Diffusion of Innovations

 One of the greatest innovations of the century is the introduction of the smartphone to the public; more specifically, the Apple iPhone. Several major technology companies have created some version of the smartphone, but how has Apple been able to become, by far, the largest? It started on June 29, 2007 when the first iPhone was available for customer purchase. Similar to the iPod Touch of the last blog, no one really knew what was so special about the newly released iPhone. One of the main reasons why the iPhone blew up faster than its competitors was because it was released before any other company released theirs. No one had ever heard of a device that can fit in your pocket and was able to text, watch movies, play games, check social media, and browse the internet. However, the small group of people, called "innovators," are the reason why everyone has an iPhone today. These innovators served as the test subjects for the rest of the world, and once they appreciate the new device and its features, the rest of the world hops on the train, increasing the sales of the iPhone exponentially. This did not all happen with the first iPhone. Rather, it took many years even for the "early adopters" to get their hands on the device. But, with the hype and superb marketing by Apple, everyone was hearing about the iPhone and had to get one for themselves. Once the iPhone became more popular and well-known than its competitors, the iPhone reached its "critical mass" at the iPhone 6 release on September 19, 2014. After this is when the "late majority" gets their hands on the new phone and the spread rate becomes more steady, but still increasing. Lastly, the group of people that get their hands on the device last are called "laggards." My grandma is one of these laggards when it comes to the iPhone. She acquired her daughters old iPhone 8 about a year ago and did not know how to do a single thing on it. She was one that did not want to switch from her flip phone because it "worked just fine," but technological change is becoming something we all must adapt to in a timely manner, or we will be at a disadvantage to the rest of society.


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