The 101st Product
Bushfires, wildfires. Politics, protests. Stocks, stimulus. Spacex, UFOS. Kobe, Van Halen, Lewis, RBG. BLM. COVID.
In a year like no other, full of chaos and confusion, heartbreak and hardship, I find myself encouraged to report that product innovation is alive and well. But not the kind that oftentimes grabs headlines. If anything, it feels like many of the year’s best new products arrived refreshingly free of hype. And it’s a testament to all the designers out there that whittling down the following list proved to be a challenging exercise as ever.
For the GP100, I’m assigned to pick the 101st product. Last year, I went against the grain with a late selection of the latest iphone, but for this year, I’ve known my pick for nearly six months. It, too, goes against conventional rubric. Why? Because you already have it.
The 101st product of the year is the home.
In many ways, the home is the ultimate product. It’s something that provides a service in the form of shelter but also as a blank canvas and organizational system for a majority of the products we surround ourselves with. The home is infinitely configurable to our interests and needs, and it’s infinitely pliable to our expressions of individuality. It’s a place for both family and self, recuperation, nourishment and expression.
How’s that for a features list?
For the vast majority of consumers, our homes are the largest investment or expense we make in a physical thing. It also affects how we spend on everything else. In 2020, the home now serves a greater purpose than ever, adding diversion, health and workplace to its primary duties of shelter and solace.
Many of us are figuring out what a personal gym looks like and renewing our love for the outdoors; gaming accelerated into the forefront of entertainment culture; everyone is cooking (and drinking) more; WFH dynamics brought enormous consideration into our home work setups; and suddenly everyone needs a new — or perhaps gently preowned — car. Above all this, we doubled down our attention to budgets and tried to figure out how to renew or reconsider the things we already own.
At the end of day, the one hundred products selected for you in the following chapters have and continue to be guided by Gear Patrol’s mission: everyone deserves the best product. And now, more than ever, I believe that means the best home.
Here’s wishing you — no matter what your race, religion, color or creed may be — the very best. Stay safe, take care of each other and welcome to the latest edition of the GP100.