TECNOLOGY LIFE CYCLE

Technology is application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes. It refers to the totality of the means employed to provide objects necessary for human sustenance and comfort. Technologies significantly affect human as well as other animal species ability to control and adapt to their natural environments.

Like biological concepts technology also have a life cycle i.e. Birth, Growth, Maturity, and Death. The technology life cycle can be broken down into the following distinct stages:

stage 1 2

Technological stage Technology development Technology application

Features Basic technology Technology + applications

3
4

Application launch
Application growth

Technology+ applications+ product launch

Technology+applications+ rise in product sales Technology + application +fall in product sales Min product sale + loss of application + alternative technology

Technology maturity

Degraded technology

Rate of technical innovation and performance criteria

Innovation stage

Consolidation stage

Maturity stage

Cost of technological improvment

Innovation cost curve

Rate of improvement curve

New technology

Time

Obsolescence

EXAMPLES:
3D Televisions: 3D may have been around for a few decades, but only after considerable investment from broadcasters and technology companies are 3D TVs available for the home, providing a good example of a product that is in the Introduction Stage. Tablet PCs: There are a growing number of tablet PCs for consumers to choose from, as this product passes through the Growth stage of the cycle and more competitors start to come into a market that really developed after the launch of Apples iPad. DVD Players: Introduced a number of years ago, manufacturers that make DVDs, and the equipment needed to play them, have established a strong market share. However, they still have to deal with the challenges from other technologies that are characteristic of the maturity stage. Video Recorders: While it is still possible to purchase VCRs this is a product that is definitely in the Decline Stage, as its become easier and cheaper for consumers to switch to the other, more modern formats.