Diffusion of Innovations

The Diffusion of Innovations was theorized by a communication professor named Everett Rogers. After reading the Wikipedia article, Rogers argued that, "diffusion is the process by which an innovation is communicated over time among the participants in a social system." (Wikipedia, 2022) New ideas are spread through five elements that include:

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• Innovators | these are consumers who are first to try something and are usually first to buy new products right away and are willing to take risks
• Early Adopters | these people embrace change opportunities and do not need information in order to make a change
• Early Majority | this group is not the first and are rarely leaders. They adopt before the average and want to see the evidence an innovation works before committing
• Late Majority | this group is skeptical of change and are only interesting in trying an innovation after majority has done so first.
• Laggards | this group needs to be convinced, are conservative, and are the hardest group to convince

If you know of the giant technology company Apple, then you recognize how innovations have been swift over the last several years. With the introduction of the iPhone, iPad, iPods, and iWatch, Apple has certainly been in the forefront of technological advancements. 

I will look at the iPad since it is one of my favorite forms of technology. The diffusion of innovations can help determine who the adopters were and how the iPads growth grew because of them. Technology comes about out of a need to solve a problem. When the Apple iPad was introduced, Apple sold 450,000 in the first week, 1 million in the first month, and 19 million in the first year. It took Apple six months to catch up with how fast consumers were buying them." (Vogelstein, 2013)

Four years later, 26 million iPads were sold. The cult like following of this iconic brand has only encouraged the continual growth and popularity of the brand. With celebrity endorsements backing the brand, it is no surprise that the Apple iPad comprises the bulk of the tablet market. By the year 2019, 360 million iPads had been sold. 

In the Diffusion of Innovations theory, the innovators for the iPad product would be the cult like followers of the brand. These individuals must have the next best thing Apple introduces and are usually the ones camped out front of the Apple store for days before it is launched. They are diehard fans and are need no convincing to buy the product. With Apple's focus on their innovators, it is no wonder that because of them the early adopters were forced to wait to get the new iPad due to limited supply. 

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The early adopters of the iPad product quickly followed suit and made their purchase. Information about the new iPad began to spread where interest and intrigue were             building among the majority of the population. With that communication from others, the early majority were ready to make their purchase. They had seen the evidence that the product was 'all that' as others had indicated. This social evidence was reason for them to make their purchase and this is when the product began to take off.

At this point, the iPad was being diffused throughout society. The iPads were being seen on television, across social media, and in everyday life. The late majority joined in the group of users after seeing the majority of others using the product. Lastly, the laggards were the final group to proceed in their purchase after much consideration and convincing. 

Some products move through the diffusion of innovation much slower than other products. The iPad compared with something like seat belts was very quick yet both were embraced and implemented throughout society. There are many factors that come into play on whether an individual is an innovator or laggard. Their socioeconomic status plays a huge role in whether someone can buy the newest gadget. Some people are just more naturally conservative in their openness to newer innovations. Age is another factor relevant in how open and responsive people are to newer ideas. When you look at the iPad, older generations of people were among some of the slowest to adopt this new technology. It wasn't necessarily that they could not afford it but simply were slower to embrace the technology because they couldn't connect with how they personally could use the product. 

When thinking about the cost-benefit analysis of the iPad, you must think about the cost expended to implement that new technology. As seen with the iPad the benefits far outweighed the cost. Making information portable as the iPad did was extremely helpful in industries like healthcare where doctors and nurses could have access to a patients medical information. Allowing pre-school children a way to access educational learning by simply touching a screen was yet another benefit. Another industry that was quick to adopt using the iPad was in the field of aviation. Replacing manuals, pilots used iPads instead of carrying around stacks of paper. Education was another field using the iPads. Incorporating iBooks, iTunes, and apps right in the classroom allowed greater communication between instructors and students. Many businesses implemented the use of the iPad right into their daily work areas. My dads office is one such example. He owns a wealth management firm and his staff uses iPads daily for training purposes, scheduling appointments, and offering a way for clients to do electronic signatures on documents. 

The iPad has certainly had a positive impact on society and how we communicate and share. The diffusion of innovation model supports the fact that the Apple iPad provided proof in the beginning that the product was useful and innovative so to get beyond the chasm that often slows or eliminates an innovations success. The Apple iPad is one product that shows how an idea and innovation can quickly be adopted by the masses, forever changing how we think about technology and how beneficial such technologies can be in the areas of saving time, money, space, and resources.