And the bleeding edge has a golden rule

As long as I'm on this "golden rule" kick, let's mention one more:

[Wii U users have] forgotten one of the golden rules of consumer technology: early adopters get screwed. Recent examples include iPhone 5 screen defects, Windows Phone 8 randomly rebooting and broken Surface keyboard cases.

Companies love early adopters because they get excited about product launches and produce big initial sales numbers to quote, but they don’t extend extra care to those who turn out first. In fact, you’re much more likely to find yourself holding a device built by workers still getting to grips with the manufacturing process and running software with significant bugs that haven’t yet been discovered.

More here, including a discussion of Vodafone's costs for the "privilege" of leasing a new iPhone or Android phone.