Definition
- When a technology is shelved it is not released to the market either temporarily or permanently.
- Technology that is shelved for various reasons.
- Sometimes shelved technologies will be rediscovered or taken off the shelf.
- A company has spent money on research and development (R&D) and so shelving a product will not be taken lightly.
Reasons for Shelving Patented Technologies
Cost Effectiveness
- The technology is available, but the cost of using it in products makes it too expensive for the consumer.
Social Circumstances
- The market might not be ready for a change.
- Often results in the invention to be shelved for a later date until people start warming up to the idea.
- The market might perceive the product as unsafe.
- Can be due to cultural or circumstantial reasons.
Technological
- The science and fundamental ideas have been developed, but technology is not resolved enough to introduce the product.
Timing and Strategic Reasons
- Products are released in a strategic order.
- Some products are delayed to make it more understandable or appealing to the audience.
- This is so that the change consumers experience from new innovations is mitigated.
Example
- The iPad was released after the iPhone, despite being developed first. This was to smooth the transition to the new products. As the iPhone is a technological progression of mobile phones and the iPad was a configurational progression of the iPhone. Had the iPad been introduced before people were used to the iPhone, it might have seemed too radical and its purpose might not have been understood.