Why companies brag about using newest technologies

[Mister_L]

Almost every web development company I visited, brags about using the most bleeding-edge technologies. In one company, the development manager even said that they adopt new technologies so fast, that they don't even wait for the technology to mature. Nevertheless, none of those companies told me what those new technologies improved in their lives, or what problems they helped them solve. When you weigh new vs old, new isn't automatically better, so from an engineering perspective, it sounds like total BS. Maybe these companies are just trying to say that they are hip and trendy, like those people that must have the newest pair of jeans...

[tangor]

This way they can avoid the appearance of "stagnate and die".

Most of this is pure salesmanship. There is a two letter observation using two keys located immediately right of the v key and the a key. :)

[Marshall]

On average, people replace cell phones every nine months (fact). So why should web development companies be any different. While I do not agree with that approach, much of it comes down to the attitude many have taken over the years: must have the newest thing out there NOW! But I agree with tangor.

[graeme_p]

I think tangor's explanation covers most of it. In some cases new technologies pay premium rates (because not many people know them yet, and demand has grown faster than supply) so emphasising them helps get that work.

There is an awful lot of chasing after the latest buzzword from both clients and developers. Just because Facebook or Google adopts a new technology to cope with huge scale, or people with complex needs adopt another new technology, that does not mean they are best for everyone else too.

[tangor]

Over the many years since I began pounding KEY PUNCH cards then to pounding keyboards, there's always been the next latest and greatest out there. And all those twits claiming they are experts on the new turf....

Frankly, those guys scare the krap out of me. I MIGHT, after a year or two after advent of "latest and greatest" grant a dev team some kind of expertise, but even then I would not call them experts. I know this from the "been there, done that" club and approaching the "forgot more codes" kind of thing (EXCEPT for the ones that count).

There is a very good reason why things go cool and slow: One can bite off more than can be chewed, and what you chew just might be crow.

[Leosghost]

Never underestimate the appeal of "shiny"..example of not underestimating the appeal of "shiny" [en.wikipedia.org...]
especially "the latest shiny"
also
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.
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squirrel [google.com...]

[Marshall]

Never underestimate the appeal of "shiny"..example of not underestimating the appeal of "shiny"

I think you are comparing apples (no pun) and oranges. The OP, I believe, is referring to companies bragging about their knowledge of what is under the hood, whereas Apple's appeal is the container. Never underestimate the power of bling which, IMHO, describes Apple.

[birdbrain]

Once you understand that bragging is simply a subset
of "empty vessels make most noise", there really is no
need for further discussion.

bidbrain

[piatkow]

The highly successful multi national that I worked for on the 70s bragged that it was always second to use any new technology. The competition found the bugs and we benefited.