Early Adopters of New Technology

We all have friends or acquaintances who are seemingly addicted to having the “latest and greatest” as soon as it hits the market. We also all know that new products often have issues that take a while to get straightened out. It’s a universal problem with which regular consumers and even governmental entities contend. Look at the issues surrounding development and acquisition of the F-111 aircraft. Consider the M-1 Abrams tank’s initial deployment problems, and more recently, the Bell Helicopter V-22 Osprey. All of them had difficulties before they were straightened out.

So embracing new products, especially where technological limits are being stretched, is a risky proposition. Some troubled new products become long-term successes…others, not so much. I almost never purchase a newly released product for that reason. I always like to wait a little while to allow for the “bugs” to be worked out. I had to insert “almost” because of a recent decision.

Enter the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smart phone…

I really liked my Note 3 phone. I would have been very content to continue to use it for a couple more years. I was impressed with the Note 4, and totally turned off by the Note 5 (another story altogether). I was so put off by the Note 5, I was resigned to the possibility that my Note 3 would be my last Samsung phone. When the ads started appearing for the Note 7, I realized they had corrected some of the issues I had with the Note 5 and curiosity led me to look more closely at the 7.

I liked what I saw in the 7’s capabilities and decided I would wait six months and get one, even though I really hated to set the 3 aside. Then, Samsung sweetened the deal – you could get a smart watch or a 256GB micro-SD card thrown in. The only problem was it had a time limit. So I went down to the local AT&T store to order the phone, not knowing when it would actually be available. The gentleman at the store told me I could order it that day and have it within a week…but if I came in the next day, I could pick one up because it was being released then. So, I thought, “Why not…?”

I showed up the next day and bought the Note 7. It was all I had hoped it would be! It had all of the capabilities of the Note 3 (except a user-replaceable battery) and every feature was significantly improved. I could live with the trade-off of the permanent battery for the dust and water-resistance features. It was basically the phone I’ve always wanted, but it had taken decades for the technology to get there!

Then came some scattered reports of the things catching fire or exploding. That is a definite risk with any Lithium-Ion batteries. Owners were being told to bring them in and get another type of phone. I calculated my risks based on sales and number of fires as being significantly less than 0.03%, or less than a 1 in 40,000+, chance of a problem. I wasn’t trading it for a lesser phone.

It didn’t take too long before Samsung put out the replacement Note 7. I still wasn’t thrilled because it takes so much time and effort to set up and personalize a new phone. I didn’t rush down, but I did decide to swap it out. Since I had taken my time swapping the phones, I had only used my second Note 7 for a week or so when reports of the replacement phones catching fire began. Soon, owners were being offered the opportunity to trade them for a different phone. I decided I’d consider the offer, but would probably just keep the new phone…

Then the FAA banned carrying or storing the Note 7 on a flight – with the potential of a $180,000 fine! Then Amtrak banned the phones. Then, Samsung announced they were discontinuing production. Everybody knows what that implies – no support, no repair, no software updates, and the potential for a system update that just completely shuts down the phone for safety’s sake! So here I sit with my new Samsung Galaxy S7 Active laying on the desk in front of me.

I learned my lesson concerning the early adoption of new products and technology! It shouldn’t be too difficult to have the patience to wait until the initial issues are resolved, since that’s what I’ve practiced most of my life. And, the S7 Active is a very good phone! Rumor has it that while a replacement/upgrade of the Note 7 is coming, the “Note” name may be dropped due to the stigma attached.

In the meantime, I am reading the blogs and news concerning when the Note 8 (or whatever it’s called) is going to be released…and counting the days…