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You see them several times a year. They stand in lines for hours. They shell out hundreds, maybe even thousands of dollars at a time. And what do they walk away with? The latest piece of technology, of course. But they also walk away with envious stares boring into their backs. “They” are the early adopters. And if you’re reading this, you’re probably one of them, too. (Initiates secret club handshake).
Gobbling up technology is about as American as apple pie, but what many don’t understand is the need to be first. I remember waiting in line for the first iPhone. It was an experience, let me tell you. But what I remember most about it was that feeling of exclusivity. That I was going to walk away with something that was on the cutting edge. Of course there are the scoffers. You know, those people that like to wait around the people waiting in line? The ones that yell things out like “loser” and “get a life?” I can brush off comments like that relatively easily for one reason and one reason alone: they are jealous.
They have a severe case of gadget envy and I know the knowledge of someone else having a tech-tool that’s freakin’ awesome just makes them green. And it’s not even about keeping up with the Joneses, anymore. It’s about access and capability. What do I mean by this? Well, with the latest tools, you have the opportunity to develop brand new things and build businesses out of it. Understanding and keeping up with the latest technology is not just a hobby; it’s a passion that businesses are built on and lives are made easier with.
Yeah, that’s right, gadget enviers: the people waiting in those huge lines wrapped around electronics stores don’t live in their mother’s basements and fulfill your geek stereotype. They are developers. They are business people. They are changing the world.
So you can act like early adoption is the most ridiculous thing in the world, so long as you face the facts: you’re jealous of those with the audacity to be first. It’s okay, really. And one day, if you come around to the ways of the technologically-inclined, I may even teach you the secret handshake.
Brenda, I am confused. “if you’re reading this you are probably one of them, too.” So you’re assuming I am an early adopter. But towards the end of the article, your tone changes. You start referring to me as a gadget envier. At least it seems that way. I looked around and I am the only one here. So am I an early adopter or a gadget envier? Are there degrees of earliness? Because I could be envious if I adopt early but not as early as some others. Like if I’m maybe 200th in line and you’re around 10th in line, when you come out with the gadget, I won’t have mine yet, so I might be envious (until I get mine). Then I’d be an adopter. Huh? Gotta go, mom says dinner’s ready.
Hi there, Wayne,
At the beginning, I was addressing early adopters. At the end, I was addressing gadget enviers that might be lurking around out there.
And when it comes to degrees of earliness, I’d say there are those that buy a product the first day it comes out, ones that ensure they get the first generation of a product, stragglers and then the enviers. But really it’s all subjective.
Heh, Everything you say in your article is true in my opinion. It brings me back to my memory of when I became a Tech Adopter. I got the PsP the first day it came out and was the only person in my school that had it for three months ;) I can’t remember how many people asked me what it was I was carrying or why I paid this much for it. Although I live in a small town and I am still pretty new to Adoption, I say that people who can’t adjust to the future tech will be thrown out or scrapped like the old!
Glad you agree, Justin. It’s fun to be first, isn’t it? So what if people shake their heads at us and laugh. Getting to experience the latest and greatest technology has to offer leaves us laughing in the end.