What Happens in Technology

So, the new god of technology, Steve Jobs, has decided to subtract a hefty 200 bucks from the original price of the iPhone after only a few months. According to an investment banker quoted in The Australian, this was "a sign that Apple wants to be a bigger competitor and faster than originally anticipated".

I can see that. Because honestly, with such a high price tag, the fancy new gadget was out of reach, even for those of us who already own Apple products.

Apple is pretty damn smart. They've already gained a leg up with the iPod+iTunes -- which monopolize the MP3 player industry. After the first iPod hit stores, suddenly every new release just had to be bought. "Mom, i want the new mini/pink mini/video/nano/shuffle/NEW shuffle/NEW nano!!" People who already had iPods needed more, they needed the new, different ones. And soon, the new ones were leaps and bounds ahead of the old generation. Take this: when the iPod nano first came out, it was 150 dollars. This 150 bucks gave you a a 1 gigabyte, tiny iPod that came in either black or white. Fast forward to right now, the current release of the third-generation nano. That same 150 dollars can now get you a small 4 gigabyte iPod with a 2 inch video screen. See why it pays to wait?

So what's the point of this? Technology is in a constant, hyper-speed evolution. If you buy the newest version of something... chances are, a hotter, more efficient version will come out a year later. It's a perpetual guessing game of what to buy now and what to wait for. The consumer falls victim to every step forward the company makes: they're the ones shelling out hundreds upon hundreds of dollars every year or so for the new, the advanced. It's "what happens in technology", says Jobs. Yeah right. It's what happens in the business of making money!

I love the fact that technology is always getting better... but sometimes I just wanna press the pause button. I've only replaced my personal iPod once... and the one I've had has lasted me for about two years now. I've also had my same cellphone for around two years. Now in that 730 day period, there were loads of new cellphones and iPods I could've bought. I could've begged for a Razr or a Chocolate, maybe a new nano or shuffle. But I was content. I didn't need the brand-new to make me happy. As long as my phone still made calls and my iPod still played music, I was perfectly fine. I'd run them until either they got lost or broke beyond repair. I just wonder... do I reflect the majority? Are most of the consumers today alright with keeping their "out of date" gadgets? Or am I in the minority, an old-schooler who won't be torn from her aging technology? Is everyone conforming to the new buy-it-the-second-it-comes-out attitude, or are we starting to rise above the market?

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