When Does IT Matter?

Nicholas G. Carr says something that I agree with. This is a no brainer, and has been around for a while. The S-curve that predicts the evolution of technology adoption, and the z-curve, that predicts a technology's potential for providing competitive advantage. When selecting technology for competitive advantage, you really need to know where the technology lies on the z-curve. If it's at the beginning, it's expensive, but it has the potential to move you to the head of the pack. If you have already missed your chance, you might as well wait for it to become ubiquitous, because you're not getting to the head of the pack anymore. Granted, things are a little more complex than the oversimplfying -- like it depends on the industry's adoption of the technology. It may be bleeding edge in one industry, while it has been languishing as a commodity in another.