Plus they have tons of data available from market research that capture various trends and what people are looking for even if they (the people) can’t express it product wise. I believe that 9 out of 10 products that we call innovative aren’t just invented out of the blue. They are the result of meticulous observation of trends and users' habits.
Not in Jobs case. He had absolutely nothing good to say about market research. He was a strong believer in the adage that if you asked what people wanted out of a car back in 1900 they'd just describe a better horse.
Gates on the other hand was a big believer in market research and focus groups. I think that's why he was so into pen computing. He was unable to get past the windowing, desktop, pointing device paradigm.
While they weren't invented out of the blue, I don't think most of them come from meticulous observation of trends and market research.
Rather I think what happens is that some technology matures, and then some people that are familiar with that technology are able to recognize that it can be made into a real product that has market potential.
These people don't need market research, because from their standpoint, with their knowledge, it's "obvious". Eg. if you knew about the internet and email in the 80s, it would be obvious that it would replace telex at some point, even though you might be off with the timing of that transition.
