How do you improve something that has been around it seems like forever, essentially unchanged during most of that time, and charge 10 times as much for it? The answer is easy – Dyson Fans!
Putting a new spin on a piece of household or office equipment can’t be easy. But, British inventor James Dyson, of the bagless vacuum cleaner fame, has come up with something quite revolutionary. And because it is so unique, just like many of his inventions are, he can charge a premium price. It seems that Dyson believed that as basically the electric fan remained essentially the same since it was invented in 1882 it was time for a change.
This new piece of technology? Dyson Air Multiplier is a fan without blades.
Costing around $300 (£200) for the 10″ version, this new fan doesn’t come cheap. the 12″ version works out about $330 or £220.
Dyson Tower Fan
So, what makes this fan, or to be accurate, Air Multiplier so different?
For a start it is bladeless, at least as far as can be seen from the outside. So, without blades, or grilles, it is much easier to clean. And because there are no blades, this results in no buffeting which is normal with conventional fans as the wind that blades create hit you.
Some of the technologies used in turbochargers and jet engines to generates powerful airflow is used in this new Air Multiplier fan.
The way it works is by air being drawn in, then accelerated through an annular aperture which is set within a loop amplifier. The resultant effect is that as the Air Multiplier amplifies the air every fifteen seconds hundreds of litres of cooling air are churned out every second.
It also has oscillation and a simple power control, and comes in several colors.
Dyson has had to double volumes at its Malaysian factory recently due to the high volume of sales of its air multiplier fans.
The revolutionary fan was launched in 2009, but it only went on sale at major high street shops in early 2010.
According to British retailers, Dyson has been proved right. Thanks in part to the warm weather the £199 piece of kit has been flying off the shelves.
Sales of all fans shoot up when the weather is hot of course, but it seems Dyson fans are leading the way. Even though it is more expensive than a regular desktop fan, it seems the trendy design, and the way it works makes people want to own a Dyson air multiplier as an investment purchase for the future.
Gadget experts said it was not surprising shoppers were prepared to pay so much for Sir James’s latest invention, pointing out that the company had become the market leader in vacuum cleaners despite selling some of the most expensive models on the market.
