One of the more interesting things we’ve learned from our research in the computer and consumer electronics markets is that with technology, one size does not fit all. Dell discovered this early on, letting customers “build” their own computers—a highly personal experience, thanks to its online direct-marketing programs. The company’s credo was to give the customer only what he or she really wanted. That’s key to satisfying customers, but equally as important, perhaps, is understanding who is buying your products. In other words, people of different ages are likely to use technology quite differently.

In our company’s research, we look at four key demographics: “silver surfers” (folks over 65), baby boomers (people born between 1946 and 1964), Gen Xers (those born between 1965 and 1982) and “millennials” (young people between 14 and 24). Of these four groups, millennials are perhaps the most important for technology, since they are the most tech-savvy and strongly influence what their friends, parents, and grandparents buy.

The group with the most purchasing power and cash available to spend on technology, however, is the baby boomers. I recently ran across a report from a job-recruiting firm called J. Kent Staffing that shared some data points gleaned from a book called the The Boomer Century 1946-2046 by Richard Croker.

The report pointed out the following:

1. The number of baby boomers in America is estimated at 78.2 million. 2. Approximately 7,900 Americans turn 60 each day. That’s about 330 every hour, or more than 4 million a year. 3. Within 20 years, the age profile of America will match that of Florida: About one in five Americans will be older than 65. 4. Boomers who reach age 65 in 2011 can expect to live, on average, at least another 18 years. 5. Four out of ten boomers have less than $10,000 in retirement savings. 6. Today, four out of ten boomers’ households have at least $100,000 in investable assets. 7. Only about one-third of baby boomers think they will have enough money to live comfortably once they retire. 8. Four out of five boomers intend to keep working and earning in retirement. Half plan to start an entirely new job or career in retirement. 9. Only one in seven baby boomers says they plan to collect Social Security benefits at age 62. 10. The unpredictable cost of illness and health care is by far boomers’ biggest concern. They are three times more worried about a major illness, their ability to pay for health care, or winding up in a nursing home, than they are about dying.

Although boomers have discovered the value of the Internet, we have found that they use it much differently than their children or grandchildren do. They rate communication as highly essential, but the whole idea behind MySpace or Second Life escapes them. Their grandkids might be lost without 24/7 connectivity, but the concept of being connected 24 hours a day scares boomers. They do love to use the Internet to research things they are passionate about, such as quilting or fishing, and even shopping sites get their attention. But things like online communities don’t really interest them.—next: The Most Important Point >

I consider the last point in this list from Croker’s book to be the most important. Baby boomers’ concerns over their health and the costs of health care are big issues for them, and they will be investing a lot of their money in information and biotech-based technology in the future.

This has not escaped the drug and medical industries, which see boomers as their next cash machines. But tech companies have realized this as well. In fact, Intel was one of the first to place an emphasis on this. When it recently reorganized, it created an entire division devoted to technology related to health care. Philips has also made health-care technology a cornerstone of its business, creating personal defibrillators and other personal heart and health-care monitoring devices, as well as hospital-class monitoring and diagnostic equipment. Here in Silicon Valley, I am beginning to see more garage-shop start-ups taking aim at health-related tech issues, as well as focusing on their use by silver surfers and boomers.

Interestingly, personal monitoring technology is not just a U.S. or European phenomenon. During my last trip to Japan, I saw a Wi-Fi–based teakettle. What does this have to do with monitoring people? I thought the whole thing was crazy, and then my hosts explained. You see, in Japan, tea is a daily ceremonial act. It’s part of the culture. So, Japanese Boomers and Gen Xers buy these Wi-Fi teakettles and install Wi-Fi networks in their parents’ or grandparents’ homes. They know that at certain times of the day, around 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., their elders will have tea. So, when the kettle is lifted to pour the tea, it sends a Wi-Fi signal to the network, and the network then sends an alert to their cell phones. It’s a signal that things are “normal”—an unconventional monitoring technology, but one that works.