A mature technology is a technology that has been in use for long enough that most of its initial fault

Fault (technology)

In document ISO/CD 10303-226, a fault is defined as an abnormal condition or defect at the component, equipment, or sub-system level which may lead to a failure....

s and inherent problems have been removed or reduced by further development. In some contexts, it may also refer to technology which has not seen widespread use, but whose scientific background is well understood.

One of the key indicators of a mature technology is the ease of use for both non-experts and professionals. Another indicator is a reduction in the rate of new breakthrough advances related to it—whereas invention

Invention

An invention is a novel composition, device, or process. An invention may be derived from a pre-existing model or idea, or it could be independently conceived, in which case it may be a radical breakthrough. In addition, there is cultural invention, which is an innovative set of useful social...

s related to a (popular) immature technology are usually rapid and diverse, and may change the whole use paradigm

Paradigm

The word paradigm has been used in science to describe distinct concepts. It comes from Greek "παράδειγμα" , "pattern, example, sample" from the verb "παραδείκνυμι" , "exhibit, represent, expose" and that from "παρά" , "beside, beyond" + "δείκνυμι" , "to show, to point out".The original Greek...

—advances to a mature technology are usually incremental improvements only.

Mature technologies

• Farming, most advances are in slight improvements of breeds or in pest reduction
• Motor vehicle
  Motor vehicle
  A motor vehicle or road vehicle is a self-propelled wheeled vehicle that does not operate on rails, such as trains or trolleys. The vehicle propulsion is provided by an engine or motor, usually by an internal combustion engine, or an electric motor, or some combination of the two, such as hybrid...
  
  , widely used by non-experts, the general principles have not changed for decades
• Telephone
  Telephone
  The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
  
  , though considered mature, mobile phones showed a rare potential for substantial changes even in such technologies
• Firearm
  Firearm
  A firearm is a weapon that launches one, or many, projectile at high velocity through confined burning of a propellant. This subsonic burning process is technically known as deflagration, as opposed to supersonic combustion known as a detonation. In older firearms, the propellant was typically...
  
  , typified by assault rifle
  Assault rifle
  An assault rifle is a selective fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine. Assault rifles are the standard infantry weapons in most modern armies...
  
   technology, most advances are slight improvements as manufacturers alter balances between weight, firepower, range, and accuracy

Technologies not yet fully mature

• Internet
  Internet
  The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
  
  , with still partly conflicting technological standards
• Computers (becoming more mature due to advances in user-friendly operating systems)
• Economic models
  Model (economics)
  In economics, a model is a theoretical construct that represents economic processes by a set of variables and a set of logical and/or quantitative relationships between them. The economic model is a simplified framework designed to illustrate complex processes, often but not always using...
  
   (still showing high failure rates in economic prediction)

Immature (as of 2009) technologies

• Nanotechnology
  Nanotechnology
  Nanotechnology is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally, nanotechnology deals with developing materials, devices, or other structures possessing at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometres...
  
  , actual industrial applications limited so far
• Manned space flight, limited, failure-prone and uneconomic
• Quantum computer
  Quantum computer
  A quantum computer is a device for computation that makes direct use of quantum mechanical phenomena, such as superposition and entanglement, to perform operations on data. Quantum computers are different from traditional computers based on transistors...
  
  s, so far mostly a theoretical concept
• Nuclear fusion power, mainly theoretical in practice as containment energy expenditure thus far outweighs yielded energy