Build Hardware Your Competitors Cannot Copy

Strategy frameworks for product managers building connected hardware — from first validation through security, positioning, and recurring revenue. With free tools you can use right now.

By Yoel Frischoff · 25 chapters · Now on Amazon — eBook and print

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Cover of Tangibles, a book on connected hardware product strategy by Yoel Frischoff
Chapter preview 1 / 26

Beyond Mockups

What to build before you build — a taste of Chapter 11.

In a warehouse outside Zaragoza, CAF spent a year building a single railroad car that would never carry a passenger. A million-euro mockup, built to let Dutch commuters judge the sightlines before a multi-billion-euro fleet order…

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What the book covers

Six arcs, from the hard truths of hardware to the business models that create durable advantage.

Arc I

Why hardware fails

Validation traps, platform absorption, and the competitive dynamics that blindside hardware teams.

Arc II

The infrastructure that changes everything

Miniaturization, connectivity, edge AI, and the data payload that turns static products into platforms.

Arc III

Validate before you commit

Concept taming, decoupled MVPs, kill gates, and lean hardware strategies that cut capital waste.

Arc IV

Position to win

Competitive positioning audits, launch psychology, killer features, and the Three Axes of Disruption.

Arc V

Secure what you ship

ETSI-mapped cybersecurity requirements, privacy as competitive weapon, and the societal cost of getting it wrong.

Arc VI

Build moats that last

Recurring revenue, customer loyalty, platform lock-in, and marketplace strategy for hardware companies.

Read free chapter previews

A taste of the Introduction and all 25 chapters — open any one, no registration required.

New to the vocabulary? Browse the glossary of key terms — unit economics, NRE, the data flywheel, recurring revenue, and the book's own concepts, each defined and linked to its chapter.

About the author

Yoel Frischoff is a product strategist with over 35 years in industrial design, engineering, and technology management. Through his consultancy TheRoad, he helps hardware companies become service-connected platforms. He mentors product managers through Google for Startups, Product League, and other international programs.

Work with Yoel

Applying these frameworks to a real product or program? Yoel works with hardware teams directly.

Consulting Turn your hardware into a service-connected platform with TheRoad → Speaking & talks Bring a keynote or workshop on connected-hardware strategy to your team →

Get the book

Read it on Amazon in eBook or in print today — including the large-format 8×10″ hardcover.

Buy the e-Book → Buy the Paperback → Buy Hardcover →