Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Giving up computers

In about 30 years, after I've stashed away a good savings and no longer rely on them to make a living - I'm giving my CPUs the boot and moving to the middle of nowhere.

I will obviously keep a phone/watch/brain chip so I can at least make calls to my family, but there is no way in heck I'll use a general purpose computer after that.

Been using computers since I was 5. They are my hobby and life.... but I'm really looking forward to the day I can toss them and be done with that nonsense. 😀

Life is too short, would rather spend my years enjoying life than sitting here satiating my addiction to technology. The only way I can do that is get rid of it all.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Goatllama
rdowty said:
4.7" screen... that's not an iPhone... BURN THE WITCH!!!
Click to expand...

Thank you for that. Pure genius. May you be plagued by abundance and never have to buy yourself another drink!

To the OP: no, not until the singularity in which the device in my hands surpasses in performance the one now sitting at my desk.
 
No, actually I used to have an iPad 3 and a 2008 aluminum MacBook and the iPad was rarely ever used. I even tried getting a keyboard case for it in hopes that I would use it more. After a while I realized I just preferred using a Mac for general web browsing and email and light office suite work. All I wished was that my Mac were lighter, so I sold my MacBook and iPad and purchased the 2013 MBA, never looked back. I recently considered getting an iPad mini, but talked myself out of it because I know I'll never use it. OS X ftw.
 
Absolutely cannot. Phones will never get to a point to replace a laptop for me. I use a laptop to create precise 3D models (which would be extremely difficult to do without a cursor and mouse), gaming (real gaming, not flappy bird and angry bird type gaming - FPS's that also use keyboard and mouse for movement; though I may be willing to compromise this if valve's gaming controller is truly as amazing as it seems), and just the shear amount of screen; the work/play I do on my computer will never be good on a screen that is small enough to fit in your pocket. I will admit that I would LOVE to get rid of my computer, and have all my data on a single device in my pocket (all 1.5 TB worth), but my current lifestyle and preferences will not allow me.
 
thank you guys for participating in this topic with your great opinions, please keep them coming, really enjoying reading them
 
I've lived with just my iPhone 4S and ipad 3rd gen for over 2.5 years.

The biggest hurdle is backing everything up but many online services allow easier access to the cloud.

I decided to go ios only in hopes of not being connected to the interet at all times and rather just picking up a device when I need to. It's admittedly cumbersome at times but it can be done.
 
Besides gaming like Bioshock, Civilization V, Contagion, MS Flight Simulator 2004/X, Zombie Panic, etc. Unless you can run Logic Pro & various graphic design software on an iPad or iPhone, its easier to ditch iOS/Android than a desktop OS.

Garageband for iOS is too limiting... most iOS friendly audio interfaces can only handle guitar/bass input and mic for vocals. You'd need a microphone array to record drums 🙁
 
If I give up computers then I am out of a job, completely. There is no way I can work at all. Even if I bought 100 reams of paper and 10,000 pens, I need a computer with internet service to work every day. I've never felt the need to give up computers.

As for only having a phone to get online with, never could do that either. There are times when I need to do more on a computer and the constant pecking on the screen gets excessive.
 
Politics and current affairs are my life, my source of bread & butter, my profession, and, to be honest, my interest and passion. Thus, even while social media and other transformative means of communication hold little interest for me, for access to news and current affairs I could not live without a computer.

However, it has changed how I view and use technology; some are used, while others are completely discarded. While I was never someone who slumped for hours in front of a TV, and even watched it comparatively seldom growing up (I tended to be a reader, and listened to music, instead), nowadays, I hardly ever, - and I mean hardly ever - watch TV any more, even for the news, or current affairs programmes.

Instead, these days, much of my news reading comes from online.
 
Last edited:
when i had my pc and it crashed constantly, yes and i pretty much did give up on it. now i have my mac and all is good, couldn't see myself giving it up.
 
I'm quite the opposite. I'd rather keep my computer and interact with a mouse in my custom filesystem visible in an appropiately sized display than using a phone (distracting notification machine). Also a desktop keeps my attention in place, I talk face to face and dine with family and friends looking at them and not a phone
 
egy195 said:
have you ever felt like giving up your computer/laptop ?
i'm not talking about leaving the internet altogether, just the computer itself
of course if your job involves computers then that's not an option for you and this question is not for you either 😎
we're living in an era in which phones are becoming the main computing device for so many people, are you one of those or do you refuse to abandon your computer ?
i'm really thinking about selling my laptop after finishing school and use just a phone to get online, that's me, what about you ? can you live without a computer ?
Click to expand...

Almost as often as I feel like joining a monastery and taking vows of celibacy, poverty, and silence. I've had at least one computer for over 30 years, it would be like chopping off my right arm.
 
  • Like
Reactions: navaira and Scepticalscribe
I have all kinds of devices. I don't really need multiple tablets or desktops, I could get by with a single laptop and an iPhone.

I have felt the need to streamline for a while so maybe once each device gets too old to update or use reasonably, I'll let it go.

There are a lot of people who just have smartphones and no computer. Most of the basic things people do can be done on smartphones (email, photos, social media, music, games, web browsing).

Get a iPhone 6+/6s+ and the need for a tablet or other hardware drops.
 
Last edited:
I don't NEED all the equipment I have either... 😉 but that doesn't mean I'm giving it up! I need full-size keyboard with travel and a big screen. When I say big I mean 27". I can't see an iPad Pro Plus S replacing my Macs. My Macbook is lovely but for proper work it's just too small.

(Five years later: "Old Man Yells At iCloud".)
 
I still prefer to use my computer to post on websites over my phone any day. I will always have a use for a computer in my life.
 
Wow, this thread is bad from the dead. I think it's interesting.

A few years ago, back on Summer break from College, in between internships, I did a 3 week camping vacation in Canada with some friends. The were was no cell service, no WiFi, no computers, etc.

I have to say, it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. Going without my cell phone for an hour makes me super anxious and I immediately go into iPhone withdrawal. Computers... maybe 24 hours, though less separation anxiety. However, once the acute technology withdrawal has ended... 2-3 days later, its absolutely liberating. You realize how bound by technology you are and how much it distracts you from the moment. Sure, I would still get the phantom pocket vibrations from the non-existent phone and occasionally stand up, feel my pockets for my "missing" phone, momently feel dread only to realize I didn't have it on me in the first place, and come up with a really good question only remember I have no way of instantly looking up the answer... but I'm sure in type the protracted withdrawal syndrome would cease

Honestly, taking a technology vacation is a great experience. Unfortunately, I had to come back to reality and once again I'm back to where I started. I honestly don't go more than 10 minutes between 8 AM and ~10 PM without getting at least 1 text, email, phone call, or notification of some kind. It's absurd how much time a day gets sucked into my phone.

I wish I celebrated Lent... I wish it was a valid excuse for telling my work I can't use my computer or phone anymore!
 
Considering I work on them )servers and coding/development) there's no way I could do without it, at this time the technology's not quite able to keep with the demand and ease of use of a computer for that, especially at an enterprise level. That being said, at home I could certainly do without it, nearly all of my surfing, etc. can all be handled by apps on my iphone or ipad. In fact, I can go days at a time without even logging on at home.
 
My pc died in November and I never bothered to replace it. An iPad gets the job done. I do have a work provided Windows laptop I have to use for work but that's all it's used for.
 
I contemplated the same thing and decided that there were certain tasks that were just better/ easier on a computer. That being said, I recently upgraded and went with an iMac desktop instead of a laptop for personal use. When I travel, I can totally exist on my iPhone/iPad without any difficulty so this is my first desktop in a very long time.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back