Learning from Competition

Steven Sinofsky, former President of the Windows Division at Microsoft, made a reply to some of the reactions when people discovered that he was using an iPhone and not a product from Microsoft.

Learning from the competition is not just required of all product development folks, but can also be somewhat of a skill worth honing.

Steven explained the importance of learning from competitors, the common mistakes and potential challenges faced and some recommended approaches when learning from competitors. He then went on concluding as such:

Be obsessed with the competition. Always.

I agree with him absolutely that it is absolutely essential to know your competitors especially when you are building products.