People who bought an iPhone shortly after launch paid $600 with no idea that the app store would appear and become what it did. For all anyone knew, the iPhone would go the way of the Newton or the Zune. Two years later, the same phone was retailing for $200 with a proven track record and an exploding ecosystem of apps.
What being an early adopter doesn't mean is that the item may not be fit for purpose. If early iPhones had never taken off, and the product line was cancelled, that's your bad luck; you took a gamble when you bought it. If the screens had just not been rated for mobile use and had leaked LCD fluid into people's pockets, that's not part of the gamble.
Tesla's appeal to early adopters, but that's not an excuse for product defects.