Why it's good to be a follower

Motorola is working on a High-def TV system that is technologically superior to current offerings and cheaper to produce:

Motorola Inc. scientists are coming even closer to the day when big-screen, high-definition televisions can be made for under $400.
The high-tech giant said Monday that its scientists in Tempe and Schaumburg, Ill., have produced a 5-inch prototype of an innovative screen that is bright and vivid enough to watch full-color movies on.

The new screens could have higher quality and much lower prices than the trendy flat-panel TVs available today, the company said.

In marketing we use terms to describe certain behaviors of the purchasing public. Folks who are first to buy and use new technology/products are often referred to as Innovators. These are the folks who buy the latest gizmo the day it hits the market.

As you can see from the graph, the majority of buyers are Early- or Late majority consumers. They make purchases of technology and products after they've established themselves in the market. The most notable difference between Innovators and other groups is risk. Early adoption can mean spending money on something that does not catch on or whose life-cycle is abnormally short, leading you to further expense down the line (read up on the history of VCR's and specifically the fight between Beta & VHS for the perfect example). Invariably, those who purchase later usually end up buying better technology for less money than those who purchase initially.

My wife and I fall somewhere in one of these two groupings. Frankly, it depends on the product. For instance, we bought a flat-screen TV earlier this year for a scant $100 or so dollars. A far cry from the near-$600 it would have cost us had we bought when we first considered the idea four years ago.

So what behooves us to sit tight for the next-next-generation of High-Def TV systems? As stated above, better technology for less:

"This technology is going to go way beyond such things as displays," Jaskie said. "We hope it will expand like transistors did years ago."

It would cost TV makers less than $400 to make a set with a 42-inch NED panel, according to DisplaySearch, a Texas research firm.