Fall is a tempting time for technology enthusiasts and normal people alike. With the holiday shopping period approaching, a lot of new devices and products will be thrown at us and we’ll be tempted to upgrade our devices.
Resist. Flee temptation. Here’s what not to upgrade.
Your television
If you bought a television in the past five years, it should be good to go for another five years. Not much of substance has changed for the TV since flat screens became the norm. It’s a big flat screen that shows moving pictures.
What to ignore: Any branding involving the buzz words “smart,” 3D or 4K. “Smart” means it can connect to the Internet and has apps for things like YouTube and Netflix. You may or may not want that. 3D is boring. 4K means more detailed screens.
It also means more expensive and an ongoing paucity of content for those more detailed screens.
Here’s a secret: Transformers: Age of Extinction is still extremely dumb regardless of the screen you see it on.
What to consider: Invest in a good soundbar. Decent sound is the single biggest upgrade you can make to your viewing experience.
Your iPad
Apple is coming out with new models this month and., yes, they will be very nice. But if you bought an iPad in the past few years, you won’t need a new one. In terms of function, the iPad is much the same beast as it was since it first debuted. It’s become more powerful, thinner and with a better screen, but for most normal people, these upgrades are incremental and the essentials remain the same. You hold it in your hand, you touch the screen, you read or watch that screen.
What to ignore: Any marketing involving the buzz words revolutionary, amazing, astounding, thinner, lighter, more powerful or Retina. Any commercials involving artists, kids, families, musicians and people firing off model rockets.
What to consider: Pay attention if the new iPad has something truly astounding, like making you coffee in the morning or rubbing your sore feet when you come home from work. Nothing less will do.
Exception: a rumoured larger sized iPad of 12 inches would be interesting for productivity jockeys, especially combined with an iPad version for Office. It’s a whole new device category.
Your fridge
Just like the iPad, the basics of the fridge remain. It’s a cold place to store food. That’s why you should be wary of combining your fridge (or your oven, toaster, coffee maker, lawn mower, or sprinkler system) with something called the Internet of Things. Essentially it’s the latest attempt by geeks to hook up your fridge (or your oven, toaster, coffee maker or sprinkler system) to the Internet because … well, because.
To be fair, some interesting strides have been taken with household thermostats and lighting. Devices like the Nest thermostat, sold by Google, is said to reduce heating costs by allowing you to automate settings for heat during particular times of day. You can even change the settings on your thermostat away from home by using your smartphone because… well, because.
What to ignore: Everything in this area. I’d love to come home and have the lights magically come on and the heating automatically adjusted to just the right temperature. But products in this category remain expensive and more often than not devices from different companies won’t work together.
Security and privacy concerns are paramount. The Nest is made by Google, the company that wants to know everything about you. What to consider: The future. With heavy hitters such as Apple, Google, Microsoft and Samsung jumping into this area, this category could get interesting.
But not this fall.
Barry Link is the editor of the Vancouver Courier. twitter.com/trueblinkit
