On the day the iPad was released for sale, one of my
Facebook friends posted a photo of himself holding the brand new device.
He’s obviously an early adopter. But why? Why be one of
the few who can claim to have gotten it first?
Rob Walker in his ‘Consumed’
column in the New York Times last weekend may have provided part of the answer.
Here are a few excerpts. The full text can be accessed here.
Earlier this year Apple previewed its iPad tablet computer
and enjoyed a blizzard of media attention. As is often the case, the most
memorable response came not from a tech blog or a mainstream media outlet but
from the satirical publication The Onion. In The Onion’s telling, the iPad
would include this feature: “To ensure that its users receive the constant
public attention they crave, the iPad will emit the phrase, ‘Hey, does that guy
have an iPad?’ every eight minutes.”
To stick with the popular meaning then: let’s just call the
estimated 200,000 people who preordered iPads for between $500 and $700 early
adopters. What’s so great about being one of them? What these people are likely
to get for their consumption daring is a chance to experience every single
glitch or flaw that will be tweaked and patched in the months ahead. Also the
guarantee that they’re paying full price (just like the early adopters who paid
$600 for an iPhone
in June 2007; the price was cut to $400 two months later, and angry adopters
were mollified by a $100 store credit). And how surprised will they be if a
year from now Apple introduces a new, cheaper and decisively better iPad? Sure,
they get first-on-the-block bragging rights — assuming that it turns out iPad
adoption proves worth bragging about. Somebody was first to buy the Newton, the
Edsel and any number of other products that we don’t even remember the names of
anymore, because later adopters never materialized.
I suppose it’s possible that the device will so improve the
owner’s quality of life, productivity and social standing that he or she will
enjoy a kind of competitive advantage over nonowners for a few months or a
year. But there’s an inverse relationship between how long this advantage lasts
and how good the thing is. If the iPad is so wonderful, I’ll just buy one, too;
I’m pretty sure Apple will happily meet all demand. And if it stinks, then
there was never any advantage to buying it early, now, was there?
Quebeckers and early adoption
When it comes to new technology adoption, Quebeckers in
general tend to be laggards.
Agreement with various technology statements according to
PMB 2009:
“I tend to be the first to own new electronic products”
- English Canada 19.7% (102 index)
- French Canada 17.3% (90 index)
“More and more, I feel that I’m being left behind by
technology”
- English Canada 16.7% (90 index)
- French Canada 26.1% (140 index)
“I am excited by the new development in technologies”
- English Canada 20.5% (109 index)
- French Canada 12.3% (65 index)
“I like to buy products that offer the latest in new
technology”
- English Canada 11.2% (105 index)
- French Canada 8.8% (82 index)
Recent Comments