“There’s a saying, ‘The pioneers are the ones with the arrows in their butts,’ because they forge the way, but there comes a cost for that.”
These are the words of early adopter who has gotten his hands on several versions of the iPhone as soon as they’ve come on the market. He is quoted in a Chicago Tribune story on early adopters—and why the late (or non-) adopters, who don’t have to pull arrows out of their butts, should heartily thank the pioneers out there for taking one for the consumer team.
Why do early adopters willingly enter the market asap, with all of the likely risks and hassles? The Trib explains:
They want the status of being first and they’re willing to pay for that privilege. They also have a higher tolerance for risk, as early adoption often means dealing with glitches and investing significant sums in technology that will inevitably be upgraded and cheaper within a short time frame.