When Apple releases its highly anticipated 12-inch Retina MacBook Air laptop this spring, count on Jason Reid to be first in line.
The 38-year-old entrepreneur is a self-confessed gadget geek who prides himself on being an early adopter.
“I’ve always appreciated technology,” says Reid, CEO and co-founder of Toronto startup Giftagram, a shopping app for buying and sending gifts via mobile phone. “But I’m not a collector. I don’t have a lot of stuff.” When it comes to splurging on himself, however, he sticks, he says, to “precious things. I look for something that will make my life easier.”
He claims he’s always been that way. In 1991, Reid purchased one of the world’s first brick-like Motorola cellphones. Later, in 2003, he was among the first to own a BlackBerry Quartz and a Sony flat-panel LED TV when they hit the market in 2004. When the iPhone was released three years later, Reid again bought in quickly. The Retina MacBook, expected to retail for close to $3,000, will be a similar splurge.
“When buying new technology out of the gate, you’re usually overspending,” Reid says.
But the cost, he believes, is worth it. “I set goals for myself, and some of them take a long time to achieve,” says the chartered accountant by training who was CFO at JumpTV, among other digital startups, before launching Giftagram with partner Richard Kapustin in 2013. “Buying something expensive for myself is sort of an acknowledgment that I
made things happen. It’s a reward.”
The annual Consumer Electronics Show is a mecca for trend-hunters like Reid who head there to search for the next big thing. The innovations featured at the event this year, which took place in January in Las Vegas, included curved 4k TVs, 3D printers, driverless cars and phablets
(a phone-tablet hybrid). First adopters were also scouring the event for wearable technology and remote-controlled drones that serve as aerial cameras. (“I can’t imagine anyone not wanting one,” Reid says.)
Such high-tech toys are fast becoming the new status symbols, says Laban Roomes, owner and founder of Goldgenie, a U.K. company whose customized $5,000 gold-plated smartphones rank among the world’s most expensive cellular devices.
“While people have been buying luxury watches, cars and shoes for decades, a piece of luxury technology is, while highly relevant, more novel,” says Roomes, whose customers include rock stars, athletes and international executives. “Our clients may have diverse backgrounds, but they share one thing: They like to feel special and they like their things to feel special.”
That certainly describes the consumer Omega is marketing its latest offering to. Its Speedmaster Skywalker X-33 watch was designed for space explorers and features 12 cosmonaut-specific functions. While the average consumer might not actually need a watch with a chromium nitride scale or a mission elapsed-time counter, there is already a waiting list for the $6,250 item, which is being released in April.
According to Stephen Urquhart, president of OMEGA International in Biel,
Switzerland, the watch “makes a statement about the wearer’s taste and style.”
For Reid, however, his own extravagant purchases have less to do with the image he projects. “It’s not about owning flashy things,” he says. “It’s about surrounding yourself with inspiration.”
Four tech must-haves for the discerning guy
Polaroid Zip Instant Mobile Printer
This neat little ink-free printer, which fits comfortably in the palm of one’s hand, uses Bluetooth or NFC technology to print directly from a mobile phone or tablet in less than 60 seconds. The device comes with a pack of ZINK (or zero-ink) photo paper that is both smudge-proof and adhesive on the back. Available in the spring and expected to be priced at $130. For more information visit www.polaroid.com.
The Pono PonoPlayer
The portable high-res music player designed by Neil Young (and funded by Kickstarter after venture capitalists shied away) was a hit at the Consumer Electronics Show this year. Playing high-quality (better-than-MP3) digital files that can be downloaded from the Pono Music website, the device costs $399 and is now available through ponomusic.force.com.
NW-ZX2 Hi-Resolution walkman
This premium hi-res audio handset, an updated version of the Sony Walkman that was unveiled at CES earlier this year has 128GB of built-in memory and holds up to 33 hours of music playback, making it a serious improvement over the original 1990s version. Available this spring for $1,119.99 through www.store.sony.ca.
Fuel3D Scanify handheld scanner
Billed as the world’s first hand-held, point-and-shoot colour 3D scanner, the Scanify combines pre-calibrated stereo cameras with photometric imaging to accurately capture a high degree of detail (even the texture in a painting). Launching later this month, it will retail in Canada for $1,870 and can be pre-ordered through www.fuel-3d.com.