Technology-driven product platform development

In designing product platforms it is essential to consider the role of technology and its evolution to avoid frequent redesign costs or even premature obsolescence of key components. The Technology-driven Platform Development Method (TPDM) enhances existing platform design methods by identifying underlying technologies and the potential for change in their intrinsic characteristics - performance level, principle of operation, and technology architecture. A set of four heuristics is applied to determine the technology-driven platform elements. Application of the TPDM to the iPod portable music players showed that existing platform elements would require additional platforming and interface design to form a technology-driven platform.