Although Rysinger may have ditched the original iPad (she ended up giving it to her husband) when it was only a year old, Ray Didinger is unlikely ever to slide his fingers across its touch screen. The guy barely has a cell phone.
In fact, when the longtime Philadelphia columnist and broadcaster first came two years ago to SportsNet - where everyone automatically is equipped with a cell phone - they made sure it was a celebrated event.
"The boss came out and gave it to me in a box with a bag and a ribbon and everyone got a good laugh," Didinger, 64, said. "It is still in the box in the bag."
In a world where the next big thing happens every next minute, the gap is now gaping among personal technology users: There are those like Rysinger, who must have the latest iteration immediately, and those like Didinger, who are happy to ride on the technology horse that has carried them thus far.
"Over time, as innovations become mainstream, the true innovators need to branch out to the next big thing - that's what fuels the engine of fashion," said Michael Solomon, a professor of marketing at St. Joseph's University.
Plus, committing early helps advertise to others who you are and what you value. "If you are a big fan of Apple products, standing in line on the first day is an event, like people who stand in line, say, for Springsteen tickets," said Steven Johnson, director of social media programs at Temple University's Fox School of Business.
"It shows you are a loyal fan."
At the same time, there are people who are "overwhelmed ... by gadgetry," Solomon said, "and who yearn, perhaps in vain, for the 'good old days' of surface mail, rotary phones, and true vacations where you're not accessible by text, Skype, or e-mail."
