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Three high tech items not selling well

Don't Waste Your Money

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Posted: 10/19/2012

Consumers can't get enough of high tech gadgets: From smartphones to tablets to the latest flat screen TV's we love new technology. Except sometimes we don't.

It turns out there are some new high tech items most people have very little interest in buying.

Some products get a yawn

When Apple releases a new product, fans line up overnight,as we saw with the iPhone 5.

But some other new tech items are getting a big yawn these days from consumers, according to a new report in Time magazine .

3D TV

The number one tech disappointment, the report says: 3D TV.

Prices are plummeting because buyers are shunning the TV's.

Electric Cars

Number two: Electric cars, such as the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt.

Time says automakers are scaling back plans for more electric cars because of the lackluster response. And Chevys is now advertising the Volt's other attributes, not the fact it is electric, it says.

Hybrids, especially Toyota's Prius, however, continue to set sales records. So the issue is not that consumers still want gas guzzlers, it's that most are not yet ready for all electric.

Mobile Wallets

And three: Mobile wallets, where you pay with your smartphone.

Twenty-five years from now we will all probably pay with a simple swipe. But consumers are not yet opening up to this new way of paying.

Why we are reluctant

And from the "Doesn't that Stink" file, a big reason tech products disappoint: The support system is not yet there.

Time says mobile wallets will be the future, but most stores with the exception of Starbucks, are not yet ready.

Trying to pay by phone today? You'll probably say "doesn't that stink."

Electric cars need fast charging stations. Imagine pulling into your local BP gas station and saying your Leaf needs a charge.

And 3D TV's still need awkward glasses, which most people don't want to wear. When 3-D is painless, and glasses free, most people will probably buy a 3D set.

Bottom line: There is nothing wrong with any of these ground breaking items. But if it's new, different, and somewhat expensive -- like 3D TV -- it's sometimes best to wait for a friend or neighbor to get one first, Then kick the tires, and see what you think, so you don't waste your money.
 

Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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