Reject blindly following trends and discover another possibility for technology.

The following article is from Fanie Duvenhage, Vice President of Microchip :

I'm not usually the type of person who likes to try out new technologies. To be honest, I tend to be a late adopter of technology.

It's not that I dislike technology—I've spent my entire career in it. I fully understand how much technology impacts the lives of millions, but I've also learned that not all innovations find a place in my life. I'm generally indifferent to new tools, devices, and gadgets unless I figure out what problem they solve and whether they'll still be relevant after the initial novelty wears off.

What I appreciate is technology with a clear purpose, even if that purpose changes over time. It's technology that respects the user's time, attention, and intentions. It's technology that integrates into life, rather than demanding that life revolve around it.

I remember when Garmin watches first became popular. Their positioning was very clear: helping athletes train, track data, and continuously improve. They didn't aim to do everything; they were focused, practical, and easy to use. When I first started using Garmin—to be honest, I was an early adopter—it wasn't because I was chasing the latest technology, but because I wanted to exercise, but it was too boring and I couldn't stick to it. I'm a data-driven person, and that's what attracted me: I could track my progress, of course, in an Excel spreadsheet. Garmin went from a small gadget to a tool I relied on, recording distance, pace, heart rate, and other data, allowing me to see my training progress. I also gained health benefits as an added bonus.

Later, smartwatches, or "wearable devices," started to proliferate. The Apple Watch arrived, offering more features, more data, and deeper integration into daily life. Now it connects to your phone, notifying you when someone likes your LinkedIn post, your stocks hit new highs, or an Amazon package arrives. But for me, its biggest appeal is making workouts more fun. That's the main reason I'm still using a Garmin watch; I haven't really touched any of the other fancy features. Frankly, I think for most people, smartwatches are more of a fashion accessory than a "must-have" tech product.

This is the logic that I find reliable.

The technologies that survive are often not the first to emerge or the loudest to make a splash. They are the kind of things that quietly, gradually prove their value. Creating something quickly is one thing, but gaining trust, changing people's habits, and integrating into daily life is quite another, and much slower. Technology is accepted by people through consistently solving real-world problems, not by overwhelming users with a bunch of features no one needs.

This perspective has greatly influenced my understanding of innovation, especially today when we face AI and even increasingly complex systems like humanoid robots. Just because something can be made doesn't mean it has to be made. Something that looks impressive doesn't necessarily mean it's useful. The question we should be asking isn't: What can I do with it? Instead, it should be: What do I want to do? What do I need to do? Or at the very least, in what way is this better?

Useful technologies don't necessarily have to be cutting-edge. Often, the best solutions are proven, stable, reliable technologies that have consistently delivered good results. We still sell products launched over 20 years ago because they remain the most suitable solutions for our customers, who expect to be able to confidently purchase them for a considerable period. Their needs change far less quickly than hype cycles. Sometimes, innovation is simply realizing that existing solutions are precisely what customers still need.

So in the end, I accept a technology not because it's new, but because it's actually useful in my life.

So, one last question for you: Do you usually like to try new things, or do you wait for the technology to prove its value before making a move?