The tech industry -- makers of hardware, software and every ware in between -- prides itself on innovation. If George Bush is the decider, then Steve Jobs and his pals, er, rivals at Dell and IBM are the innovators, the geniuses, the gurus.

We’ve elevated these guys to rock-star status, which I suppose makes sense, because they provide the tools that allow a self-involved culture to wallow in its narcissism. They keep us kitted out with must-have laptops and iPods and Blackberries, thereby giving us texting and virtual worlds and, hoo-wahhh, our own personal music.

Unfortunately, all these way-cool necessaries wear out or become obsolete (and way too soon -- more on that in a bit). Now, Johnny I’m-Way-Deep-Into-Myself can’t afford to fall behind on the gadget front, so he’s going to ditch the stuff he’s got to get the newest stuff, the best stuff.