iPad Adoption Pattern in Singapore and Technology Diffusion Model

All this buzz about people buying iPads and queueing up for an iPhone 4 brings me to think of something I often talk about when discussing innovation and technology intelligence. The ‘Technology Diffusion Model’ by Beal, Rogers and Bohlen. It looks something like this:

Just for fun, I imagine how this roughly interprets to Singapore’s iPad adoption:

Innovators. You bought the iPad directly from the USA around the original launch date. People love you and love your technological gadgets. Some even stalk you over it. There’s also a high chance you’re an Asian American who works for a multinational software company in the day and owns a sushi bar by night (and name begins with ‘H’ etc etc).

Early Adopters. This would refer to the hoards of people who queued up in Singapore last week to grab an iPad. This week, you’ll be stocking up on accessories such as little cute bags to protect your precious toy and screen filters because once you got it home you realized how reflective the surface is. You’re probably reading this from Starbucks right now.

Early Majority. Those that missed out on the great iPad grab are probably feeling quite sore right now; but. You’ll pretend that you never get one; but one fine day you’ll let your guard down when one winks at you seductively from a shop window.

Late Majority. (I think I fit here) You’re probably sat cursing that everyone you’ve seen with an iPad this week is a douche, or worse: a douchePad. You’ll be getting one though as soon as 1) the price goes down considerably 2) everyone else has one and you need to share applications/files with them and 3) you can impress people (whose wives won’t let them buy one) in meetings.

Laggards. At some point, you’ve said something like the iPad “it is just a big iPhone/iPod touch.” You’re probably going to get an iPad in a years time or so when they come free with new Singtel Mio/Starhub packages… and you know it.

So which one are you?

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Possibly Related Posts:

• Jonathan Ive’s Earlier Work