Ask HN: The Widget Economy Discussion

I was persuaded to write this article because I am building a struggling new widget (defined loosely as a single feature product, i.e. iPhone App, web 2.0 startup). However this is ask HN is not about my widget, but about the enormous quantity of widget makers and widgets being made. I would like to start a HN discussion about the widget economy and how we entrepreneurs can “get the best of it”.

First, I would like to discuss why these widgets are important. A widget seems to be a low cost way to solve a particular pain point. In order for a widget to be viable (Such that the widget maker profits from making and maintaining said widget), there must be a minimum number of users. The definition of profits may vary depending on the maker/maker-organization such as financial or social gain.

Second and most important, how many widgets can people actively use? (i.e. Online tools, iphone apps, etc.) A better way to state this is: How many widgets will one actively pay for? I would speculate a guess that there is limit after which people become saturated. It follows that there would then be a consolidation of widgets into features of a “suite” (defined loosely as a collection of related widgets). At this consolidation point, an entrepreneur would like to be a suite maker rather than a widget maker.

Would anyone be willing to speculate answers to the following questions?-- Preferably quantitative 1.How many users must a widget (again, a single feature product) have to be a viable business? 2.How many widgets will a person actively use and pay for? 3.At what widget count do you tend to see a consolidation into "suites"? 4.When (in what markets, with what user base, etc.) is it advantageous to build a single feature product vs. a product “suite”?