Savings from out of date Tech
In the world of technology, the idea that newer is better is generally a safe idea to have. While there have been a few exceptions, most new product releases have been notably better than their predecessors. Technology goes through a maturation process of innovation or improvement. New technology often comes at a high cost. Those who buy it are usually charged a premium for doing so.
That new iPhone purchased on the day of release is much more expensive than it would be six months later, for example. After the six-month period though, it’s still an expensive piece of technology that does little more than the last version. So why not purchase the older model and then open your budget to some much needed balance transfers?
Why not move the savings from your tech budget to someplace else where you can put it to use? You’ll get an efficient device that does most of what the new product does at less cost.
New products are built with lessons learned from the old and the newer tech benefits from the process. When it comes to cost, however, the new tech may not be worth the new cost and the savings you get from purchasing out of date technology may be worth the lack of bells and whistles that come with the new tech upgrade.
Out of Date, Not Obsolete
The key to successfully purchasing and using out of date tech is in how you define ‘out of date’. Out of date does not mean obsolete. Buying a product that will not function as needed is simply a waste of money. Tech that doesn’t play well with the other gadgets in your life is a waste of money as well.
This means that out of date tech you may be considering to purchase has to be as useful as if you had bought the new product. Slower is acceptable but so slow as to cause a loss of productivity is not.
An iPhone 3 on eBay is only about $200 whereas an iPhone 4 new can cost over $600 and a refurbished one will run you a little under $400. The functionality is nearly the same, but the savings to you may be worth the lack of improvements between models. The same is true of most tech.
When balancing cost over newness, cost may be the deciding point in your purchase of equipment that may be a little out of date but still very much worth the purchase price. Compare prices on websites such as Moneysupermarket.com and check the functionality and speed of older versions compared to the newest ones to base your purchase decision upon.