Don’t repair that 6 month old product, just buy a new one…

VIEW ORIGINAL BLOG POST HERE

In years, decades and centuries past, the products that humanity made were able to be repaired, when broken.  A toy stopped working: you replaced the batteries; clothes had a hole: get a patch and sew them up; lawn mower not running: you most likely fiddled with the carburetor.  Even if a product couldn’t be repaired by yourself at home, the owner had options of where to get it repaired: officially at the retailer, or at an independent shop owned by someone who knew what they were doing. 

When my car breaks down, there are still independently owned businesses that can look at it and fix it (usually for cheaper than the dealer).  If I have a watch that stops working, I know that I would never be able to change the battery myself, so I go to an independent jeweler.  The same goes for almost any other type of product; the thing I do not do, however, is just throw it away and buy a new one.

That rule does not apply for our current, and approximately last 2 or 3, generation of technology products.

Now, I understand that much of the technology that we use these days is WAY too complicated to tinker with and fix by the home user.  Most are circuit boards and solder that I would NEVER get my fingers CLOSE to touching.  BUT, many of these products have storage devices, memory devices and batteries installed in them.  These devices should be EASY for someone to be able to switch and replace.

Instead, devices like MP3 players, cellular phones and tablet computers do not allow their owners to swap devices for larger capability.  This is ESPECIALLY the case for Apple products.

I have an Apple iMac computer for recording music.  It was the EASIEST computer to set up.  The problem with these products is that they are NOT easy to upgrade. 

Think of an iPhone. 

The “owner” is not able to replace the battery themselves.  The owner is not able to expand the storage space of the device.  If the owner needs to replace the battery, they can take it in to an Apple store and the device will be available in 3 days if you pay $83 for a battery that costs $30 online.  If the owner does it themselves, at home or at a third-party provider?  If you tinker with your device by opening or trying to open the device, Apple will void your warranty and will not look at your product for any repair afterwards.

And this is not just Apple.  Most technology companies have stickers on their devices that are placed over the screws to open it that say that by removing this sticker, you are voiding any warranty that the device has and it will not be serviced by the company.  So, if you change your own battery, then months later your screen won’t turn on, they won’t look at it.

Why do they do this?  Well, if you can’t upgrade or replace yourself, you will be more likely to purchase another one.  But that will be when prices for the device have come down to a normal range…BUT WAIT!  A NEW and IMPROVED device (with features that really SHOULD have been on the last version) is available for $200 more than the replacement, plus it has all the newer features.

Do you see?  You get a brand new product instead of buying replacement parts for the old, the company gets you to buy the new device at “new product prices” and…meh, recycling, trash, environmental waste?  Who cares.  I live in America.  I don’t want last year’s version; people will think I’m a dork.

And the world turns.

Kindle vs. iPad

Over the past year, I have used the Kindle as my sole device for books and newspapers. Over the course of this time, people have stopped me to ask how I like the device. "I love it," I'll say. But recently people have been asking if I've thought about getting an iPad instead. There are several reasons why I have not thought seriously about getting an iPad yet. As we're going down the pros and cons, keep in mind, entry cost for Kindle is $139 and entry cost for iPad is $499.

The Kindle and iPad differ in one very large and specific way: the screen that is used to display text: Kindle uses E-ink technology, and iPad uses a standard LCD screen. An LCD screen is just like your computer screen, a pixel is shown a certain color and a light shines behind it to illuminate it. This allows you to see multiple colors and read the screen in the dark. In contrast, the Kindle uses e-ink which uses pixels (same as the iPad) that only have two sides, white and black. This allows the page to "change" but keep the same "visual texture" as a real book. No light is shined behind the pixel, so external light (like a lightbulb) is needed.

A benefit of having the iPad screen is that you can read it in the dark, but, like a computer monitor, if you read it a long time, your eyes can get strained by the light. If you want to read longer, the Kindle replicates a book perfectly and allows a user to read for as long as they would normally for a book. The only catch: you need to have a light.

Now, I use my Kindle for books and newspaper subscription. The kindle comes with a 3g internet subscription with AT&T (which is free) that allows you to download books from the online store wherever you may be. In addition to buying books, if you have a newspaper subscription, a new edition of the paper is delivered wirelessly every morning to your device. It is very convenient. Most books are $9.99, including books that are only out in hardcover. If you think that most hardcover books are $25, this is a great deal.

The iPad's bookstore also sells books mostly for $9.99. For magazines or papers that use more diagrams and color pictures, the iPad is better for these circumstances. The iPad is also a great device for internet browsing and things besides reading.

I have thought about purchasing an iPad for my kitchen as a recipe device. Video recipes and color pictures of herbs and spices would really work for my uses, I think. Right now, though, most of my internet browsing can be done easily with my computer or my smart phone, so those uses are redundant with an iPad. I also can't get past the perfect size of the Kindle for reading; the iPad is almost 33% bigger than my Kindle.

The Kindle is a perfect device for those who want to use it just for reading. If you want more internet accessibility and applications for other uses, the iPad would be more of your taste. But remember, for reading in the sun, the iPad has terrible glare; for reading at night, the Kindle needs a light.