Reply to post: Re: Probably because "Newer" usually = worse but pretty

Re: Probably because "Newer" usually = worse but pretty

Yes, I think you have put your finger on it – and that probably explains some of the young/old split. Younger people tend to be more drawn to pretty; old folk less so, and as we get older, most of us have had our fingers burnt by inferior replacement products and so learn to be more cautious about new stuff (of course on those rare occasion when something new is a genuine breakthrough the young are likely to adopt it first).

Many tech products seem to have peak utility – afterwards utility declines but prettiness & marketing hype may continue to build. Mobile phones – as phones – seemed to peak around 10 years ago – my Nokia 1112 was a comfortable size for speaking into, had a screen that was always on & visible in the brightest light, a battery that holds a charge for the best part of a week and when it finally does fail can easily be replaced without necessitating the binning of the phone.

I have flirted with a smart phone but rarely find it useful – in fact it is a curse because when I should be chilling out in a cafe or relaxing while travelling I find myself compelled to try and find a Wi-Fi signal & then endure a frustrating browsing session as my finger fails to interface properly with the website. Yes, I realise I must have some psychological problem that draws me in but I don’t seem to be alone. Solution is to put the device back in the box and keep it for those occasions when I am staying away from home & it might be useful.

My mate brings his smart phone when we go on walks & accesses maps – but it’s a bit embarrassing as he constantly zooms out to see both A & B and then zooms in to see some detail and loses his route – while the rest of us fold up our OS map having figured out where we are going. And of course doing bit of research at home before setting out means you can enjoy the outing rather than spending all of your time buried in a device oblivious to the surroundings.

Peak watch seemed to be achieved several decades ago but happily Casio still manufacture the watch I purchased from Woolworths back in the 90s – but no need to buy a new one yet as after 2 battery replacements & two strap replacements the original is still fine.

Peak portable audio player was also reached decades ago – the storage media has certainly advanced since then – but if you want something with integrated speaker & decent volume that can be heard over the sound of boiling kettles or running bathroom taps and can be controlled with wet hands without looking away from the hob then most modern devices don’t fit the bill.