Well, in the UK at least they have not. Exactly why this is the case is impossible to tell, but my guess is that a mix of a very high prices (i.e. over £100/pair), the need for special socks (e.g. over £10/pair), and a lack of any real marketing publicity, has kept their profile low. At the same time stores are never keen to stock high priced products without proper advertising campaigns to back them up.
Naturally is it far from being too late for these shoes to take off, but they certainly seem to be stagnating at the moment and the prospect of buying shoes (that you cannot try on) on the web is not everyone’s first choice.
Even so, they remain a product to watch with interest.
I mentioned a couple of years back that I was trying out a gel mouse mat, i.e. one of those with a wrist rest that elevates the hand. At the time I thought that it was pretty good. But I now notice that I have in fact tuned it around so that the gel pad is out of the way and no longer in use.
I must have done this without consciously noticing, but it suggests that I prefer the basic mat design without the extra protruding pad.
On to beds, mattresses and bedding products, and another observation that I can make is that 3 or 4 years ago there were plenty of Latex mattresses and pillows. I personally consider the latex foam to be superior to visco elastic memory foam, however others clearly do not as latex seems to have all but disappeared.
Again, I suspect that a failure in marketing (when compared to memory foam) is at the heart of the problem. In any event, getting hold of a latex pillow is now all but impossible.
So far this year there have been no great new innovations in the world of orthopedic products. This in itself is not that unusual as real innovation is a rare thing. However, the re-packaging of something that already exists as “the next big thing” is not. Even so this has yet to happen in 2011. There is of course plenty of time left for that to happen.
Finally, I wonder to what extent the (UK) TV comedy show “Benidorm” has increased mobility scooter sales to those who don’t really need them.
It would seem that we have moved from a position where only the mobility challenged would ride them - to where they became viewed as also being a bariatric aid - and now they are for everyone, even those with no mobility restriction at all.
It just shows how perceptions change. One minute something is perceived as a disability aid, and the next minute it is the latest “must have” accessory.
