How Long Should You Wait to Upgrade?
Deciding when to upgrade your personal hardware or software requires considering several factors:
Affordability: New technology costs money, and some companies make it easier to trade in old equipment than others. That’s always appreciated.
Satisfaction with current tools: Your tools might still be working, or can be made to last a bit longer (or, in the case of Apple equipment, a lot longer).
Creeping obsolescence: Sometimes it doesn’t creep—it arrives suddenly. For example, we can no longer update my wife’s perfectly functional Windows computer to the latest version of Windows. So far, this hasn’t been a major issue, but eventually, it will become one.
Compatibility: I’m an independent consultant working from my home office in Alexandria Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington DC. I write a lot in my work. I frequently have to interact will client systems and networks and need to make sure my systems are compatible with theirs.
Manufacturer support: Some technologies are no longer supported. Plasma TVs, for example, are no longer made. So far, we’ve been lucky with our old Panasonic, but the day will come when it fails.
Desire for the latest and greatest: Do I really need to upgrade to an iPhone 16 from my iPhone 14? Not really, but the temptation is there…
Nostalgia: I do find some satisfaction in keeping old computers around and making them useful. I inherited an ancient MacBook Pro from my late brother and keep it functional by running Ubuntu Linux on it, turning it into my “basement” computer. Do I need it? Not really, but I get a certain satisfaction knowing this antique still works—especially since it can access Microsoft 365 apps and do client work on it! (I still have our two Mac Plus computers in storage along with all the original floppies; someday…)
Aging equipment: Some older gear simply doesn’t run as well as it used to. We have an old Sony flat-screen TV and an integrated Blu-ray/tuner/surround sound system in the basement. Its user interface is cumbersome and difficult to control, especially when I’m not around to help. Do we really need a new surround sound system and a 4K flat-screen? Obviously not, but it’s tempting…
Unexpected duplicates: And how did I end up with two perfectly good Kindles? I have no idea!
Copyright (c) 2024 by Dennis D. McDonald
