This is why I do so much research before I buy anything. I unexpectedly got an iPod for Xmas last year. Before I opened the packaging, I had to research MP3 players to make sure I wanted to keep it. I ended up returning it and buying the same model from bestbuy.com and picking it up at the store to save $20 or something. I think most people would have just opened it up immediately.
Also, it pays to research your purchases so you know the market for that item. I always try to figure out the point of diminishing returns for spending more money. To me, that point is where you should buy.
@tomboygirl: My strategy is to buy whatever is best-in-class in a robust technology and then treat it well so it will last.
CRT is as stable as TV tech gets and they're still trying to get improvements to contrast ratio in LCD. Digital photography has come a long way and it's mainly about lowering noise on robust chip technology. And new major home audio standards don't come too often.
With rare exception, I dont want a first generation anything. I dont buy first model year cars, and I wait for SP1 on OSs. Too buggy and I dont have the time or patience for working through it.
I still have the (infamous) 4 year-old HDTV. Most of my guitar gear was bought off of eBay or Craigslist. My home audio equipment is all at least 4 years old (my kitchen radio is a CD/cassette boombox that is about 15 years old). My desktop computer is a refurb.
As far as Apple is concerned, I've noticed that in the last couple of years, there's been a drop in quality. My iPod classic was a dud. My iPod (5G) still works though it's scratched to hell and, in retrospect, I would happily trade the classic for an iPod (4G Click Wheel) with a 160 GB HDD dropped in. I still use my iPod nano (2G Product RED) as it works perfectly and, frankly, none of the revisions to that product line have struck me as "improvements". I just like the 2G version of the nano.
@OMG! Ponies!: You have a lot of iPods. Why would you need more than one, ever? I had the 4th Generation iPod until I got an iPhone and then I passed my iPod on to my tech challenged brother. I'm sure it's holding down the dust in his truck.
@erichg14: The 4G died after 2 years. I gave the 5G to my then-girlfriend (which is why it's beaten to Hades). I got the iPod classic when it came out because until then, they were pretty reliable. The power connector went bad after 9 months. The refurb Apple sent me still works but I don't use it because I use a Zune because subscription-based music is more cost-effective.
And I bought the nano for the gym (because hard disks and running do not mix).
I actually had 2 Click Wheel iPods. I bought the second after my travel mug leaked in my bag, getting into my first iPod. 6 months later, the iPod came back to life and gave me months more use.
@superberg: I download a lot. I have three channels that automatically download new music based on my tastes. Plus, if I hear a song I like, I can just download it.
And my problem with the iTMS pay-per download is that if your hard drive ever goes down, the money you've spent is gone with nothing to show for it. Apple gives you the one free re-download and after that, yer screwed.
As someone who bought a MyBook without doing the research, just because you have a backup drive doesn't mean your data is backed up. Buy the wrong drive and you have a fancy doorstop.
ZunePass is $15 a month and I get to choose 10 keepers per month. Which means at two albums a month, it's already more cost effective than a pay-per model.
And I don't see Microsoft disappearing anytime soon.
Like Ragtag says, a lot of first run products are such lemons the more you think about them. When the iPod touch was released, for example, it was good in some respects, but so lacking in others, it was almost tantamount to a slap-together collection of spare parts from the iPhone bin. That's why I never bought one. Apple could've included the mic-compatible headphone jack, since it was already in the iPhone, but they didn't, along with the physical volume buttons.
Sometimes, certain products can seem sort of half-assed, but people buy them and then suddenly want the vastly improved version that's released not long after.
My cats don't have time to read Gizmodo. They mostly view other sites. You wouldn't believe what their browser history look like. They do use 10.2.8 though!
I love how this blogger uses the 2 kitties as often as possible. My kitties (both girls) love anything with feathers, that looks like a mouse, or that I wear and is on the ground. I have lost buttons to a feirce pussy.
My cats are not interested in toys in the least. They prefer interaction, like playing tag, over anything else. Now that my calico Nike has a roommate, she can be kept busy while the apartment is empty. They love TV though. They can sit there and watch nature shows all day.
@sicknick: they should do a run on basically anything Arc'teryx makes. In fact, Arc'teryx is probably responsible for this new tech with Gore. Its a little known fact that they are the people who had Gore create XCR, Paclite, and Tiny Tape. They are way ahead of everyone else.
05/27/09
04/23/09
Also, it pays to research your purchases so you know the market for that item. I always try to figure out the point of diminishing returns for spending more money. To me, that point is where you should buy.
04/23/09
CRT is as stable as TV tech gets and they're still trying to get improvements to contrast ratio in LCD. Digital photography has come a long way and it's mainly about lowering noise on robust chip technology. And new major home audio standards don't come too often.
04/23/09
04/23/09
As far as Apple is concerned, I've noticed that in the last couple of years, there's been a drop in quality. My iPod classic was a dud. My iPod (5G) still works though it's scratched to hell and, in retrospect, I would happily trade the classic for an iPod (4G Click Wheel) with a 160 GB HDD dropped in. I still use my iPod nano (2G Product RED) as it works perfectly and, frankly, none of the revisions to that product line have struck me as "improvements". I just like the 2G version of the nano.
04/23/09
04/23/09
And I bought the nano for the gym (because hard disks and running do not mix).
I actually had 2 Click Wheel iPods. I bought the second after my travel mug leaked in my bag, getting into my first iPod. 6 months later, the iPod came back to life and gave me months more use.
04/23/09
"I use a Zune because subscription-based music CAN BE more cost-effective."
Fixed that for you. How cost-effective it is depends on your music listening habits, and how often you download.
My problem with sub services is that if they ever go down, all that money you've spent is gone with nothing to show for it.
04/23/09
And my problem with the iTMS pay-per download is that if your hard drive ever goes down, the money you've spent is gone with nothing to show for it. Apple gives you the one free re-download and after that, yer screwed.
As someone who bought a MyBook without doing the research, just because you have a backup drive doesn't mean your data is backed up. Buy the wrong drive and you have a fancy doorstop.
ZunePass is $15 a month and I get to choose 10 keepers per month. Which means at two albums a month, it's already more cost effective than a pay-per model.
And I don't see Microsoft disappearing anytime soon.
04/22/09
Sometimes, certain products can seem sort of half-assed, but people buy them and then suddenly want the vastly improved version that's released not long after.
03/04/09
03/04/09
03/04/09
03/04/09
???????
03/04/09
03/04/09
those fucking spoiled cats...
why would i want to give them toys...
it seems that i'm giving them rewards...
for licking themselves & for not chasing my damn rats...
disclaimer:
i'm hating spoiled cats not the laser ones..
pls spoil me the laser beams :P
see? i got IMHO in d front that should be enough for my almighty laser cats...
03/04/09
03/04/09
03/04/09
"You are talking about the nonsensical ravings of a lunatic mind."
03/04/09
03/04/09
Damn snooty cats.
03/04/09
With your obvious disdain for cats, if I were your sister's cat, I would both bite you AND pee on your bed.
03/04/09
03/04/09
03/04/09
03/04/09
03/04/09
01/29/09
01/29/09
You should do a run about the new material Arcteryx is using on some of it's backpacks to make them virtually waterproof too without a raincover.
01/29/09
01/29/09
01/29/09
[leaf.arcteryx.com]