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Last Year’s Model is just fine with me

Not that we need any more reasons to spurn conspicuous consumption these days, but I’m a big proponent of the message behind Last Year’s Model. It’s simple and to the point: do you really need a new gadget? I’d be willing to be more often than not the answer is probably no.

Maybe that’s a little surprising coming from someone so entrenched in the gadget space, but I’ve actually been discouraging most upgrading for years (namely because I find people typically upgrade for the sake of upgrading). When it comes to buying new kit, I think there are actually a few important things one should take into account:

• Companies love to issue seasonal gadget upgrades — which I often refer to as “incremental differentiation.” We should be more critical of being oversold on what often amounts to extremely minor product updates (in the grand scheme of things). Continue reading Last Year’s Model is just fine with me