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Email ThisIn the digital age, we are bombarded from all directions with social links, RSS feeds, Twitters, and all manner of other social media gizmos. We are constantly plugged into the world of Look What Just Came Out That You Need Now messages from friends and colleagues. Oddly, we never stop to think whether we really need that new gadget.Lately, I’ve been feeling pressure to buy an iPod Touch. A thousand little voices tell me I need it, I can afford it, what will it hurt to just buy the lowest-storage model….but they rarely, if ever, touch on the most important topic: do I need it?
As a web worker and an erstwhile member of the “coworking coffee crowd,” I experience near-continual exposure to the Benefits and Advantages of Switching to Mac. I own a first-gen iPod Nano that I almost never use, and that’s about the extent of my Apple-ness. So, one voice is telling me to get the Touch because, hey, it’s an upgrade over my ancient Nano. Another voice, from the people in the coffee shop, is telling me - sometimes directly, sometimes indirectly - that Apple is what all the Cool Kids have.
I try and rationalize it. The iPod Touch can store contacts. It can access the Web via wifi for free. It lets me view the weather forecast wherever I find a hotspot. It plays music - and doesn’t need to be connected to my computer to get new songs. It plays video, and if the rumors are true, Quake III Arena. All things that, as a web worker, I Need.
…but do I really? Will my life be any more complete after buying a Touch? I tend to think not. After all, most purchases we make in our lifetimes should satisfy a genuine need. Entertainment, personal growth, and other less tangible concepts can easily be obtained through non-material means. Hiking every month, for example, is a lot cheaper than buying a new video game every month…and a lot better for you, too.
So the next time you’re tempted to buy that new gadget that just came out, think long and hard about WHY you need it. The decision may make you a better person.
If you have a story about a time when you passed up (or bought!) a gadget you didn’t really need, go ahead and share it!
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I have a little case of tech-lust myself. For example, when I saw the MacBook Air, in school-girl-I-might-faint style I thought, OMG I MUST HAVE IT. I, however, cannot afford these things on a whim. So, I started looking into it. One USB connection? Limited memory? I can’t work mobile from that thing. You should see what Guy Kawasaki had to do to his to make it work for his purposes. WIRES EVERYWHERE.
I do, however, want to defend Mac a little here. I don’t know about the Cool Kids thing, but I choose Mac time and time again because of reliability. I’ve had an iBook laptop since 2003 and that bad boy is still ticking. Hasn’t crashed ONCE. That’s what’s important to me, especially since I run some pretty intensive programs on it.
To gauge whether or not I need something, I have a very lo-fi little trick. I keep a list in my planner of Things Holly Wants. I write it down and how much it costs. If I’m still looking at it a month later, thinking about it, wanting it, needing it, I make the purchase. I don’t buy anything Lust Worthy that’s not on the list. Half of them get crossed off.
Putting it on paper gives me accountability. It’s too easy to justify inside my head. My advice to you is to wait until the voices settle. And besides, why would you buy a Touch when you could buy an iPhone??
I have the same voice speaking to me, Ben.
What I think though is that I would be keeping my regular iPod anyway. Would I want to have the Touch in my pocket when I’m out for a run, or in my jacket pocket when I’m out on my bike?
The wi-fi (maps, email whatevz) sure is a cool addition though…
I find I have no time for an ipod, only itunes on my computer. I think work lets us put itunes on our computers so that we don’t complain about sitting at them for so long…
@Holly - Thing is, I’ve been wanting that iPod Touch for over a month now, heh. It’s getting harder and harder to resist the temptation, especially since my new raise made it easily affordable.
An iPhone would be silly, since AT&T isn’t in South Dakota. I wouldn’t get service, so the extra expense isn’t justified.
@torbjornrive - The WiFi features are why I really want it. I don’t have a PDA, or web service on my cell, so the siren song of the Touch is hard to resist.
@Brandon - The place I work frowns on just about every kind of computer-based entertainment possible. Federal government restrictions on what you can and cannot do on a work computer are extremely strict. They have no restrictions on personal MP3 players, however!
I think if you have to think about getting the iPod touch this badly you shouldn’t get one.