Learning to accept a great thing

[crusher372]

I have been the forever upgrader, always needing the latest and greatest Mac hardware. Every new imac release would find me packing up my 10 month old machine and selling it off for a few hundred less than paid. Purchasing the latest. Reselling the next year. It was a perpetual spiral that I was quite honestly comfortable with. Never left me wanting. But as I inch closer to 40yrs old something hit me this week that I've never really even considered until now. Age is bringing a sense of contentment. The proof in that was my purchase of Applecare for my 2011 imac and plans to keep it for at least two more years. Sorry if this story bores you but I was just curious how many other gotta have a new one every year addicts are out there and have seen their buying habits mature like mine seem to be doing. I can't honestly say it feels great because it is kinda leaving a void in me. I keep watching the forums for news of Ivy Bridge machines but know that I will not be buying. Like losing a good friend. This transistion to smart consumer is strangely awkward but I feel necessary.

 

[ngenerator]

Good for you, I'm looking forward to getting that feeling
I had a '10 3.20GHz i3, but sold it in March in order to get the '12, partly because it is now my dad's first iMac, and having AppleCare on it means that I am not his "tech support" guy anymore. It was definitely worth it.

Now I've just got to deal with surviving with only an iPad 2 and the 4 until we hear news about the new iMacs.

 

[Razorhog]

I just turned 34 and I'm beginning to feel the same way. Part of it comes from not playing so many games anymore, some of it from simply being a little more careful with money. Oh and being married

 

[throAU]

Agreed with the OP and the above.

However, i think an additional reason for not needing to upgrade so often is this:

I have a gaming PC. I built it in 2006-2007 (its a core2 q6600). I've done a video card upgrade (from geforce 8800GTS to GTX450 for minimal real difference) and guess what? It still runs all the games I want to play in 1680x1050 res (native for my 4 yr old 22" monitor).

It's what... 5, 6 years old now? And still usable... wtf?

10-15 years ago, a 5 year old PC running recent games at all, let alone acceptably well to play was unheard of. 3 yr old PCs were junk, and back in the late 90s when 3d first started taking off it seemed that you needed to upgrade video card every 12 months to keep up.

Essentially, hardware development caught up and overtook software development. The new machines coming out won't let us do anything drastically faster/better that we couldn't do before on 4-5 year old hardware, assuming you put enough ram in the box.

 

[boy-better-know]

I have been the forever upgrader, always needing the latest and greatest Mac hardware. Every new imac release would find me packing up my 10 month old machine and selling it off for a few hundred less than paid. Purchasing the latest. Reselling the next year. It was a perpetual spiral that I was quite honestly comfortable with. Never left me wanting. But as I inch closer to 40yrs old something hit me this week that I've never really even considered until now. Age is bringing a sense of contentment. The proof in that was my purchase of Applecare for my 2011 imac and plans to keep it for at least two more years. Sorry if this story bores you but I was just curious how many other gotta have a new one every year addicts are out there and have seen their buying habits mature like mine seem to be doing. I can't honestly say it feels great because it is kinda leaving a void in me. I keep watching the forums for news of Ivy Bridge machines but know that I will not be buying. Like losing a good friend. This transistion to smart consumer is strangely awkward but I feel necessary.

I always say that I wont upgrade, until I watch the keynote, that will be your true test, not this feeling of contentment. The hardest part is yet to come.

 

[wwooden]

I'm still rocking an early 2008 black Macbook.

I always want major jumps in specs and features when I upgrade to new computers. Right now, other than faster processors, bus speed, some extra connection types, the latest new computers aren't that much different than my Macbook. The 13" Pro has the same screen rez, same wifi, bluetooth, etc. I can upgrade the harddrive and put in an SDD if I wanted to, but my needs from a computer are much less than they used to be. Mine runs everything I need perfectly well, so it's hard for me to justify spending money on something that isn't going to change the way I use the computer.

My next computer will be the 13" Air. But I won't get one until 512gig of SSD is standard. So it will be a while, and I'm okay with that .

I'm also finding my iPad purchase has greatly reduced my laptop use even more, to where it has become just a media storing device. I could see myself moving toward a Mac Mini and connecting to my tv to fill that requirement in the future. But again, I can "make do" with my MacBook until it kicks the bucket or can't run the programs I want to use.

 

[aa521490]

I've had an iMac for 3.5 years. It was great until it's logic board fried. Never had the need to upgrade often as it was sufficient. Yes, age does play a role. You think about the future, your future as well as your family, if you are married and have children. You start to appreciate what you have now and not what you can get. Does that make sense?

 

[radiohed]

I can so relate. I get so excited about new apple updates but being in my 50s I have slowly learned to discern between "need" and "want". I love tech toys, but try to be sensible to save money. I can admire a new product, take a step back, and decide if I really need it....usually!

 

[coolspot18]

I'm too busy to be upgrading my machine every year. Every three years is good for me.

 

[bawbac]

Being addicted to obtaining new inanimate objects frequently to give yourself a feeling of purpose or status is a dangerous thing.

 

[crusher372]

All great responses which I can relate to. Funny thing is I don't exhibit the compulsion in any other area other than the imac. We have lots of Apple toys but with my wife and 3 kids they are all accounted for. I can drive a car until the wheels fall off and in fact have bought used for the last 15 years. Well used at that. I guess soemwhere along the line I convinced myself that a computer that is the central hub of our home media needs to be replaced each year for the latest speed boosts and soon it became an addiction. Responsibilities with my kids, especially with my son who is autistic, have really overshadowed that need this year. And i also agree as I near 40 my gaming needs have greatly decreased.