Defenses are weakening as devices age
My smartphone is aging. The screen doesn’t always respond to my finger, the camera is mildly fogged over from scratches and dust on the inside, and the metal bits have little divots from drops. Sometimes when I press the “home” button, nothing happens.
My laptop is sluggish, too. The U key is sticky, the processor is beginning to struggle amidst a wealth of recent programs, and certain features aren’t available to my 4-plus-year-old computer. Every now and then the computer freezes up and I constantly have to be vigilant.
I’m a massive tech nerd, and when I begin to see cracks in performance and usage, I immediately jump to one conclusion: time for an upgrade. I can quickly rationalize the “need” for new. Look at all of these aforementioned faults and — hey! — I’m a digital writer/blogger. I need these things, right?
Lusting for the latest
In college I upgraded computers about every year at great expense. Smartphone upgrade plans didn’t matter to me. I spent the full price when necessary and negotiated early upgrades when possible.
The smell of freshly molded plastic was a beautiful sensation. I lusted after that unboxing process — from the plastic wraps to physical perfection. Hundreds — no, thousands — were spent to maintain this status and newness. I couldn’t stand to keep something that no longer was the point of affection for others. The commercials had changed to newer, “better” devices, and I unconsciously moved in unison.
Juxtaposed with my love for the latest and greatest was a powerful disgust that developed for the old. That technology became embarrassing and frustrating for me. But now, I’m holding back for the first time in my life.
Learning to resist the urge to upgrade
Admittedly, this process of buying less and refusing to upgrade early has been slow. After years of buying conspicuously, I’ve turned a new leaf. I don’t want to buy new immediately anymore. Here’s what keeps me grounded:
Value comes in time — it’s not a flash in the pan.
I want to purchase devices that last and take advantage of that worth. And there’s a lot of time to take advantage of lasting material goods. Think about it, life expectancy for those in the U.S. is about 78.7 years. That only leaves a set number of devices, objects, and material possessions over the course of a lifetime. Make them count.
Climate change is worsening
There are other reasons to resist the spending. Constant changes in technology and devices contribute to far greater climate change. Those electronics and material goods are likely made in China, shipped or flown across the Pacific Ocean, and trucked and trained to their final destinations. From the packaging, production, transportation, and actual purchase, tremendous amounts of energy must be used. And most of it is from fossil fuels — the kind that contributes to climate change.
Forever young only exists in music lyrics
I cannot help but notice that the same magazines, newspapers, and websites that advertise beauty products also share the latest gadgets. The beauty culture encourages us to stay young; forever, at great cost. Similarly, our beauty culture has disconnected and made us feel fearful about aging. Our devices are no longer timeless investments — they are planned for obsolescence. Be wary of these messages that try to subtly obliterate your older device.
That money can go to a million better places
If the preceding reasons weren’t enough, it costs a lot of money to upgrade constantly. Save the money, put it to work in the stock market, donate it to charity, or fix your bike. Nearly anything is better than spending it on a slightly newer device.
Can our devices get worn in, and could we actually begin to appreciate this character and value? How did we become so fearful of having something old?
Great post! I’m writing from my iPhone 3GS that I bought used a couple years ago for $30. My 8yo MacBook (also bought used) is my other device of choice. It’s missing a few keys, dinged up, and well-used. I love your idea of old things having character. My phone can’t handle the latest apps but I have more than I want or need already, and honestly I prefer my small smartphone to the massive ones coming out now (and I have no desire for a watch!). Whenever I do decide to upgrade though, it will be used, and not the latest model. I feel better reusing than buying new. And I save money too!
Thanks for your post, Sam! I can very much relate to your urge to buy a new version of whatever device as soon as the old one starts showing its age. For financial reasons and also to keep the bad habits in control which show when I use a smart phone, I still stick to a six year old not so smart phone. It only makes calls, sends texts and takes crappy pictures, but the advantages (less time spent surfing, less worry about dropping it, less of a bad conscience because of how it was produced) by far outweigh the disadvantages. I’ve been reading your blog for a while now and greatly enjoy it – thanks for letting us take part in your frugal journey!
That’s a great point! Sometimes technology is purely distracting — making it easier to feel busied, when you really need to simplify. And I’m glad you share in a production-conscious approach to consumption! 🙂
Thanks for reading,
Sam
I feel the siren’s call as well. I’ve been resisting a laptop upgrade from my old $200 chromebook for some time.
Adam,
I was given a free Chromebook (the Cr-48) when they first announced the development of an operating system. It was such a fun, simple device. I’ve actually been thinking about what my next laptop will be — hopefully in a couple years — and the Chromebook might be a great option. The development team is doing incredible work.
Thanks for your comment,
Sam
I have an unlimited data plan through Verizon, and one of the caveats to keeping it is not being able to use my upgrades every two years. Every time I want a new phone, I have to pay the full price out of pocket. I now use my phones as long as possible, and when it’s ready to give up the ghost for good, I buy a phone that’s a generation older than the newest (Galaxy S4 when the S5 came out). I also used my laptop for 5 years before the hard drive died. Now that I’m not in college, I don’t need to have a mobile computing device. I took the time to build a desktop computer that I can upgrade piece by piece in the future, should I feel the need to. Being free from the latest and greatest is a wonderful thing!
Great post. I’m a huge gadget geek, but I tend to own trailing edge technology.
Last year I switched from a 2009-era MacBook to a Chromebook. I love the Mac (I also like Windows) but the once a year upgrades weighed heavily on my laptop and the latest update made it really sluggish. Chrome OS is continually updated in the background. I haven’t noticed any slowing of my Chromebook. Or perhaps it happens so incrementally I don’t notice it. Typically after a year my Mac or Windows computers feel dated. My Chromebook is still as fresh and zippy as ever.
It’s incredible how these companies have marketed to us. I remember when a couple of people I know got the iphone 6 plus they were just enamored by it. But literally a month later they were already talking about the new samsung phone and telling me that the big iphone 6 screen just doesnt look as big anymore. There was a time that people would kill for an iphone 4, and now its probably used as a hockey puck.
But by knowing this you can also take advantage of new technology. As long as you’re ok staying a generation or 2 behind, you can get great tech for super cheap. The iphone 5 is FREE with most carriers. That’s just insane.
I have been eligible for an upgrade since December and my children cannot believe I haven’t upgraded my iPhone 5 to an iPhone 6 plus! I am a recovering upgrade addict – I’m four months sober. About a year ago, after spending a week in China with my minimalist friend, I decided to be more mindful about my spending. My iPhone 5 serves all my smart phone needs and works just fine but I still gaze longingly when I see an iPhone 6. I love to travel. To help me in my weak moments, I keep a list of all the places I’d like to go and the approximate cost of the trip. Shanghai beats the iPhone 6 every time!
I’ve never been much of an early adopter, but I don’t do well when my technology starts failing me. Once the computer gets glitchy, I need a new one.
Slightly old tech is usually great AND cheap. But real old tech…..well, i guess I have to install Linux….
Great point, the culture shift as of late is to always upgrade whenever possible or if something small is wrong, then the whole thing is broken and to immediately replace it. But the thing is- it costs a lot of money to constantly upgrade and replace. It often costs a lot less to repair. I’ve had my laptop (a mac) for close to seven years. It started going down hill 1.5 years ago, instead of shelling out $1200 for a new one, I spent $250 to get it fixed. While yes, fixing it did require an upgrade in memory and hard drive, it did not require an entirely new computer even though my computer felt new after the fixes. It is still going strong and I’m hoping it lasts another 1.5-3 years
I own a not so smart Tracphone. I’m not a big cellphone user so it’s okay for me. Sometimes I do wish I had a smart phone but until I can find a reasonably priced phone at a reasonably priced provider with no contract and none of those contract hassles, I’ll stick with what I’ve got.
I did recently upgrade my pc because my old pc was getting too slow and didn’t have enough storage, However, I shopped around and got a great refurbished machine for under $350.00. It would have cost about 1K if it were new out of the box.Works great!
We kept the older pc and use it so both me and mister can get online at the same time if we need to. No more having to shoo the other off the pc because we need to use it. He doesn’t need as much speed or storage as I do, so it works out. If he has to do something that requires lots of speed, I let him use mine.