[pongle]

Linking to the print version caught me slightly off guard, but otherwise an interesting article.

The author appears to be asking for a car manufacturer to build a one-size-fits-all car and make it cheap enough for everyone to be able to afford. I would be unsurprised to find that a car that meets his specification already exist, but is hidden by the wide range of options and alternatives offered by the various manufacturers (the curse of choice). So what the author is really asking for is for a manufacturer to pair-down their range and only offer one car, in black... While this might be possible for a start-up this is not possible for any of the large car companies. My example would be the Smart car, started with one design, and now has at least three or four different offerings to diversify their customer base.

Can anyone provide an example of an industry where choice has been significantly reduced over time?

Link to original article: http://tbm.thebigmoney.com/articles/judgments/2008/12/29/nex...