The Gadget Geeks

Every time a new electronic item is released for sale in the market, the manufacturer naturally creates quite a buzz about it. After all, the objective is to sell as many of the items as possible, and capture a sizable market share. What is interesting though is the fact that there are many people (the gadget geeks) who are so hooked on to these items, that they can't wait for the next version or the next "cool" product to be launched. I have observed that these people spend a lot of time researching what's coming in the market next, and know everything there is to know about the features and functions of the new product. These are the same people who are willing to camp overnight or for days in order to be first in line to buy the new product. These are also the people who are never happy with what they have because once they have spent a few hours with their new gadget, they are already yearning for more.

Apple has been well-known in the last few years as the leader when it comes to innovations in the world of electronics. The iPod has become synonymous with music and video and the product has enjoyed immense popularity with all. We have also seen the immense popularity of gaming consoles like the PlayStation II and others. The iPhone was much hyped about for a long time, and quite a frenzy was built up about its launch including the mystery icon.

The phone was finally launched earlier this year, and as expected, people lined up at the stores to get their new toy. I must admit that it is a beautiful gadget, and I loved the experience when I tried it. The gadget geeks were happy and proud. I did not buy it because the asking price was just too much ($599 for the more loaded version).

Something terrible happened earlier this month. Apple dropped the price of the iPhone by $200. They say that it is because they want to sell 10 million phones by the end of 2008, but I feel really bad for the true fans of the device. I am certain that folks who lined up the shops (or the Internet) and bought the phone at $599 feel royally cheated. The true fan should be rewarded and not cheated by having to pay such a high price. I wonder what the aftermath of this will be, and I am certain that mailboxes of Steve Jobs and others at Apple have been flooded with hate mail.

I can only feel good about the fact that I did not succumb to the charms of this new phone when it was launched because I would have felt really bad about the price drop. In general, I have seen that it simply does not help to pay top dollar for any new technology. It seems that paying for features that will never be used just doesn't make sense. Things become obsolete so fast today that one can never keep up.

All this makes me wonder -- what drives the gadget geeks? As I think about it, I have begun to believe that these are special people, these are the folks who drive innovation. I strongly believe that we need these people. If everyone thought like me, we might still be using the land line as our primary means of communication and TV would be the only household video device. The gadget geeks make personal sacrifices to make innovation possible. Just getting their hands on the latest and greatest is reward enough!