Information appliances hold great hope and promise, but the path toward adoption is treacherous, a minefield full of fierce competitors. The existing technology, the personal computer, exerts a deadly gravity well that prevents the unwary from escaping its pull. All technologies have a life cycle, and as they progress from birth, through troubled adolescence, and on to maturity, their characteristics change. During this life cycle, the customer segment varies, starting with the early adopters, those technology enthusiasts who nurture the fledgling early products and help them gain power and acceptability. In the early days of a technology, the engineers rule.
Technology rules the day, guided by feature-driven marketing.
When technologies mature, the story changes dramatically. Now the technology can be taken for granted. The customers change and they want different things. Convenience and user experience dominate over technological superiority. These new customers are late adopters, people who wait for the technologies to mature, to prove themselves and to provide value for their money, value without hassle.