> Hi,

> How did Wolfram figure out there was a
> "want" and then figure out people
> would pay $2k a pop?

Hi Boyd,

I think the answer is because Stephen Wolfram was a physicist himself, so he knew what problems other physicists had, and what their wants were.... Probably in Wolfram's case, their wants coincided with his own wants.... So he created the software to satisfy those wants.

(By the way, Mathematica is used far beyond physics - it's also used in engineering, mathematics, and other areas where advanced mathematical modeling can come in handy.)

I think it's kind of similar to Jeff Paul's story in this way. Jeff Paul was a financial planner.... As a financial planner himself, he had good knowledge of the biggest problems and wants that financial planners had. So, when he created his manual, he set out to solve those problems and satisfy those wants....

I have no idea how Stephen Wolfram came up with the price - however, Mathematica (to my knowledge) is mostly bought by institutions, more than individuals. It's a tool to use for work, so it's usually bought by the university department, or the company, etc. If he was targeting individuals, it might have been more difficult for him to charge such a high price.

- Dien