Totally unrelated to fashion but related to the larger discussion of market value. Smart Homes are very, very affordable, yet how many people have them? After all these years, they have become a specialist for techno geeks. Now, we know it is not a price issue, so what is left? I think they failed to translate their utility into the public consciousness. Not only in Africa. Our entire operation is smart. And it is a no-brainer once you have used it.
 
Case Study: You leave the mini factory, and maybe the last tailor is left on the iron. You're not so sure. You can drive all the way back to check. Or you open the smart meter, see the current consumption, and then turn off the smart circuit the iron is on. Sounds like Star Trek? And expensive? But honestly, it isn't. The master switch is about $30.
 
Case Study 2: It's Jummah (Friday), and no one is around. FedEx shows up and needs to collect parcels bound for the world. Smart Gate is remotely opened, they collect, and go.
Despite this, even if you show people, they don't go for it. Because it is so novel and "alien" to their general culture. People, even thinking people, value something through the group behavior of their society. It seems strange, but it is a deep aspect of being human. We almost need to see something become popular before we know if we need it or not. When our neighbors paint their house, all of a sudden the need to paint our dirty house becomes real. 
 

Like dishwashers in the UK. They just did not take off. Maybe now, but regardless of how many Americans used them, they did not do well. At no time in my adult working life have I not had one.