Whenever Andy considers upgrading his personal computer system, he consults with Jeremy, a knowledgeable friend who always has the newest technology. For Andy, Jeremy is a(n) __________ in the diffusion of innovation curve.

The innovation adoption curve is a model that classifies adopters of innovations into different categories based on the idea that the adaptation to innovations varies from individual to individual.

The classification of individuals goes as follows:

Innovators: They are the first when it comes to having the latest technology or coming with new developments.
Early adopters: They try out new ideas but in a careful way. They are less brave than the innovators.
Early majority: They are also careful but still accept change more quickly than the average.
Late majority: They only use new products once the majority of people is using it.
Laggards: traditional "old-schoolers", they only accept new ideas once they have become mainstream.

In the example Andy always consults with Jeremy when it comes to upgrades because he knows Jeremy always has the newest technology. Therefore, since Jeremy is one of the first to have the latest technology, we can say that Jeremy is actually an innovator.