Early-adopter shouldn’t mean beta-tester. The Jawbone UP saga is a great example of this: pushed out too soon, eagerly picked up by keen geeks, and now the subject of a huge refunds program that’s costly both financially for Jawbone and in terms of their all-important reputation. Yet do we bring some of this post-purchase misery upon ourselves – as consumers, enthusiasts, geeks – in prioritizing and praising so doggedly the very first to market? Manufacturers have learned we’ll gobble up what we’re given, rough edges and all.
