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	Phil's Blogservations Monday, August 23, 2004 Posted by philgomes 11:23 AM On Early And First Adopters On Early And First Adopters ExtremeTech's Loyd Case makes an important distinction between early adopters and first adopters — a difference that tech PR folks need to take to heart since the terms are often (and incorrectly) treated as interchangeable. So what makes an early adopter? First off, I should explain the difference between a "first adopter" and "early adopter." I'm definitely not a first adopter. First adopters are often willing to take major risks to try out—or even invent—something new. Most people think first adopters are totally nuts. However, early adopters often notice first adopters and go, "hmm… gotta keep an eye on that." Early adopters are the people who set the trends, while first adopters are the guys with the arrows in their backs. Early adopters get the bandwagon rolling, and when it starts to get crowded, start looking for the next big thing. For my part, I'm an early adopter in the data-consuming sense (I love reading about new trends and developments), but I'm also a highly practical, mainstream-to-trailing-edge tech consumer (I feel no particular need to actually own the latest gadget or whatever). Example: I had my creaky Handspring Visor Deluxe for about four years before I upgraded, and it was pretty behind the state-of-the-art when I purchased it in the first place. I mean, take a look at my cellphone, placed next to a common highlighter for comparison: I used to really go for the slimmest, hippest, lose-it-in-your-couch-cushions-est phones they offered. I'm sure part of it had to do with growing up seeing Capt. Kirk crisply flip open his communicator whenever he wanted to talk to the Enterprise. And, you know what? Those delicate little phones broke. Badly. And easily. Two flip-phones from one manufacturer each gave me cracked LCD screens within their first few months of ownership. Upon seeing the first one before a briefing, one industry analyst asked "How in the hell did you do that!?!" This was right after he chided me for my non-branded (though incredibly fast and sturdy) laptop. Now I have the bulky, sturdy mobile phone you see in the picture. I went to Radio Shack and asked for the biggest, ugliest, most indestructible phone they had. They gave me the one you see in the picture, which is replete with a protected LCD and rubber-bumper sides. Don't get me wrong... I like cameraphones. A lot. I also dig smartphones like the Treo 600. I was even thinking of buying one before I opted for my new Tungsten C. (I also eBayed a case for said Tungsten, made out of very strong aircraft aluminum. Trust me... It's a necessary purchase.) The problem is, to use the old saw, "I just can't have nice things." Unless they started making the Treo 600 to military specifications, I would probably turn it into playground mulch in under a year. Anyway... The point is that there are people who are just too rough on their devices to make first- or early-adopter status financially practical. Until whatever curse I've inherited goes away, I'll count myself squarely in that category. HOME | OBSESSIONS | FAQ | HEROES | CAREER | BLOG | CONTACT Note that the views expressed on this site do not necessarily reflect those of Phil's employer, its business partners, its clients, or anyone or anything that doesn't come from Phil.	ABOUT THIS BLOG This blog not only discusses PR and media matters, but Phil's everyday observations about a variety of topics. EMAIL phil[at] philgomes[[dot}]com SYNDICATE Feedburner ARCHIVE YAHOO! IM SKYPE WISH LIST PITCH POLICY MY PHOTOS www.flickr.com Photostream RSS Enter your Email Powered by FeedBlitz COMMENT AND TRACKBACK POLICY Comments and trackbacks are unmoderated, though I will delete the patently offensive ones. Any comments and trackbacks are the opinions of the individual writer of those comments and trackbacks, and not those of Phil Gomes, his employer, its clients, or its business partners. If you have a bone to pick, bug the people who wrote the comment or trackback.