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canyonwalkerI've written over the past few days about the new tariff trade war. People are stocking up ahead of expected price increases and retail shortages. We're already seeing price increases and dwindling inventory in consumer electronics with clear signs it's going to get worse over the next few weeks. It would seem like this is the time to buy that new TV, computer, phone, tablet, etc.— if you haven't done so already. As I've thought about this I've decided that, thankfully, I don't need any bigger-ticket electronics right now.
The X factor in all of these equations, of course, is "What if it breaks tomorrow?" If my phone, computer, or TV breaks I'll want to replace them, and I guess I'll have to pay whatever the new price is.
That 17yo TV is the only thing I think might go any day. I mean, it's still working perfectly, but who knows what'll happen tomorrow. Unlike older analog tech where many failure modes manifested over time, like an old picture-tube TV "going on the fritz" for a year or two before dying, with modern electronics a chip goes from working fine to shorting out and it's— BAM! buy a whole new TV, because there's no cost-effective way to repair it. Either way, 17 years is already way longer that we expected that TV to last. Its predecessor, which I shopped carefully for, only lasted 11 years.
If my Fuji camera dies next week, I'm not sure what I'll do. I might buy a newer camera— or I might decide to wait several months. In the interim I can continue using the built-in cameras on my iPhone. As I've noted many times, they've gotten way better over the past several generations. My 16 Pro is now able to do more things adequately well that I used to have to use a good dedicated camera for. Yes, there are still things the iPhone camera does not do well that I care about— like waterfalls photography— but for 6 months? If the market goes haywire? I could probably limp along without a dedicated camera.
- My partner and I bought new phones 6 months ago. We're extremely happy with them, and we purposefully bought near-top-of-the-line models to ensure they'd be sufficient for at least 3-4 years.
- My computer, a MacBook Air M2, is going on 3 years old. I'm not itching to replace it anytime soon, though. I'm still fully satisfied with it and can see easily getting at least 5 years good use out of it.
- Our TV is seventeen years old but we're still happy with it. And yes, that's "TV", singular. We own just one. I've idly browsed sales displays online and at Costco many times in recent years asking myself, "Is it worth replacing?" And the answer has always been No. Nothing's compelling enough about newer TVs— and some newer features, like "smart" TVs that spy on you and clutter your screen with extra ads, are negatives— that I'm happy sticking with our 2008 vintage 42" LCD until it breaks.
- I've been thinking for a while about replacing my dedicated camera, a Fujifilm X-T3. It's several years old now. Like with the TV question, though, I'm not sure newer cameras offer anything compelling enough— especially not to justify spending $1,500, $2,000, or more when I have a camera that still works really well.
The X factor in all of these equations, of course, is "What if it breaks tomorrow?" If my phone, computer, or TV breaks I'll want to replace them, and I guess I'll have to pay whatever the new price is.
That 17yo TV is the only thing I think might go any day. I mean, it's still working perfectly, but who knows what'll happen tomorrow. Unlike older analog tech where many failure modes manifested over time, like an old picture-tube TV "going on the fritz" for a year or two before dying, with modern electronics a chip goes from working fine to shorting out and it's— BAM! buy a whole new TV, because there's no cost-effective way to repair it. Either way, 17 years is already way longer that we expected that TV to last. Its predecessor, which I shopped carefully for, only lasted 11 years.
If my Fuji camera dies next week, I'm not sure what I'll do. I might buy a newer camera— or I might decide to wait several months. In the interim I can continue using the built-in cameras on my iPhone. As I've noted many times, they've gotten way better over the past several generations. My 16 Pro is now able to do more things adequately well that I used to have to use a good dedicated camera for. Yes, there are still things the iPhone camera does not do well that I care about— like waterfalls photography— but for 6 months? If the market goes haywire? I could probably limp along without a dedicated camera.
