Predicting the lifecycle of a new technology is almost impossible. Deciding to make an investment in new equipment is a risk that everyone faces at least once. Some people learn from their mistakes and others – like me – tend to repeat them because they want to stay ahead of the trend.
Over the years there have been many novel inventions that seem like the answer to everyone’s needs that for one reason or another flop and go by the wayside. I think I’ve owned just about every new innovation and because of that have amassed a stockpile of stuff that can never be used. In preparation for this article, I did some quick math and figured out that I’ve spent many thousands of dollars on items that are completely useless.
Some readers may remember the Betamax video cassette recorder (VCR) which peaked in the 1980’s. Betamax technology was developed by Sony and licensed to a handful of companies. Though the video quality was better then it’s rival VHS, it was soon displaced in the market by VHS. It turns out that VHS was much less expensive to license; therefore, companies choosing to manufacture VCR’s made a decision to produce and sell VHS.
Advertisers and publishers looking to expand their market penetration and gather some demographic information from users created the CueCat. In 2000 a handful of magazines and catalogs published bar codes in their advertisements which readers could scan with the CueCat to obtain more information from the internet. CueCat met its demise because it gathered and shared users’ personal information then resold it to other companies.
I’m looking at my stack of old stuff and have an unused HD DVD player sitting on my shelf. HD DVD seemed like it was only around for a couple years before it failed and was soon displaced by Blu-Ray. HD DVD attracted me due to the potential higher video quality and the increased storage capacity over standard DVD. HD DVD and Blu-Ray, though rival products, did try and merge the two technologies at one point. Toshiba, the premier manufacturer of HD DVD, finally announced one day they would no longer manufacture HD DVD.
Microsoft hoped to build off the success of Windows XP and develop a new operating system with increased security and better features. Windows Vista was the resulting product which was criticized from the day it was released. Vista failed because it wasn’t compatible with older hardware, it was incredibly slow, and Apple gave Microsoft a run for their money. Microsoft redesigned the Vista product line and created Windows 7.
I’ve only listed a small handful of the purchasing blunders I’ve made. It can be incredibly frustrating making a purchase only to find out the supporting technology is being dissolved and will no longer be available. Manufacturers try and rectify their mistakes by offering upgrades for fractions of the initial purchase price. At the time HD DVD failed I saw an ad for Blu-Ray upgrades for around $5.00 per disc. Unfortunately for me, I had already spent hundreds on HD DVD’s.
There are occasions when we, the consumers, have to take a risk and make a purchase of products that seem good at the time. We have no way of predicting how long a product will be on the market and how long the technology will survive. Companies are constantly competing with newer and better products designed to displace current technology. Unfortunately, nobody has a way of predicting when something will be discontinued. We, as consumers, can only make a decision that’s right for us at the time of purchase.
(Jeromy Patriquin is the President of Laptop & Computer Repair, Inc. located at 509 Main St. in Gardner. You can text him at (978) 413-2840 or call him directly at (978) 919-8059.)