Making Gold from Bluetooth

A friend, a smoker, asked me the other day if I could think of any otherwise lucrative markets that government legislation outlawed into oblivion. Prohibition notwithstanding, I came up with a few (hemp was one). But it also made me consider the other side of the question: What markets has legislation effectively created?

A boatload. In my lifetime, the health and safety markets have benefited, with everything from required inoculations to car seat mandates adding billions to the suppliers’ coffers. In the tech world, we’ve seen our share, too. The latest: Starting July 1, California drivers are prohibited from the use of a cell phone in a moving vehicle unless the driver is using a hands free device.

Hello, Bluetooth devices!

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About Mike

Mike Buetow is president of the Printed Circuit Engineering Association (pcea.net). He previously was editor-in-chief of Circuits Assembly magazine, the leading publication for electronics manufacturing, and PCD&F, the leading publication for printed circuit design and fabrication. He spent 21 years as vice president and editorial director of UP Media Group, for which he oversaw all editorial and production aspects. He has more than 30 years' experience in the electronics industry, including six years at IPC, an electronics trade association, at which he was a technical projects manager and communications director. He has also held editorial positions at SMT Magazine, community newspapers and in book publishing. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois. Follow Mike on Twitter: @mikebuetow