The Pace of Technology: Warping Away at Light Speed

The technological battle is a seemingly endless one. Every day, companies strive to get their latest products on store shelves and market them to the public. Whether it’s a new blackberry, a new laptop, or another piece of technology, the rate at which new merchandise hits the public is unbelievable.

Near the beginning of last year, I purchased a Pentium 4 computer from a friend for about $300. Little did I know that not even twelve months later, I would discover that my newly purchased system was several years old and is now practically obsolete. Nevertheless, my computer still fulfills my needs – it runs Microsoft Office 2007, some of the latest games like Age of Empires 3 and Command & Conquer 3, I can surf the internet, and I can check my email. Therefore, a new computer is the last thing I’m looking for this Christmas.

I’m one of the few teenagers that don’t own a cell phone. Why? I don’t need one. I never have, and I doubt I ever will. But even if I did want to purchase one, I’d be confused as to which one to buy. There are hundreds of different cell phones out there, each with different features. And after you buy one, a company comes out with a newer model several weeks later.

Don’t you find it frustrating that after making a $300 purchase on a new smart-phone or computer, an even newer model is released several weeks later, thus already setting your piece of technology into the “soon-to-be-obsolete” category?

The opposite of keeping up with the latest trends in technology is to wait a couple of years before purchasing a new piece of electronic equipment. The price drop is substantial, but then again, what you’re buying is already obsolete, meaning that depending on the situation, you might not be getting the best value for your money.

What should you do? Well, here’s my opinion. What I tend to do is not purchase a new electronic device as soon as it’s released, yet at the same time not wait forever for the price to drop to less than $25. So, I usually aim for a 1 to 2-year deadline. Now, obviously I didn’t follow this strategy when buying my Pentium 4, but then again I wasn’t aware of when the Pentium 4 was originally released, as well as the fact that the $300 price point was quite high anyways. After one or two years have gone by since a product’s release, the cost tends to drop anywhere from 10% to 15%, yet it’s still considered trendy and popular among society. I bought my Wii in August 2007, almost one year after its initial release in November 2006.

What are your trend-keeping strategies?