Understanding technology transition: a cross-cultural study on the transition from PCs to tablet computers

The ongoing developments in information technology have resulted in new technologies as a replacement for those already existing. This has led to users resorting to these new technologies, often in parallel to the existing offerings. These users then later decide whether to switch to the new technologies fully, a phenomenon referred to as the 'technology transition'. In this paper, drawing on theories on social psychology, we present a theoretical model for explaining technology transition from an individual's perspective in two geographies (Germany and India). Based on survey responses in the two geographies, we validate the model and demonstrate the country-specific factors influencing an individual's intention to transition to a tablet computer from a conventional computing device. The investigation of technology transition at the individual level is also a contribution to the cross-cultural stream of research and provides a basis for further inquiry in this field.