The Early Adopter: Trendsetter or Sucker?

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The Times says that early adopters (which would be most of us) are both trendsetters and suckers all at the same time. Are you a trendsetter or a sucker?

By buying the newest, most hyped, most eagerly anticipated gadgets on the market, you get the thrill of being on the cutting edge. You get bragging rights in tech-obsessed circles. You're a magnet for stares from strangers, who may be puzzled, jealous, or both. You also get to pay a premium compared to consumers willing to wait a little while for prices to inevitably drop.
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I was a sucker with SLI (6800 GT's). Ended up with a poor mobo that lasted all of 1 year and replacing my cards anyway with a 7800 GTX after one of them died.
 
Steve said:
The Times says that early adopters (which would be most of us) are both trendsetters and suckers all at the same time. Are you a trendsetter or a sucker?
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I had always used the word "tool" for the people that feel the need to rush out and pay some exuberant price for something that will devalue 90% in the first year... but I guess "sucker" works too. ;)
 
Definitely not a trend setter.

Occasionally a sucker. iPhone didn't get me. Couple things that come to mind. Paid out the ass for the 9700PRO vidoecard at release and again for my 8800GTS at release.
 
I used to "pay" to be a trendsetter but i've since grown up and had different priorities in my life along with bills so I only move on to something else when I really need to
 
It's only sucker if the person doesn't research on the product before jumping into the fray. For example, if Apple was to announce the 3G and the grapevine has it that the 3Gs is on the horizon in a couple months, then you're a sucker.
 
You are a trendsetter if the device you get becomes massively popular like the Ipod and Iphone for example. You are a sucker if it does not, like HD-DVD for example. I would say that pretty much all of us have been one or the other at some point. Simply because sometimes, it is just flat luck of the draw.
 
Well, this doesn't apply to HD5870 owners who bought it at release (ehm, me). I didn't paid premium, actually i got it cheaper compared to the price for which it sold now :).
 
People buy what they can afford, does it make them a trend setter maybe yes, a sucker definitely not. The guy that wrote the article needs to find a real job that pays more and he wouldn't be thinking like this. I like trend setters they are the first to test a product out, and allows me to make a more knowledgeable decision when I'm ready to get into the market.
 
I think a lot of it really depends on the "gadget." The GTX 280 had long legs even if you paid up front. The 4870 too. And, there still hasn't been a big price drop for all you 920 owners.

Look what happened to DDR3 memory. It had a big price premium then floored then spiked up again.

I suppose he's got some of it right with gadgets though. Small, relatively powerful, devices are going to command high prices initially because they are "cool" or the "in thing." And they can keep it that way. I'm neither cool enough or in enough to care.
 
I think I'm a trendsucker too.

I watch the new trends, wait until they're viable, and then suck them up.
 
I normally wait for prices to drop, but jumped on the Lynnfield bandwagon the day it was released........
 
If they are solely talking about consumer electronics like Blu-ray when they were $1k, iPhones at launch, UMPC, etc then yah those people are definitely SUCKERS. I did know once person that actually shelled out like $1500 for the Sony UMPC when they first hit. I think he used it about 2 weeks then it got shelved someplace.
 
If you can afford it, why not.
There are always games for example that could use faster hardware, so if you can afford the best, why not have it.
I nearly always get best bang for buck so I can have more toys :)
 
Dekoth said:
You are a trendsetter if the device you get becomes massively popular like the Ipod and Iphone for example. You are a sucker if it does not, like HD-DVD for example. I would say that pretty much all of us have been one or the other at some point. Simply because sometimes, it is just flat luck of the draw.
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Yep got the x-box hd-dvd drive. Kinda mad that it didn't work out but the drive is still nice to use so i can put my htpc in a different room.

Really have to say I don't jump the gun anymore just to much time and money wasted otherwise.
 
I still...to this day regret paying $6k over sticker when the new C5 Vette came out.....that thing had more problems than the 78 Coupe Deville I bought out of a barn when I was 16...

Oh wait, gadgets....yeh I always wait 4-6 months to see if there are any wrinkles *cough Nexus One *cough
 
Suckers. There are numerous examples, laserdisc, bluray, HDDVD, PS3, DVD, Minidisc, UMPCs, tablets, Core i7, the geforce FX5800 the list goes on and on.

I recall the GTX 280 was priced at $650+ dlls initially, a couple of months later you could find it at $350.00, thanks to ATI.
 
I guess, I don't fall into either catagory. Since I bought the Touch Pro 2, 3 Months after it was released. And got 2 of them for 200 bucks with a 2 year contract with verizon.
 
I was a sucker on the HD-DVD player. However I still use it weekly and it upscales great.... so I'm not too bitter. I'm still just in shock that the better, more advanced format lost out to Blu-Ray.
 
Nemesis999 said:
I had always used the word "tool" for the people that feel the need to rush out and pay some exuberant price for something that will devalue 90% in the first year... but I guess "sucker" works too. ;)
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I can't think of any (useful) piece of computer hardware that loses 90% of value in its first year. Perhaps 56k dialup modem? a 10/100 NIC? A Creative soundcard... (zing!)

Show me a Radeon 4870 for $25 and I'll purchase. Give me a x58 motherboard for $30 and I'll buy that too.
 
I am a sucker with a release PS3, a Sprint HTC Hero, and an ATI 4870x2, all cost way more then they have been worth but eh they have all served me well.
 
Shotglass01 said:
And, there still hasn't been a big price drop for all you 920 owners.
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What about those that bought the 965EE only for it to be replaced by the 975EE for the same price less than a year later (or the same thing happening with the 940 replaced by the 950 in the same timeframe)?
 
I'm done with early adopting!!!!!!

400 dollar X2 3800, lasted a long time but 400 for the budget chip?!?! I was stupid
Then there was the brand new MSI AM3 board I bought that caught on fire when I overclocked. WTF!
Bit on a Raptor, sort of marginal. Was expensive as heck but served well and still is my OS drive.
I also bought some early LED grow lights. Supposed to last forever. Died in less than a year.
I'm sure there are other times that don't come to mind.

The only thing I don't regret biting on early is my ATI 4850. Was 150 bucks at launch. Has been sweet ever since.
 
The only thing I feel a little "burned" on are SSD's. I bought three 64GB SSD's to replace three old 73GB 15,000 RPM U320 SCSI drives I was using. They work great, but I know I should have waited. Larger, faster, and cheaper SSD's are only a little ways off.

I don't mind paying top dollar for certain things like a new video card since its something I'll use every day for several years.
 
Fharakin said:
I still...to this day regret paying $6k over sticker when the new C5 Vette came out.....that thing had more problems than the 78 Coupe Deville I bought out of a barn when I was 16...
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wow you had that kinda money at 16? musta been the richest family ever!!111!!!!11!
 
Nemesis999 said:
I had always used the word "tool" for the people that feel the need to rush out and pay some exuberant price for something that will devalue 90% in the first year... but I guess "sucker" works too. ;)
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I agree, though I don't think things devalue that much that quickly. I do get the point however.

BTW, I believe the word you were looking for is exorbitant, not exuberant... ;)
 
Lets see here... An AIW Radeon that I planned to use when I got to college. It was so bad for gaming though, that I sold it on ebay and got a 5200 Ultra. I've had 2 SLI motherboards, and have never run SLI. Hmm lets see, oh a Samsung Sata II HDD Aka 3.0Gbps... supposed to way fast than regular Sata 1.5. Yep, no.. And it cost a lot more. It happens. We all make poor purchases at some point or another.
 
I was an idiot buying the Alienware A51 M7700 desktop replacement laptop when they first came out. Not only did it cost in the area of 4 grand but it also died fast due to overheating and bad motherboards. Who knew that flashing your bios that you get off of their website would void your warranty? ROFL (This was before Dell bought them). I really should pull the POS out of my closet and part it out.
 
I bought the Sony 65" rear projection LCD HDTV in Nov 2005 for $3300 that had the 'lamp issue' ($120 replace) and developed the roadmap/fingerprint color blob

SUCKER!!
 
general consensus seems to be: sucker :)

the only time i was ever an early adopter, *ever* was when i bought a 6800 GT when they first came out.... i actually came out a winner there :)
 
Well, i think they are missing the point that if no one buys at first, the price won't really go down because companies need to make back their cost and earn a profit.Also people that had stuff early one had the stuff for a couple more time than another person that buys it when it becomes cheap.
 
TheBuzzer said:
Well, i think they are missing the point that if no one buys at first, the price won't really go down because companies need to make back their cost and earn a profit.Also people that had stuff early one had the stuff for a couple more time than another person that buys it when it becomes cheap.
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That's not how supply and demand works. Falling demand doesn't increase or even hold-steady prices. It causes them to drop.
 
I spent 3 grand on a PC in March 2006, picked all the parts out and all that

years later

never again

nothing went wrong with the system

it's just I paid out of the ass for a system that was great

but when I think about it

I coulda used that same 3 grand and spent $1k a year building a new computer and had technology that was updated instead of blowing 3 grand on a PC that's cutting edge, but will lose it's luster quickly over the period of a year or 2

I did it only cause I wanted to play Oblivion lol

i bet some of you can relate to shit like that

but now being older and wiser, i realize it's best to just upgrade the core of the PC every so often, it's a better value, but yeah you can upgrade the GPU every few months to a year and be on the edge
 
brucedeluxe169 said:
wow you had that kinda money at 16? musta been the richest family ever!!111!!!!11!
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Right so that may have been misconstrued....I bought the caddy at 16 for $250, and the Vette for $43 at 19.

Wanna know how? Selling computers for Gateway 2000, Inc. Yes I am the guy you hate. bothering you at work, pestering you for your companies Symantec Renewals.

It was also wrecked 3 years later.

Don't let your sons or daughters drive sports cars.
 
The Times is right.

I'm a trend setter AND a sucker.

3D Vision, Zune Pass (subscription music), netbook (Eee 7" / Acer 9"), various A2DP headsets, etc. These aren't common. But my co-workers definitely look get an education, (gee, I never knew I needed that), every time I bring in my latest gadget.
 
A sucker since you'll be paying 500% more have getting 500% more bugs on day 1
 
Mostly suckers. If enough suckers at hand, they could become trend setters. I leave the top notch idiotic expensive purchases to others. I have too many hobbies and no trust fund. My strategy has always been to stay one or two steps behind bleeding edge and enjoyed the more mature drivers and tech.
 
EvilWays said:
What about those that bought the 965EE only for it to be replaced by the 975EE for the same price less than a year later (or the same thing happening with the 940 replaced by the 950 in the same timeframe)?
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Yea, the 965's and 940's certainly had an early adopter fee. But the 975's and 950's really didn't offer up any major significant changes. The 975's and 950's/960's are stuck there now because there is no competiton.
 
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