Is upgrading within us all?
Category: Technology
Published: 11/30/2008 05:38 p.m.
Despite not mentioning it much, I am quite the technophile. I spend too much time browsing the internet looking for cool gadgets, new technology, and just all around jaw-dropping neat stuff. I say too much time because I am very happy with my current gadget setup. Here is a quick rundown, which you may or may not be jealous of.
- Macbook Air
- iPhone
- Mac mini hooked up to 42" 1080p screen, used as media center
- Terastation RAID server (1 TB filled with media)
- XBOX 360 with Netflix streaming
The iPhone is probably the best example. I love my phone. It does music and podcasts, push email, fast internet everywhere. In many cases it is the best in these categories. But still, I am compelled to track the Blackberry Storm or the G1 Googlephone. I know their release dates, sizes, and many more detais. The key here is that I am interested in them. I would love to play with them for a bit. Maybe a day or a week. But in the end, I wouldn't trade my iPhone for either one.
It could be that I am just looking for change, and have found it in technology. There are other places to find change like this. The fashion world is always changing, and there are many people who swoon over blouses and purses like I do over gadgets. The auto world is changing now too, and many people are upgraders in that discipline. There are many things in this world that have people acting like me. They want to try new things out, but just for a bit. They want to test-drive the new corvette, but they can't buy it. Maybe they don't want to buy it (because it is overpriced and impractical). So, my question is: Is this upgrading mentality occur for everyone, or is it just some of us?
I find that while technology is my biggest draw, I am an upgrader in other ways too. And in each instance, I rarely want to keep the newest one. I am just curious. Maybe it's the research that I enjoy. Learning all about something new, and being able to share that with others. Or it could just be that urge to play with toys that I still have, except now the toys are more expensive. Or perhaps I really am not satisfied with what I have. But this doesn't seem to be right.
The core of this upgrading habit is satisfaction. It doesn't really get me wondering if I am satisfied technology-wise. I am pretty sure I have met that demand. It is other areas of life. Areas where doing the research isn't as easy. I can't just go down to a store, buy something, and then return it if I don't like it. There is no easy way to simulate or predict either. And the other problem is being satisfied with multi-faceted things.
A TV serves only one real purpose, so as long as it does that well, it is fine. A step up in complexity is a car. Not only does it have to get you where you are going, but I also need to weigh the merits of: comfortability, exterior style, color, dependability, cost, etc. Since there is no car that maxes out all of those, I have to decide what is most important. But at least with a car, I can test-drive it.
Now take a situation like buying a house in a new city. This is very complex. What kind of house? Where in the city? How big? How much to spend? There are many more levels of things to consider and weigh out. And I can't try it out. The trying it out part is a big sell. If I had to pick 1 out of 5 things, I would want to try them all out. But in many cases, you can't try out others while you have one. This makes deciding the relative merits of what you have tough. This kind of decision-making is not as much fun.
The core here is still about upgrading. I don't think I am safe in saying that we all want a better this or that, but I know I do. And I am not sure if it has anything to do with technology or not. As much as I'd like to blame marketing, I really think it is about information and confidence. It is much easier to be happy with a big decision if you have lots of information and evidence to support that it was the best decision to make. I am happy with my phone because: a) I have had other phones and did not like them as much, and b)I know a lot about other phones I have not used, and they don't seem so cool. Kind of a past/future model. I remember the past, and the present is better. And I have a lot of information on the seemingly unknown, and the present is better.
So, eventually there are decisions where there is not much past to go on, and there is lots of unknowns when looking at other options. With toys and tech, I can try before I buy. This is a model that seems to plead for upgrading. My problem is that I merge that model with cases that aren't try and buy. Anything can be changed, but I think there are certain things in my life where a change is not an upgrade, but I don't really have the research to prove it. That is the struggle of an upgrader. It is my struggle. Engineers want proof. I think I will just have to make my own proof.