The Unique Problems Faced By Early Adopters

[Jon Westfall]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/2006-03-19-recall_x.htm?POE=TECISVA' target='_blank'>http://www.usatoday.com/tech/produc...htm?POE=TECISVA</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Early adopters of some swanky high-tech products are getting hit with glitches, bugs and recalls. Philips Electronics revealed Friday that it is recalling 11,800 plasma television sets. The Ambilight TVs were sold in the USA from June 2005 to January 2006 for $3,000 to $5,000."</i><br /><br />It amazes me that I haven't gone crazy being what some would call and "Early Adopter". No, I'm not the kind of early adopter that buys stuff on Amazon's early adopter list - I'm the kind of early adopter that has bought what is on the list, sold what is on the list, and bought something better than what is on the list (All before it even makes the list...). Being hardcore on this can have its hazards. As the article mentioned above states, the televisions that are being recalled were potentially dangerous, with early adopters most likely being around them longer than others and thus, more probable to be injured. Just yesterday I received a new battery in the mail for a satellite radio I purchased when it first came out. The letter I received stated that some of the batteries may overhead and catch fire, something I was very glad didn't happen in the year of use I've put on the 'dangerous' battery. <br /><br />And it's not just our health that is at risk. Early adopters also pay more (most likely expected given the territory), have to put up with manufacturers ill-prepared to support their technology (Ever write an email and have to explain that you have a new version of hardware/software to people who don't even know there IS a new version?), and have the burden of playing with awesome new toys before everyone else (Hehe, OK, maybe this one isn't too bad...). What unique problems have you had as an Early Adopter? Anything dangerous? Anything threaten to drive you from early adopting as quickly as possible?

[Silver5]

People who bought that silly television were just asking for it though...Ambilight?! What's next? Wheels that keep spinning after your car stops. No one would go for something so dumb...right?

[Steve Jordan]

I've never been able to be an early adopter... I never had the patience or cash flow for it! Although I often jump in before most of society gets into something, I've always been in the "second tier" adopters: Those who get it after the "first tier" pays the exorbitant first item prices, has all the technical glitches, beats their heads against the wall with tech support, and suffers through rebuild-upon-rebuild. I've noticed that the "second tier" seem to be interested but more practical about gadgets, and are willing to wait until they feel it's ready for prime time.

Usually it means I can still brag about my new toys to somebody (if I chose to, which I rarely do), but I preserve my bank account and most of my peace of mind.

[wirelessbeachbum]

I could have funded a small army in my prior "early adopter" Pocket PC purchases....It wasn't so much the devices were so expense...but all the accessories I just had to have.

Philips Nino --- with Socket Digital phone card, and 56 k modem $600
HP Jornada --- folding keyboard $600
Qualcomm 6035 Palm Phone $300
HP Jornada --- (the last Jornada made) wifi cf card, camera, PCMCIA sled, pharos gps cable and software, ir keyboard $1500
Samsung i300- $300
Samsung i330- $300
Treo 300- $300
Samsung i700- $499
Samsung i600 $500
Audiovox xv6600 (company paid for phone) I paid for accessories, BT Headset, nice case, BT module for my home PC. $200
Blackberry (3 different models) 300 x 3 = $900
XV6700 ($290) BT GPS $299 BT Mapping Software $150

Add up all of the pda software, memory cards, leather cases, and other misc. pda gadgets, and I'm sure my running total in PDA expenses for the last five years was over 10k... Not including the associated cost for wireless service on my devices.

Early adopting was fun for awhile, but I plan on keeping the XV6700 in service for a couple of years....(we'll see if I can hold out.)

I think I'll go sell some old gadgets on Ebay now.

[Eriq Cook]

You have God-given strength to be an "early adopter". I not only have beta tested software and devices but have relied on them in everyday life--not just in a test environment.

It WILL drive the average person nuts if they don't have remarkable patience--and backups :|

The payoff? I know what's happening before the average consumer. And ironically I don't have patience to wait until a product is "officially" released before I can start using it. That drivers me crazy.

[Tony Rylow]

I get to watch Jon buy all the devices early, so I can see them in person, and see how they perform. Then when the price is right, I can go snag one for myself...

[tbakerisageek]

I agree with Jon's original post about the tech support. I have been an early adoptor (as far as my money and wife will let me) for 3 devices now. I always got better support for them from places like Xda-developers, howardforums and pdaphonehome than from my service provider, Hands down. I think there is a certian trade for being an early adoptor, and it comes with the territory of being a "geek" (self-proclaimed) and I would not give it up for the world.

[wirelessbeachbum]

I remember when I just had to have a "portable cellular connector" for my bag phone, so I could get a whopping 9k on my laptop.... then I moved up to a 3COM cellular modem, so I could connect my laptop to my startac.... which was kind of silly since it was an analog connection... I had to not only pay my ISP $25 per month, I also used wireless minutes... I was working for a carrier at the time, and they had no clue about data services.

I worked a deal with the local ISP to do co-marketing, they would do live webcam remotes from functions around town. I say live, it actually updated the picture about every minute. And they would put my contact information on the page, very cutting edge stuff at the time.

The ironic thing was the carrier I was working for didn't even supply their business reps with laptops or even an email address!