How, When, And For How Much? Benchmarks For Buying A New Gadget
The other day, I broke the news that the Nokia 3310 now retails for only Php 190 in a certain store in MaryMart Mall (the section with the Iloilo Supermart grocery) in Iloilo City. In that same article, I noted a series of questions that gadget buyers may be thinking about:
- How often should one buy a new gadget?
- At what rate/price should a buyer make that decision to get a new machine?
- How soon after release is it "safe" to buy without regret?
These questions may be considerations that a gadget consumer is thinking about, given that technology seems to upgrade at rates that consumers' wallets may not be able to keep up with. In fact, I've personally noted some bloggers getting disillusioned with Android Smartphones because of this "bad habit" that gadget manufacturers seem to be adopting.
We also discussed that gadget manufacturers have one concern: to get consumers to buy and upgrade constantly, and up to bigger and better specs, every single time. Thus, as a wise consumer, there is one thing you can do to protect yourself:
Don't believe the hype.
That's basically it. When you know what you want, and you know what you can be contented with, you won't need to get flushed out with the flood of advertising that companies can inundate you with. All you need to do is to take a stand. Don't mind, don't care.
But how do you deal with the gadget envy that plagues techies everywhere, when specs get better with every new release, which seems to happen every single month?
How about set a benchmark and refuse to budge unless the gadget meets it?
The Android Searcher has constantly noted that Androids have this "signature lag" which isn't experienced on an iPod Touch or an iPhone. Even as an Android evangelist of sorts, I would have to honestly agree. Whenever I play Pumpkins vs. Monsters, I do get that annoying "catch" and lag, but I can say that it's pretty much tolerable. I'm on a Cherry Mobile Nova, and at 256MB/600MHz, you can't expect much. But here is what I do to deal with this, when ignoring is no longer an option: remove all widgets, kill all previously opened apps, then go back to playing the game. Using Android Assistant also helps, as its "Quick Boost" button frees up the RAM itself.
This is what happens when you're on a low-spec Android. But if you're on a Samsung Galaxy SII or a Sky Vega Racer, this shouldn't be a problem.
Usually, dissatisfaction with one's gadget is the main reason that prompts users to upgrade. But for those who are limited by the amount of resources in their hands, it would be wiser to grin and bear the defects for a few months more, and then upgrade when able.
It would also make sense to just make a list of gadgets you can, and will buy for that year and stick to it. Unless you do that, you may get prone to wanting every new release that comes out on the market.
Now, to answer the three questions posed earlier:
How often should one buy a new gadget?
How about every two years?
Take the benchmark of postpaid plans: Postpaid plans will issue a new phone as a loyalty reward for its subscribers, every 24 months. That means that they will give you a new unit to use with your plan every two years. I believe this is a sensible benchmark for upgrading phones. New units may have significant hardware upgrades every 2 to 3 months, but these are not truly necessary for day to day use. You don't really need to have your Facebook load lightning-fast. It pays to get disconnected every now and then.
At what rate/price should a buyer make that decision to get a new machine?
I'd rather wait for a gadget to depreciate up to half its original price, if possible. I've always had that sick feeling to my stomach whenever I bought a machine, only to find that it's depreciated considerably, just months after. I also have a smug feeling whenever someone else (usually my significant other) made the stupid decision to buy a gadget I wanted at first-release price, only to see it depreciate to half or even a quarter of its original price, a year later. Thus, I've learned to make the purchase when the price has gone down to a comfortable level, or the lowest it can go.
How soon after release is it "safe" to buy without regret?
Frankly, I won't buy a gadget when it comes out. I'd rather wait a year or even two years before I get it. Nevermind that the market will make me think it's obsolete. It's not. It will be faster than my previous machine, and it will be exactly what I need, even though months, even years have passed since I first wanted it.
I don't and will never buy the patterns that the manufacturers will try to set for the market. While the Androids are on a race to be bigger and better in terms of months, and Apple's machines will always have a 2-year timeline for its gadgets, I will maintain that it would be better to be a wise and sensible consumer. As I said, two articles by now, manufacturers only want one thing: your money. It is your job to stand your ground and not be taken in by their wiles.
Hope this guide helps!
More on my personal experience here.
With thanks to Karen Ang for unwittingly sparking the idea for this article. :)
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