That’s partly because big companies like Sony, Asus, Samsung, and the rest tend to look at their existing technology portfolio and manufacturing capabilities to get ideas for what to make next. On Kickstarter, by contrast, the product starts with a need or desire, and the creators figure out how to build it from there. Of course — there’s also the issue of relativity. If Sony sold 85,000 watches, we’d call it a failure. When Pebble does it, it’s a rousing success.