I am thinking cell phone, Apple watches, computers, etc. While I never purchase new for years, I find I always wish I had the latest and greatest.
As an Apple only person, my cell phones were usually upgraded 3-5 generations later. My first watch is a Series 5, and my Macbook Air is from 2018. While my computer still works great, it will no longer be able to update ios. As it is only used for personal use, I think I am ok for awhile. My watch does what it is suppose to do, but the newer ones of course have more features.
In general for electronics, I say 3 years minimum, 4 years is good, anything over 5 years is great.
Cell Phone: I seem to be on the 4 year replacement for cell phones. I was going to wait with my current one until year 5, but then Verizon offered me a new one free a couple of weeks ago.
Computers: My computers seem to be lasting me longer and longer, because I use them less and less. I use my phone almost entirely now. I bought a new one last year, and hopefully it will last a very long time. My old one was maybe 6-7 years old?
iPad: I have a 4 year old iPad that I inherited from younger S. I bought it for him for a summer covid project that turned into an internship. I only use it for workouts in the shed, so as long as it will keep updating, I don’t ever see replacing that.
I have an iPhone 8, I get rid of phones when the battery starts to go. Gifted my oldest my very old iPad and got a new one 2 years ago. Our 20 year old desktop just but the dust. H has a new iPhone from work but he uses a 5SE for personal use.
I use my stuff til it’s no longer useful and almost never buy the latest…I’m always many generations behind (currently have an iPhone 11). It’s just not a priority for me.
MacBooks are very robust. Mine is 8 years old at this point, and I have no issues except for bad battery life (I can replace the battery for $199) but I might as well get a new MacBook instead. My friend has had his for 10+ years now.
iPhones seem to develop battery issues after 3 years due to all the iOS and app updates, so we tend to upgrade every 3-4 years.
Apple Watch - I’m fine with the features I have on my 4 year old watch, and have no plans to upgrade until it dies.
While I do love tech stuff, as long as it’s working I’m probably going to just let it age naturally - but DEFINITELY replace it when it dies. The exception would be my phone - I have a 13 now, had an 8 before that. I won’t wait for my phone to die because it’s too critical. If I notice too many wonky incidents and it’s been 3-4 years and a few models I’ll choose to update.
Tech products that are a must for me are:
iPhone
iPad
Apple watch (do we call it an iWatch? I don’t think so…)
Kindle is pretty high on the tech list
Earbuds (only replace when they die - Amazon can have me a new pair in 48 hours or less)
Don’t have a personal computer at this time. H has one and I have a work computer.
My MacBook is 9 years old and still going strong. I just had to replace the keyboard ($99) two years ago. I’ll use it until it dies.
My phone is going on 7 years (maybe 6). That will likely need to be replaced this year but typically I wait for things to die. (Just making sure I’m doing daily back ups!)
I have an iphone 12 mini and will keep it as long as I can. (Not sure if Apple will make that size again.). But I do replace case and/or screen protector as needed because I drop it more than I’d like. My husband’s iphone 10 still going strong, but he might replace it at some point.
His Macbook is a few years old. I have his old one, many years old. But mostly I use my ipad/keyboard combo. It’s about 3 years old.
Before my youngest went off to university, I had a flip phone that would not work in Canada. Since she went to university in Canada, I figured that I would want a phone that would still work when we visited her. She has since graduated (4 years), worked at a job (3 years), and is getting a PhD, so I guess that it is nearly 8 years that have passed since I got my previous phone. I just replaced it a few weeks ago.
We got her a laptop before she went to university and I got myself a new one at the same time. I am still using it. It still works just fine, although I think I might be on my 4th power cord and it is getting worn.
I replace things when they break or are no longer supported. My TV told me to replace it a few years ago when there was a loud pop and it stopped working. I’m typing this on a brand-new computer I’m still installing programs on. My older one was running Windows 10 and was perfectly fine for me but Microsoft is going to stop support for Windows 10 next year and there were some good Black Friday sales. My old one was almost a decade old and this one is much quicker! With cellphones when they can’t get updates the apps I use gradually stop working so that’s my cue. I guess I’m not living on the bleeding edge of electronics
I have an iMac from 2008 that I am still using occasionally. As I thought about replacing it in 2020 (largely due to inability to install tax software), my son encouraged me to get a MacBook and I am enjoying it, but think I may replace it in a year or so as battery life is diminishing. I replaced my iPhone 7 with a 12mini in spring 2021 and may replace around end of next year before I leave the job that provides me with a discount and due to diminishing battery ability. I consider 4 years a baseline for my needs & expectations.
Always buy new and preferably the latest year- so it will be able to be updated longer. Just replaced my iPad Air over ten years old. New iPhone 15 this year from a 10 that broke. New MacBook Pro in 2024 from a 2017 model that also broke. Still have Apple Watch 4 from 2018.
I do use my MacBook Pro for banking and investments and those updates are critical to keeping it safe, hopefully. But I also use 2 point verification and lockdowns and notifications on the accounts.
I just replaced my MacBook from 2011, lol. And the 2011 still works, so it will remain a backup. I replace (well, DH replaces) my phones when they are so old that they annoy everyone else because the battery life is terrible and I don’t notice my phone is dead more often than it is alive.
We tend to buy Windows computers. They break in about 3 years anyway. I usually replace my iPhone every 2 years and get money on a trade in. I like to keep up to date on technology. The newer they are, the better security they tend to have.
It depends on the item. For cell phones, I replace when I can get them for near free, which is typically once a year or so, when the new models come out. For example in 2024, I bought the following
Motorola Razr: Cost = $10 for trade in bought on EBay, Sold for $300
Galaxy S24: Cost = $100 + $10 for trade in, Traded for S24+ (see below)
Galaxy S24+: Cost =Negative $120 after trade in above
Total of Above = Galaxy S24+ for better than free – received $300 cash prior to taxes
In the preceding year, I purchased a Pixel. Sticker price was $300 BF sale - $250 trade in on used phone with value of $70 - $130 Capital One rewards = $300 - $250 +$70 - $130 = negative $10 cost before taxes. I also received $100 x 11 = $1,100 Google Store credits (most of these involved referrals) with their Superfan program, relating to the purchase. My net for purchasing Pixel was receiving $500 cash, a wireless camera, a wired camera, a Nest speaker, a Fitbit, two 4K Chromecasts, an extra wireless camera stand, 2 extra Chromecast remotes, an extra Pixel charger and charger cable, a Pixel USB to audio converter, and a Pixel phone case… in addition to a phone that I enjoyed.
Laptops are unique in that I don’t want the “latest and greatest.” Instead I want a Windows 10 laptop that has physical buttons instead of virtual ones. Laptops with physical buttons are almost nonexistent in new laptops. When my laptop became unusable earlier in the year, I bought a replacement on EBay. I found someone who had a 17" laptop with physical buttons that appeared to be in mint condition, in spite of being used. It was a fair price, so we came to a deal.
I replaced a TV earlier in the year. Again I don’t have an urge to get latest and greatest each year. I don’t look forward to upgrading, as replacing a big screen TV can be a pain. Instead what sparked my decision was the old TV was showing signs that it may become unreliable soon, it was not designed for streaming which led to edges of visible being cut off more than I’d like with some types of streaming, and prices of TVs had been dropping rapidly combined with good Black Friday deal.
Other electronics follow a similar type of pattern to TV. I generally get a replacement when the previous product breaks, shows signs of poor reliability, or is missing an important feature that newer products have.
I was noticing in this thread the relative longevity of Apple laptops over PC. 8-10 years for a laptop (non Apple) would seem to be less common??
I need to see what year my MacBook is. I haven’t used it in probably 3 years…I wonder if it can be updated “enough” to just be used here and there for basic things. Or would the repair bill on bringing it up to date not be worth it…
I literally ordered a new desktop a couple of hours ago, for work. My old PC is more than eight years old. It still runs like a top and has memory left BUT it’s not 100% compatible with AutoCAD and Adobe. It’s crashing on me fairly regularly.
I think my two monitors are older than that, and they’re still OK. My son said they should work with the new computer if they have the right adapters on the back.
Since our old computer guy passed away unexpectedly, I’m glad my son and DIL know about computers! They spent a good bit of time researching what I should get. I said I was going to pay them for their time, but they wouldn’t let me.
I said I was going to pay them for their time, but they wouldn’t let me.