| Adoptions and Orphans in the Early Microcomputer Market | |
Abstract | |
| In this paper we develop a model with (1) differentiated consumers, (2) endogenous adoption times, (3) technical uncertainty, and (4) alternative technologies sponsored by competing vendors. We identify conditions under which orphaning arises endogenously in a framework of dynamic competition. We then use the model to examine the development of the micro-computer market in the early 1980s, when the orphaning of a widely-adopted operating system occurred. We find that the data characterizing this event are consistent with our theoretical framework. | |
Publication details | |