Crossing the Chasm or Being Crossed Out: The Case of Digital Audio Players

Rayna, Thierry; Striukova, Ludmila; Landau, Samuel

Crossing the Chasm or Being Crossed Out: The Case of Digital Audio Players

International Journal of Actor-Network Theory and Technological Innovation, Vol. 1, No. 3, pp. 36-54, July-September 2009

19 Pages Posted: 21 Apr 2009 Last revised: 28 Aug 2012

See all articles by Thierry Rayna

Thierry Rayna

École Polytechnique, i3-CRG, UMR CNRS 9217

Ludmila Striukova

SKEMA Business School - Paris la Défense Campus

Samuel Landau

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Date Written: March 7, 2009

Abstract

The aim of this article is to study the phenomenon of chasm that often exists in the diffusion of innovation and to devise a theoretical framework enabling to explain the ability of some firms to cross this chasm, while many others remain unsuccessful. The proposition developed in this article is that the choice of initial market segment has crucial importance as adoption in this segment can lead to a cascade of adoption in the other segments. To illustrate this proposition, three cases studies of an historical leader (Sony), a first mover (Archos) and a newcomer (Apple) in the market for digital audio players are presented.

Keywords: Diffusion of innovation, Chasm, Cascading market segments, Digital audio players, Sony, Apple, Archos

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Rayna, Thierry and Striukova, Ludmila and Landau, Samuel, Crossing the Chasm or Being Crossed Out: The Case of Digital Audio Players (March 7, 2009). International Journal of Actor-Network Theory and Technological Innovation, Vol. 1, No. 3, pp. 36-54, July-September 2009, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1392691