It's a little early to say that GE missed an opportunity. The robotic vacuums market is still in its early stages. iRobot may be one of the first but they will definitely face some competition in the future. GE could easily acquire iRobot right now.
GE has thousands of products in a variety of industries. I'm sure they evaluated robotic vacuums and decided not to pursue it right away, for their own reasons. But they are still investing tons of capital in other areas. Big companies enter new markets all the time and you can't expect them to always get it right.
note I agree with the person above, read Innovators Dilemma. Big companies are not the best at building disruptive technologies and lack of innovation is only a small factor.
GE has thousands of products in a variety of industries. I'm sure they evaluated robotic vacuums and decided not to pursue it right away, for their own reasons. But they are still investing tons of capital in other areas. Big companies enter new markets all the time and you can't expect them to always get it right.
note I agree with the person above, read Innovators Dilemma. Big companies are not the best at building disruptive technologies and lack of innovation is only a small factor.