ActoNetwork | Flock: Where's the Disruption?

Flock: Where's the Disruption?

kidmercury | 22 October, 2005 06:37

Flock is a new web browser -- a spin-off, so to speak, of Firefox. It's big claim to fame is its strategy of making the browser a more social/communicative tool; it allows for superior RSS integration, social bookmarking, blogging, and more. Here's a positive,detailed review of its features, as well as a link to download it.

But there's a problem with Flock. It's not disruptive.

Flock's biggest problem is that it is competing directly with Microsoft and Firefox to capture the browser market. This is not a product that can be used as a supplement to a browser; it is not like you are going to use Firefox to browse the web and Flock to do something else (like check your email). It is trying to be an aggregator of web tools. A specialized RSS reader (like Bloglines), on the other hand, is something that can be used as a supplement to the browser surfing experience. That is disruptive, as it creates new demand, and sets the stage for the displacement/commoditization of the browser down the road. Flock, though, is simply an incremental improvement over existing browsers, and as such, it is a sustaining innovation -- not a disruptive one. Sustaining innovations are best launched by market incumbents, not new companies looking to enter established markets.

Flock: Where's the Disruption?

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