of January. Despite the initial fanfare, they never acquired the ubiquity they aspired for. What was the problem?
I suppose it was because no one could make riding Segway sexy. Listing the iconic Segway riders makes this point clear. Is there anyone who wants to date them?
- Mall cops
- Chinese Segway army
- The movie Speed Racer (corporate engineers)
- Steve Wozniak and his pals playing polo
Clearly Segway's unpopularity is not because of its impracticality. Millions of city residents buy shiny BMWs and Audis, 10 times as costly as Segway but only twice as useful (I guess). I am afraid the real answer we don't want Segway is that we simply cannot think of a context to impress others (especially girls for men) using it.
Objectively, riding a Segway can be as sexy as riding a mountain bike wearing pink helmet and yellow spandex. But alas, bike riders has Lance Armstrong as the official sexydom ambassador. Segway had Steve Wozniak. The game was over even before it started.
The Segway team really should have added sexual element into that so-unsexual machine. Maybe the current owner will do it; that's when Segway will come back with a vengeance. What about this Korean dancing team (very hot in Taiwan currently) doing their moves on Segways?