Final answer:
Disruptive technologies often enter a market by serving lower-end or new market segments initially and then improve to displace established technologies. Notable examples include the rise of personal computers and cloud storage solutions, which have revolutionized their respective industries.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to Clayton Christensen's concept of disruptive technologies, a characteristic often associated with disruptive technologies entering a market is D) Serving lower-end or new market segments initially. Disruptive technologies typically emerge in new markets that existing technologies do not serve. Over time, these disruptive technologies improve and begin to outperform existing technologies in both the new and original markets. Examples of disruptive innovation include personal computers, which initially targeted hobbyists and home users before displacing minicomputers and affecting the mainframe market, and cloud-based storage platforms like Drive and iCloud, which diminished the demand for physical storage devices.
Examples of Disruptive Technologies
- Personal computers displacing mainframes and minicomputers
- Cloud-based storage platforms reducing the need for physical storage
- Digital photography rendering film-based cameras obsolete
- Ride-sharing services disrupting the taxi and limousine industry
These innovations demonstrate how disruptive technologies can revolutionize industries, often targeting unserved or underserved segments before moving upmarket to challenge established players.