1) Technology is Complicated
Women don’t want to invest the time to learn and keep up with the developments. Technology associated with consumer electronics is getting too sophisticated for the average person to easily understand. One must actually invest the time to learn about new technologies and evaluate countless options. For TV screens there’s plasma, LCD, SXRD, LCoS, DLP, OLED, for TV signals there’s analog, and 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i HDTV, for DVD’s there’s HD DVD and Blu-ray. I don’t even want to get into the speakers, receivers and cables. This can prove challenging for the tech-savvy, let alone for the home theatre amateur — which most women are. In fact, most of my friends would think “home theatre” refers to the theatre in your home town — not your TV setup at home.
2) Women Care About Content
When my now husband first met me, I had a 13-inch screen TV/VCR combo — the same one I had in my dorm room in college. I would spend $300 on a pair of shoes, double that on a purse, but never once did it occur to me to buy a better television. On the one I had, I could watch Friends re-runs, ER, and a couple other shows I cared about. My friends too had no interest in TVs and speakers. In order to watch Sex and the City, we went to a local bar on Sunday nights — that evidently was easier than getting cable (plus they had $5 cosmos). The point is, women care about content — not picture and sound quality.
3) Social Comparison Doesn’t Apply
Women read Vogue, not Sound & Vision Magazine. They like to show off clothes, shoes, bags, and jewelry since these are status symbols that matter to them. Can you imagine a woman bragging to her friends about a new receiver or subwoofer? Enough said.
4) It’s Expensive
Even the women who understand technology and appreciate advantages of HDTV will most likely be deterred by the cost. One of my friends equated the $2,000 price of our TV cabinet to “2 good bags” declaring our purchase insane. A 60-inch plasma TV could cover a season’s clothing budget. And in reality, it will depreciate at about the same rate. Women will convert consumer electronics prices into shoes and bags, while men will do the opposite. Each will think the other is crazy. It’s easiest just to accept it.
5) The guys will figure it out
Every smart girl, once it comes down to upgrading from the 13-inch TV, will find someone to figure it out. What are all the husbands, boyfriends and guy friends for if not to hook up your TV. We know guys will do it, so we don’t have to. If you think this is unfair, remember that 47% of men’s clothing is purchased by women according to the NPD Group — for the men who are at home watching TV.
