How to Decide Whether to Purchase a "New Technology" Product

John Henshell how-to Web content work sample

Introduction/Summary

Should you buy a flat-panel monitor, a DVD-A or SACD player, a digital television, digital Internet service (DSL, cable, satellite), or other purportedly better consumer technologies? If so, should you be an "early adopter" or should you wait for widespread public acceptance of the product, lower prices, and removal of bugs? How should potential obsolescence influence your purchase?

Instructions

Section 1: Know the History

1.  Remember all the consumer products that failed to become popular, such as DCC (digital compact cassette, remote controls for computers, Internet telephones, and DIVX DVD players. 

2.  Remember all the consumer products that only sold for a few years because they were superceded by better technology, such as 8-track cartridge players, laser disk players, and Commodore computers. 

3.  Remember all the good technologies that failed to survive due to superior marketing strategies by manufacturers of competing technologies, such as BETA VCRs, vinyl records, dbx noise reduction, and Macintosh Performas. 

Tip

Your knowledge of an innovative manufacturer's record of accomplishment can be a deciding factor. 

Section 2: Weigh Practical Considerations to Evaluate Survival of Technology

1.  Consider the convenience and ease-of-use of the new product; those factors usually prevail over quality in the marketplace (e.g. digital answering machines). 

2.  Think about retail changes necessary for a product to succeed. For example, will stores need to stock redundant software titles, and are they likely to do so?

3.  Find out how much software is available, if the product uses removable software (e.g. DVD-ROMs). Decide if you can buy enough software now to justify your investment in the hardware if you can't buy software in the future. 

4.  Find out what technologies will compete with the one that interests you, and which is likely to be better. 

5.  Look for reasons why the technology might be flawed, or too gimmicky or complex to succeed. 

Tip

New digital technologies are superior to the current analog technologies about half the time, but usually have lower production costs and are more convenient to use. 

Section 3: Market Factors

1.  Evaluate the quantity of advertising and marketing. Decide if promoters of the new technology are marketing it aggressively enough to ensure its success. 

2.  Evaluate manufacturers' ability to control the marketplace. Analyze if they can discontinue production of one product (such as records) to force the success of another (such as CDs). 

3.  Make sure that several manufacturers will introduce products, and that the original manufacturer will license the technology to competitors. 

Tip

Buy a product NOW if you want it regardless of other considerations stated in this article. Expect that you won't be able to buy it tomorrow if it doesn't become popular. 

Section 4: Product Considerations

1.  Expect the first product(s) to market to lack the performance quality and features of the next generation. 

2.  Remember that prices will be high until product sales warrant mass production, if that happens. 

3.  Make sure the product does what you want it to do, and that a more functional product (for example, one that will record as well as play) isn't on the horizon. 

4.  Remember that new products, especially computer software, contain bugs or ergonomic flaws that aren't discovered in pre-release testing. 

Overall Tip