Life Cycle Stage of Digital Media

I believe that digital media is in the Bowling Alley stage of the life cycle. Because there are always new technologies emerging, customers are usually pragmatic buyers until the product has been labeled reliable. Dial-up internet service, for example, is still being used by 34 million people in the United States according to the research firm IDC. This resource can also be located in the following URL: http://tech.msn.com/products/article.aspx?cp-documentid=877517&page=3
Despite the many advantages that cable and DSL offers, many US citizens still resort to dial-up. The bowling alley stage reminds me of the lag where new technologies are invented, but are not created as a standard until the market has matured. This usually occurs due to many top competitors arguing that their product should become the standard, but there is also the consumer influence. Ideally, a consumer would like to walk into an electronics store and purchase a product that would be compatible with the majority of their electronics at home. Creating a standard would be the perfect response to this demand. Digital media will be in the bowling alley stage until its corresponding technology has been established, and some type of standard is created where digital media will be utilized.