Below is a table showing when major technologies were introduced to the public at large and how long it took them to reach 85% of US households.
| Technology | Introduced | In 85% US households | Time to 85% |
| Telephone | 1875 | 1965 | 90y |
| Electricity | 1903 | 1945 | 42y |
| Automobile | 1903 | 1981 | 78y |
| Radio | 1920 | 1943 | 23y |
| Refrigerator | 1922 | 1951 | 29y |
| Clothes Washer | 1926 | currently ~83% | |
| Air Conditioner | 1947 | 2003 | 56y |
| Clothes Dryer | 1950 | currently ~80% | |
| Dish Washer | 1950 | currently ~65% | |
| Color TV | 1960 | 1981 | 21y |
| Microwave | 1972 | 1998 | 26y |
| VCR | 1977 | 2001 | 24y |
| Personal Computer | 1977 | currently ~75% | |
| Cell Phone | 1983 | 2004 | 21y |
| Internet | 1990 | currently ~67% |
Man these things move like fire!
Two things to observe here:
1) The trend is toward faster adoption of technology
2) Long before any of these goods or services reached 85% saturation, the companies producing them were delivering commodities as second order businesses because they were Herders not Edgelings competing not on ideas but on price.
