Our modern lives are dependent on technology. And this technology is constantly evolving. Keeping up with the latest tech is a double-edged sword. If you don’t upgrade your tech at some point, you’ll fall behind and will start to encounter problems in your life. At the same time, constantly replacing tech creates a lot of environmental waste and will quickly drain your finances while not always providing worthwhile benefits.
Upgrading tech should therefore be a careful balancing act – you need to upgrade often enough to avoid disruption to your life, but not frequently enough that you cause added problems. This post explains more.
When you shouldn’t upgrade your tech…
There are a few times when it’s best to hold off investing in any new tech. Below are some examples.
Your current tech is working perfectly
As the popular saying goes: ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’. Some technology can last for decades without encountering any faults. Other tech has a short life expectancy and you’ll start to see issues appearing within a couple years. If technology is still functioning well, you should consider whether it’s really necessary to replace it – especially if there are no other functions you need from it. For instance, there’s no point replacing 10 year old speakers if they’re still delivering the same sound quality as when you bought them.
There are new features you want, but none you need
Many of us are attracted to new features in gadgets that seem fun or innovative, but are actually not that useful. Modern smartphones continuously come with new camera upgrades, but many of these are only really useful if you’re a photographer. It’s better to solely upgrade tech when you’re actually getting added benefits that you’re going to make use of.
You can’t afford to upgrade
The price of new cars, appliances and devices just keeps going up. If you can’t afford to pay extra money a month for a new smartphone, consider whether you really need a new phone. More people are opting for SIM only deals to save money – keeping their current phone, but changing their phone plan. This is a much better option if you want perks like extra data but don’t actually need a new phone.
You’re only doing it to show off
One of the worst reasons to upgrade your tech is solely so that you can show it off to others and improve your social ‘status’. There are much less expensive ways to impress people. Besides, if other people start buying that same tech, you’ll have nothing to show off about. This is when many people start to experience buyer’s remorse, having bought fancy electric barbecues or guitar amps that they don’t actually have a use for. It’s much better to invest in tech that serves a practical purpose or that you’d still appreciate even if no-one else knew you owned it. This is when you know that a gadget truly brings you joy.
When you should upgrade your tech…
There are other instances when an upgrade can be overdue. In these cases, you don’t want to delay an upgrade as it could lead to lots of unwanted problems. Below are a few examples.
Your tech is past its warranty and keeps breaking
When tech breaks, it’s important to look into the cost of repairs before immediately considering a replacement. While more complex technology has resulted in more expensive repairs, it is often still economical to fix some faults. However, once you start encountering frequent problems, costs will often start rising and it may be more economical to replace your tech instead of continuously repairing it. The exception is if your tech is still under its warranty, in which case you can still take advantage of free repairs. However, once this warranty has run out or become void, there’s no point in continuously digging into your own pockets to fix tech. Newer tech will likely be more reliable, and you’ll save time and money in the long run by not having to keep repairing it.
There are unfixable faults that seriously inhibit usability
It’s possible to ignore some minor faults. For instance, a faulty headphone jack on a phone may not be too much of an issue if you can still use bluetooth headphones. However, screen damage or a faulty battery that won’t charge is something you can’t ignore. If a problem is not fixable, then it’s time to retire your current tech and get something new. Continuing to try to use the device when a problem is causing you major inconveniences will only lead to unnecessary stress and wasted time.
Your tech has become dangerous to use
You should also upgrade your tech the moment that your current tech starts to become dangerous to use. An old microwave that has started to trip the circuit breaker in your home whenever you use it could be a fire hazard if you continue to try cooking in it. A car that constantly breaks down in random places could become a serious issue if you regularly drive on fast roads. There could even be security dangers associated with certain old tech such as software that has lost support. Once software is no longer supported by the vendor, it will no longer receive security patches against new cyberthreats, which could leave you open to cyberattacks.
Your tech doesn’t support necessary software or additional hardware
Those who remember using early Windows software may remember the frustration of not being able to use certain programs with certain versions of Windows due to incompatibility. Although less common, such incompatibility issues can still occur today. Some apps can still not be used on certain devices. There has even become an issue of modern hardware not supporting older hardware mediums and accessories. For example, some PCs do not have USB drives or CD drives. There are however some that do, and you may find that switching to one of these PCs is preferable if you’ve got CDs or USBs with old valuable files on that you’d like to access.
