great read, I just note that this particular Wright story is pure technology, so they could experiment on remote hilltops (i.e. without market feedback).

I totally agree that experimentation can lead you to insights that no one else has had - that no one else can have without it, but which are plain once you've played with a prototype. It doesn't mean you're more perspicacious, it's just that standing on a hill, it's easy to see more. Climb a few hills that no one else has, and you have a unique perspective.