I had to get a work laptop replaced after about five years because its storage failed.
I usually donāt buy anything until necessary. And most of my phones are family hand-me-downs.
i=phone = 6! The iOS is no longer updated, but I only use it for calls, texts, and occasional email. I never use it for anything financial, so Iām not as worried about an old iOS ā until required (some APPS only work on updated iOS). The battery has long outlived its life, but I purchased an attachable battery / case that I love (as recommended by the genius bar!). It makes the phone heavy, but lasts a full 4-5 days before needing an overnight charge.
Computer is an inherited PC tablet about 6 years old. Works great. I plug it into a keyboard and monitor at home, and is lightweight for traveling.
I actually still sometimes use an old tower computer purchased in 2001. Donāt laugh! Yes, ancient, and was updated over 10 years before buying new. However, the old operating system still runs some programs that I need only occasionally, and cannot justify paying for continuous subscription updates. It is not attached to the web, so security is not an issue.
Wow, I ordered the computer on Amazon at 10 am, and I got a notice at 4:20 that theyāve shipped it. They gave me the FedEx tracking number, too. Pretty impressive. Iām glad USPS isnāt responsible for delivering it!
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Shipping to a business address?
My impression is that FedEx and UPS are optimized for delivery to business addresses, but their delivery to residential addresses tends to be less reliable (as in, finding someone elseās packages by my front door).
Weāve never had a problem with FedEx delivering to our house.
My iPhone and iPad have a lot of applications on them. Apple has a knack for updating the IOS, rendering my use of these applications and ability to updateā¦gone.
I find that annoying because the devices are working just fineā¦and indeed to replace them to use certain applications.
My last round for both phone and iPad were in 2020.
My laptop is a Dell, and it seems to be just fine. Iām sure it will need to be replaced alsoā¦and not because it isnāt workingā¦but because windows updates wonāt be possible.
Iāll also add to mine that I DESPISE setting up new electronics. With all my heart, I hate hate hate hate it. I just want it all to work magically. And it does for H, because everything falls to me to figure out.
We all were eligible for free phone upgrades through Verizon. The kids did their own easy peasy. I could have done mine when we were visiting younger S in MA, but I was like NO WAY. I am not upgrading in the middle of a trip that requires flights and I donāt have access to my computer and anything I might need in case something goes wrong. And Hās is only 2 years old, so heās not upgrading. I canāt deal with both of ours - because he would just hand it to me and say ādo it.ā
My first $0.99 cent iPhone4, I had to upgrade after 4 years because the ios wouldnāt update anymore, and I couldnāt use the apps. The second one was free because we switched to Verizon (all 4 were free!). That lasted 4 years until my charging port shorted out since I sweat on it so much while working out (even with a waterproof case!). The next one I paid for and was mostly fine, a little fritzy, but I could have dealt with it, but with a free upgrade I said why notā¦ I use it for almost everything nowadays. Rarely use the computer except for taxes and sometimes booking hotels/flights.
And donāt even get me started on hooking up the TV/sound bar/Wifi. Nobody should be within a long distance from my house, or otherwise will hear some colorful language through the walls.
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I suspect that I wonāt get a choice in the matter. My Windows 10 computer frequently gives alerts asking me to upgrade to windows 11. During the latest attempt earlier this week, the ādecline upgradeā button was hidden, so there appeared to be no way to start my computer without first upgrading to Windows 11. It took some effort and extra steps to retain Windows 10.
If I do have a choice, Iāll consider the whether benefits outweigh the negatives. While security updates are important, I donāt consider lack of security updates necessarily a dealbreaker. My employer still uses Windows 7 on work computers. Itās nice to have what I consider to be the most reliable Windows version and not being forced to close complex sims for upgrades and/or losing work due to unexpected restarts. I expect my employer has their own security, firewalls, and backups for computers; so less concerned about Windows updates.
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I usually wait for S to gift me a phone when he deems mine is too slow or battery dies too quickly. He gifted me my last few phonesāSE2 and now the iphone 13 mini. I bought a macbook air 2 because my old ipad wasnāt able to be updated and I was curious about AI. It was on PrimeDay in July sale and Bestbuy matched prices and the Apple employee there was able to transfer everything over and update my system.
I have an iWatch and it is supposed to give pulse oximetry readings but is pretty finicky and often canāt get a reading, which I find irksome. The newer watches donāt have pulse oximeters due to lawsuit between apple & Massimo, I believe.
If pulse oximetry in a watch matters to you, check it out before you buy. I mostly use the fingertip oximeter which reads most of the time and corresponds with the more expensive ones at my lung docās office.
The latest place Iāve found to get GOOD ones cheap is to buy on ebay. They claim to be new but Iām not positive they are but theyāre name brand, Nonin and work fine. Theyāre just about $20 with shipping. New on other places the msrp is $200.+ I suspect they were used for clinical trials and are being sold after trial ended, but just made that up. I only use name brands like Nonin.
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When new iPhones and Apple Watches come out, perfectly good ones price drop so that is when we may look, but typically we are not the latest/greatest buyers and we are a very computer hi tech family, just a little of ācobblerās children has no shoesā syndrome. They have to hold the value for what you get, which really isnāt much with intro price. Also, I am 5ā2" and have small handsā¦I do not like any phone I cannot strongly grasp and put in my pockets so when they go away with small phone models, not sure what Iāll do.
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Massimo has patents on some more advanced pulse oximetry technology. Cheap pulse oximeters presumably use the basic pulse oximetry technology that was developed in the 1970s.
There has been some concern about pulse oximeters reading high if you have darker skin, which can mean delayed warning of low oxygen.
Ditto. Hopefully they are enough people like us that at some point Apple brings back the mini.
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Well, sadly, we have to rely on the technology that exists and is somewhat affordable. I am hoping my darker skin isnāt skewing my oximeter readings too much but thatās the only tool we have readily available at the moment, so thatās what we use.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2794196 is a study on the subject. However, it looks at accuracy of pulse oximetry by race/ethnicity rather than by actual skin color (e.g. compare the average person from Tamil Nadu to the average person from Hokkaido), which would be more accurate but perhaps harder to determine precisely at a glance. (SpO2 is as measured by pulse oximetry)
| Race/ethnicity | SpO2 | Blood oxygen saturation | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian | 97.3 | 96.0 | +1.3 |
| Black | 97.6 | 95.0 | +2.6 |
| Hispanic | 97.2 | 96.2 | +1.0 |
| White | 96.6 | 96.0 | +0.6 |
Well, I am Asian, so I guess that study shows I ned to subtrac 1+ % from my oximeter readings. 
We bought a new TV last month. Our 32-inch Samsung TV worked fine, but it was over 10 years old and had 1080p resolution. Our new 4K TV is 43 inches and was a nice upgrade.
Yes, we got a new TV last month because H rally wanted one. Setting it up was a breeze. Itās very light and has a button for Hulu and Disney+ plus Netflix (which we donāt have). Our old TV works but was harder to mesh with whatever we wanted to watch. We could share screen to show what was on our phone but H didnāt like that option.
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Our Samsung TV remote died today. We tried charging it with no luck. DH has gone to Walmart to get a new one.
Update: After returning from Walmart with two remote controls to try, DH discovered that the plug for the TV had gotten loose so thatās why it didnāt work. 
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LOL - A lot has changed since I (the youngest kid) was the āTV remoteā channel changer, turning the TV knob.
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