PSION, the technologically innovative manufacturer of hand-held electronic organisers, was hoisted by the petard of its own success this week when it unveiled its new Series 5 range, offering gizmo-obsessive a scaled down computer faster and more versatile than many Pentium-powered PCs.

Psion fell victim to the familiar marketing hype which convinces high-tech junkies to ditch perfectly functional "old" units in favour of the technical frills and modifications offered by more expensive "new" units. The trade responded in Pavlovian fashion by sharply cutting back advance orders for the existing Series 3 units until Series 5 units become available. Predictably, the stock market took fright, slashing the Psion share price by 97p to 407p.

The company hopes to ride out the sales glitch by trimming the price of Series 3 to around £269. Prices for Series 5 start at about £440. Brokers breached for the red pencils and downgraded annual earnings forecasts. New technology may well be magnificent, but invariably there is always something better just around the corner.