Interesting, but I don't necessarily agree with the demographics they cite. -rf
Techies: They're everywhere By Mindy Fetterman and Barbara Hansen, USA TODAY http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2005-10-16-techie-adopters _x.htm?csp=34 When you think of people who are technologically savvy, you probably envision a hip young guy in Seattle or Silicon Valley or New York, sitting in a coffee shop and sending e-mail from his laptop or PDA or even his cellphone. You're right, but not entirely. The most technologically advanced households in America the early adopters who are more likely to own and use new technologies such as TiVo or wireless Internet access exist in nearly every county in the nation. (Graphic: County-by-county map) By age, income, lifestyle and buying behavior, it's a diverse group. These aren't just wealthy people who live in major metro areas or only on the East and West coasts. Twenty-nine percent of U.S. households are likely to be early adopters, according to an exclusive county-by-county analysis of consumers' buying habits by USA TODAY and the Claritas marketing research firm. Eleven percent of the USA's 3,141 counties have at least 29% of households that are early adopters. Though these households are most heavily concentrated in metro areas, early adopters live throughout the nation. Four of the 25 counties that contain the highest percentage of tech-centric households are in Colorado, in the booming Denver region. Six are in the Northern Virginia-Washington-Baltimore corridor. And three are in Utah, in the Salt Lake City and Provo areas. Also among the top 25 are counties in Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Michigan and Texas. "It's not just the large metro areas that have the techie people," says Claritas Vice President Morris Sneor. The results might seem surprising, Sneor says, because this analysis looks at the percentage of all households within a county that are early adopters. That's why a county such as Santa Clara in California, which covers part of Silicon Valley, doesn't show up on the top 25 list. That county is geographically big and has a large population of non-Silicon Valley residents. It ranks 149 on the list. The analysis "breaks the mold that people have been put in," Sneor says. "You can't just write off the smaller markets." It's not about the money Income isn't the deciding factor for determining who is an early adopter, either. The USA TODAY analysis shows that early adopters are likely to buy and use a lot of tech devices no matter how much they earn. "When you look at 'share of wallet,' many younger people are spending a good portion of their money on technology and technology-related services," Sneor says. Adopting technology early is "a lifestyle, a societal movement," Sneor says. "Money is not the principal factor." To determine households that were most likely to be early adopters, USA TODAY and Claritas looked at 20 technology behaviors, including: Making phone calls on the Internet. Replacing landline phones with cellphones. Using Wi-Fi networks outside homes or offices. Buying a home theater, a personal digital assistant, a digital video recorder, a high-definition TV or a cellphone-PDA device. Early adopters are more alike than their incomes might lead you to believe, the analysis shows. They include people who fall into 11 categories of consumer buying behavior (see list). Some are in a group that Claritas calls "High-tech Wannabes." They are younger than 35, earn less than $25,000 a year, like rap music, watch MTV and read Vibe. They also include the so-called "Wireless and Fancy Free": those who are under 35, earn $25,000 to $35,000, play soccer and watch Days of Our Lives. Or they're the "Empty Nest eLite," who are 45 to 54 years old, earn more than $75,000, read Forbes and pay for things such as DSL high-speed Internet service. Early adopters also are "Telecommuting Techies," who are between 35 and 54, earn $100,000 to $150,000, book travel online and read Food & Wine. Scott Yates, 40, of Denver is one of those. He has an 1897 house that he's getting ready to renovate, and he'll put wireless music throughout. But he won't buy a system. "That's the thing about being an early adopter: I'll try and tinker and build it myself." In a telephone interview, with him using VoIP Voice over Internet Protocol, which allows you to call over the Internet Yates ticked off the equipment he has, what he's had over the years and what he wishes he had. "I have a Sidekick, one of those cellphones with e-mail, instant messaging, access to the Web, everything on it," he says. "I thought I was the coolest guy on the block, but I was not as advanced as I'd hoped. I found out Paris Hilton had one and it's most famously used by teenage girls. But the BlackBerry doesn't have enough functionality for me." He loves Google Earth, a computer application that uses satellite images to show anyplace on Earth, not just from the sky but from the perspective of the ground, so hills and valleys are visible. "You can look at a piece of property and see what the view from it would be like," he says. "It's really slick." He's a big iPod fan, but not for digital music: He loves the podcasting. "Part of being an early adopter," he says, sniffing a bit at non-techies, "is what you don't adopt." Are you ahead of the herd? Being an early adopter is a "psycho-demographic," says Geoffrey Moore, author of Crossing the Chasm, a book about fast-changing technology markets, and co-founder of TCG Advisors, a corporate consulting firm. He breaks personal technology consumers into five categories: The Enthusiast. When offered a new tech device, this kind of consumer says, "Great, let me at it," Moore says. "They like to totally engage with the novelty of the device. They're the only ones who really care about how the thing works and the properties of the new object." This group includes the "boys with toys" types who buy almost anything new, no matter what. The Visionary. Adopting a new tech device for this person is "all about personal status," Moore says. "Visionaries, more than anything else, like to be ahead of their fellows." They don't care how it works, they just want it early. Tech visionaries are more practical than enthusiasts, though. They look at how new devices will affect them or their business. "They're thinking, 'If I or my organization were to adopt this new technology, how would it change our competitiveness?' " The Pragmatist. This consumer is not out in front, far from it. This consumer is "part of the herd. They're word-of-mouth creatures," says Moore. The pragmatist won't buy a new device until everyone else is doing it or until they're totally out of the loop if they don't, he says. "They're asking their friends and colleagues, 'Are you using the camera on your cellphone yet? Me, neither.' But if they ask around and people say, 'Yeah, I use it all the time,' then they'll rethink and try it out." The Conservative. The conservative tech consumer's preference is "not to change," says Moore. Only when the herd has the device will they get one, and "they do it unwillingly and under duress. It's like my father, who believed you shouldn't have an answering machine because it's rude for someone to have to talk to a machine. But now he has one because it's rude to not have one." The conservative is a person who is sure that "if they hit the wrong button, they will bring down the power grid." The Laggard. Even kicking and screaming, they can't be dragged into buying the new device, says Moore. "These are the folks who say, 'This is just bad news. People are way too connected. We need to throw everything away and read Thoreau.' " The key for companies that make and market tech devices for consumers is to know which group they're aiming for. Devices don't become huge sellers until they "cross the chasm" from the enthusiasts and visionaries to acceptance by the herd, says Moore. Apple's iPod is the perfect example. "There is no new technology in the iPod," says Moore. But Apple took the interests of the tech-savvy consumers who were using Napster and file swapping and downloading illegally to get music digitally off their computers and refined that. First, Apple set up iTunes, a legal music download service. "Then (Apple CEO Steve) Jobs took the MP3 player and focused on the industrial design of it, which Apple does so well, and the storage capacity," he says. "Now he's got a device that the pragmatists could learn to use." And it's a best seller. The iPod, he says, has brought together the enthusiasts, the visionaries, the pragmatists and the conservatives. Maybe even a few laggards. That's a pretty amazing feat, says Moore, because, "Tech enthusiasts are from Mars, conservatives are from Venus." # # # # # Categorizing the adopters Researchers boil early adopters down into categories based on buying behaviors. Here are the types of people who are most likely to be early adopters, according to Claritas' system of analyzing consumer buying behaviors. Affluent Families Age range: 35-54 Income range: $75,000-plus Behavior: Bring a laptop home to work; shop at Nordstrom; listen to ESPN Radio ; read Ski magazine Empty-Nest eLite Age range: 45-54 Income range: $75,000-plus Behavior: Spend heavily on DSL; go snowboarding; watch VH1; read Forbes Wireless Home Businesses Age range: 35-54 Income range: $75,000-plus Behavior: Have three-plus wireless phones; stay at a Hyatt on vacation; watch pay-per-view movies and concerts; read Golf High-Speed Homeowners Age range: 35-54 Income range: $75,000 to $99,999 Behavior: Have three-plus home computers; have a handheld PC; watch prime-time sitcoms; read Chicago Tribune Magazine Telecommuting Techies Age range: 35-54 Income range: $100,000 to $149,999 Behavior: Have an ISDN line; make travel plans online; watch HGTV; read Food & Wine Online Singles Age range: 18-45 Income range: $50,000 to $149,999 Behavior: Have digital cable; travel by train; listen to National Public Radio; read Architectural Digest Disloyal Phoning Families Age range: 18-45 Income range: $50,000-$74,999 Behavior: Switch local phone providers if offered a lower price; drive a used SUV; listen to urban contemporary; read Family Fun Online Families Age range: 25-45 Income range: $50,000 to $99,999 Behavior: Have three-way calling; go to hockey games; listen to Spanish language stations; read Working Mother Cable-Conflicted Singles Age range: 25-54 Income range: $50,000 to $74,999 Behavior: Watch fewer than three hours of TV a week; visit SDNet and CNet websites; watch Access Hollywood ; read Macworld Wireless & Fancy-Free Age range: 35 or younger Income range: $25,000 to $34,999 Behavior: Have connected service online; play soccer; watch Days of O ur Lives ; read Premier High-Tech Wannabes Age range: 35 or younger Income range: $25,000 or less Behavior: Shop via wireless Internet; listen to rap CDs; watch MTV; read Vibe You are a subscribed member of the infowarrior list. 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