early adopter
First to buy
An early adopter is someone who embraces new technology, products, or ideas before most people do.
The term comes from marketing theory about how innovations spread through populations.
Early adopters tolerate bugs and high prices in exchange for being first: Early adopters lined up for the new iPhone.
The opposite is a late adopter or laggard.
Pre-launch software evaluator
- first moverOne acting before others
- product testerOne who assesses goods
- crowdfunderOne seeking distributed donations
- backerFinancial supporter
reviewer · unboxer · enthusiast · prosumer · power user · evangelist · influencer · opinion leader
One who overturns norms
- innovatorCreator of new methods
- groundbreakerInnovator, first to act
- pioneerEarly explorer or settler
- trailblazerFirst to forge ahead
visionary · futurist · change agent · thought leader · experimenter · risk-taker · cutting-edge · breakthrough
One who initiates styles
- tastemakerOne who shapes trends
- influencerPerson with promotional reach
- curatorCollection overseer
- arbiterOne who settles disputes
avant-garde · vanguard · hipster · iconoclast · bellwether · hype · viral · mainstream
Enthusiast of small devices
- techieElectronics enthusiast, informally
- technophileLover of new devices
- geekObsessive enthusiast
- power userSkilled frequent operator
beta tester · programmer · developer · hacker · coder · bleeding edge · firmware · update
beta tester
Pre-launch software evaluator
- first moverOne acting before others
- product testerOne who assesses goods
- crowdfunderOne seeking distributed donations
backer · reviewer · unboxer · enthusiast · prosumer · power user · evangelist · influencer · opinion leader · tastemaker
disruptor
One who overturns norms
- innovatorCreator of new methods
- groundbreakerInnovator, first to act
- pioneerEarly explorer or settler
trailblazer · visionary · futurist · change agent · thought leader · experimenter · risk-taker · cutting-edge · breakthrough · proof of concept
trendsetter
One who initiates styles
- tastemakerOne who shapes trends
- influencerPerson with promotional reach
- curatorCollection overseer
arbiter · avant-garde · vanguard · hipster · iconoclast · bellwether · hype · viral · mainstream · diffusion
gadgeteer
Enthusiast of small devices
- techieElectronics enthusiast, informally
- technophileLover of new devices
- geekObsessive enthusiast
power user · beta tester · programmer · developer · hacker · coder · bleeding edge · firmware · update · upgrade
- Pioneerspioneer, pioneers, forerunner, trailblazer, innovator
- trend wordshashtag, meme, fad, craze, movement
- trendsetterstrendsetter, trendsetters, influencer, fashionistas, style icons
- tech adoptioninnovators, laggards, diffusion, critical mass, tipping point
- tech enthusiaststechie, tech geek, technophile, geek, tech enthusiast
- tech usersinnovator, laggard, tech enthusiast, gadget lover, power user
early adopterlaggard
One falling behind
late adopter · latecomer · straggler · holdout · trailing edge
early adoptertechnophobe
One fearing modern devices
Luddite · traditionalist · skeptic · late bloomer · stick-in-the-mud
early, earlier, earliest, adoption, adopting, adopts, adoptive, earliness, adopter