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Early Adopters' Bragging Rights Dwindle

iPhone-style steep and rapid price drops becoming norm

By Jane Yager,  Newser Staff

Posted Oct 24, 2007 12:32 PM CDT
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(Newser) – Only two months after the launch of the iPhone, Apple angered its fan base of early adopters by dropping the phone's price sharply. Apple's move signals a broader shift in product life cycles: the shelf life of bragging rights for which early adopters of new gadgets pay premium prices is growing ever shorter, PC World reports.

While the iPhone price drop was especially dramatic, rapid advances in semiconductor technology have made product cycles much shorter. Early adopters increasingly find themselves having to repurchase upgraded versions of their new toys. Despite the growing disadvantages, however, experts believe it will remain "human nature" for early adopters to pay extra for "the newest, coolest stuff."

Apple iPhone displayed at an Apple store in Palo Alto, Calif., Friday, Oct. 19, 2007. Wall Street is expecting Apple Inc. to blow past its earnings target when it reports its fourth fiscal quarter results after the bell on Monday, Oct. 22, 2007. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
Apple iPhone displayed at an Apple store in Palo Alto, Calif., Friday, Oct. 19, 2007. Wall Street is expecting Apple Inc. to blow past its earnings target when it reports its fourth fiscal quarter results...   (Associated Press)
An unidentified person holds up the Apple iPhone for photographers, London, Sept. 18, 2007. Apple Inc.'s iPhone will go on sale in Britain on Nov. 9 and have the O2 network as its exclusive carrier, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said Tuesday. Jobs told a news conference in London that...
An unidentified person holds up the Apple iPhone for photographers, London, Sept. 18, 2007. Apple Inc.'s iPhone will go on sale in Britain on Nov. 9 and have the O2 network as its exclusive carrier, Apple...   (Associated Press)
A customer looks at Apple iPhone accessories at an Apple store in Palo Alto, Calif., Friday, Oct. 19, 2007. Wall Street is expecting Apple Inc. to blow past its earnings target when it reports its fourth fiscal quarter results after the bell on Monday, Oct. 22, 2007. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
A customer looks at Apple iPhone accessories at an Apple store in Palo Alto, Calif., Friday, Oct. 19, 2007. Wall Street is expecting Apple Inc. to blow past its earnings target when it reports its fourth...   (Associated Press)
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