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Nostalgia Electrics makes this 1950s-styled Family Breakfast Station machine:
I was about to slam it—what need for this thing could there possibly be?—but headed over to Amazon first to read the reviews on it. The majority of them are positive, with three out of five people giving it five stars. Reading through the reviews, I see that my initial distaste for the machine stems from the same myopia currently gripping American politics.
Since I live in an apartment with a stove and own a frying pan, coffeemaker and a toaster, I don't have a need for this. But there are plenty of people living in trailers without these amenities, or looking to outfit their campers. These folks have a need for the machine, do not mind that you can't toast and grill at the same time and are completely happy with their purchase.
Yes, the machine makes no sense for an already-outfitted conventional kitchen. So you might wonder why it's not being marketed specifically towards folks that live in trailers. I imagine it's because of the stigma.
In the future I'll be looking out for more products that address sizable but largely invisible subsets of the population. If you know of any, please drop a line in the comments.
I’m a lapsed industrial designer. I was born in NYC and figured I’d die there, but a few years ago I abandoned New York to live on a farm in the countryside with my wife. We have six dogs.
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Why Does This "Family Size Breakfast Station" Exist?
I believe there is great potential for a product like this. Even though it might seem like the Frankenstein of toasters, it is practical. Especially for people that do not have the ability to purchase everything separate.
I'm with you, Josue. If it's more affordable to buy it all together, that alone satisfies a need. And you bring up a good point about connected products. I think having all these appliances connected to each other, as well as your phone, will make it a more seamless experience.
As far as the market goes, trailers and campers aren't the only type of small space living. Ever seen an apartment in Manhattan? Tokyo? Urbanization is the global trend that makes products like this desirable.
The integration of features is called convergence. It's my favorite design trope. Smart phones are convergent devices, this 3-in-1 cooking station is one, a spork is one. I personally love design convergent devices. It's cool to stack functionality layers because thats when interesting automation actions become available in the design space.
You could slam this because you don't have a need for it but you couldn't slam the drone umbrella?
Now defend those veggie holders shaped like the the veggie they hold: onion box shaped like an onion, banana holder shaped like a banana, etc.
I live in a trailer and have no need for this. I've got a full kitchen. Might be useful for someone who lives in a micro-apartment or a dorm room.
Pretty sure John Siracusa talked about this one somewhere in here: https://www.cardsagainsthumanity.com/toasters/