NYT: Skip the upgrade and care for the gadget you've got

[geekette]

I'm surprised I don't see this here already - hope it's not a duplicate.

Skip the Upgrade.

Guy worked at a recycling facility, found an old Palm Treo, "tested the Treo and found it still worked. So he took the device home and made it his everyday mobile companion, much as one would adopt an abandoned animal on its way to being euthanized."

More info on keeping older tech going, including iFixit, battery testers, etc. 

[MoneyCat]

I've been sharing the hell out of this article. Glad the word is getting out that you really don't need to upgrade your electronic devices very often. I'm still using a five year old Dell laptop I bought for about $400 (with Discover card cashback as well) brand new a while back. I've worn the letters off some keys and I had to replace the battery once, but otherwise it's as good as ever. Technology hasn't really changed enough to make a difference.

[Cassie]

We never upgrade. We don't buy new until our things stop working or can't be fixed.

[lizzzi]

MacBook Air 11" purchased in 2011, iPhone 4S goes back about the same...they both work, and although the shiny, new hardware is kind of tempting, I don't need it, so why buy it?

Still have my Dell Dimension 2400 series desktop with all the appurtenances. from 2004...don't use it, but could hook it back up if I wanted to.

[greaper007]

My last phone lasted for about 5 years before it was finally beyond repair.    I built a computer about 5 years ago that still works fairly well.   I've updated it with more ram and an SSD, I also had to replace the graphics card recently.      Now it seems that I'm not very far away from needing a new motherboard and processor.    Still, that big purchase is considerably less than buying a brand new computer.    It also allowed me to cancel cable 5 years ago, so the savings more than paid for the computer's expense.

[campath]

Asus G50VT laptop - I purchased it in 2006. It's still going strong and I plan to use it until it dies. Have been tempted over the years by thinner/lighter laptops with better displays and SSD but its not too hard to resist once your Mustachian muscles have been built up.

I have used exactly 3 cell phones since 2001 and one of them was an old one my sister didn't want after 3 years of use. The last one was an iPhone 5S (gift from relative) that I plan to use atleast 5 yrs.

Apple iPod 4th Gen (I think) - bought for ~$180 new. Used 3 years and sold for ~$175. Buyer thought it was as good as new.

I probably still have a working Sony Discman if I dig around.

I consider it a badge of honor to make my devices last as long as they do.

[HenryDavid]

Trailing edge technology. That's where I like to be.
iPhone 4 with glass back which shattered--got a metal replacement back. Going strong. Does what it's needed for. And now features new iPhone SE SMALL FORMAT! Again.
Click wheel iPod, 80gigs, works like new.
1980s turntable, going strong. 30 year old bike, a beautiful classic.
30 year old coffee grinder, even. Surprising.
All this stuff -- except the grinder --  was State of the Art at one time. So why would it become junk because a decade passed? And another one. And another one.

[I'm a red panda]

I just had to replace my Iphone 4. My company told me it was no longer supported by their security team.  It was a perfectly good phone, so I was pretty annoyed.

[DragonSlayer]

My mom still has her toaster that was given to her as a wedding present 60 years ago. It has no adjustments, or big slice areas, etc. but it makes toast. Whereas I, married only 20 years, have been through four because they break so often. If you've got good, solidly made stuff, stick with it. (Incidentally, she was working through her estate plan and, for giggles, called the company that made it and asked if, upon her death, would they want it and they said they would be thrilled to have it for their museum. Of course, I want it so they may have to wait...)

[YK-Phil]

Two weeks ago, I reluctantly decided not to fix my iPhone 3 when I broke a little connector while replacing the glass digitizer for the third time in 7 years. I think I got it back in 2009 when a friend who upgraded to a 3GS gave it to me. Until March 2016, it was still working like new with all my useful apps (on wifi only of course). I did not get rid of it yet, as I might give it another try to fix it when I get back home in June. In the meantime, I'll be using my work's "new" iPhone 5c but I am thinking about splurging for a new Acer Z320, $99.99 at Staples, that has a dual sim card which will allow me to have my work and personal cell lines on the same handset instead of juggling two sim cards and keeping on breaking the little flimsy (and outrageously expensive for a piece of plastic) sim card tray on the iPhone.

[SirSavesaLot]

Kudos to this guy. To me, keeping your stuff going as long as it is useful is a cornerstone of the frugal lifestyle.  Get quality stuff, maintain it, and your cost per day or use gets to be really low.  And, see if there is a use for something still when you've finally replaced it.  You'd be surprised.

I also usually keep my old electronics in case I have use for them someday.  The old iPhone 3gs that my Republic Wireless phone put to pasture?  It's now my alarm clock.  It's also still perfectly useful as an iPod Touch when I travel.  Don't think I'll spring to replace the battery when that fully dies, though.  It will just be a plug-in alarm clock then.

[JLee]

Asus G50VT laptop - I purchased it in 2006. It's still going strong and I plan to use it until it dies. Have been tempted over the years by thinner/lighter laptops with better displays and SSD but its not too hard to resist once your Mustachian muscles have been built up.

I have used exactly 3 cell phones since 2001 and one of them was an old one my sister didn't want after 3 years of use. The last one was an iPhone 5S (gift from relative) that I plan to use atleast 5 yrs.

Apple iPod 4th Gen (I think) - bought for ~$180 new. Used 3 years and sold for ~$175. Buyer thought it was as good as new.

I probably still have a working Sony Discman if I dig around.

I consider it a badge of honor to make my devices last as long as they do.

You should be able to put an SSD in the laptop you have. It'll make a massive difference.

[Trudie]

I got a lighter weight Ipod nano a few years back because it had a radio and some other features I thought I'd enjoy on long runs.  Fast forward and the screen on it was cracked, it was shorting out (probably from sweat), and got pretty fritzy.  Just threw it away and I'm back to the old Ipod Classic... encased in a beautiful hard chrome case and thus far indestructible.  Lesson learned.

When it comes to tech gadgets we're generally late adopters.  It's saved us some serious bucks over the years.

[LadyStache in Baja]

eh, I have a Moto E with 4 gb of memory. Its always super full and I have an SD card, but it doesnt allow me to move most apps to it.  Pictures can be moved, but they wont automatically go there.  And the camera is REALLY bad.

[chesebert]

My Thinkpad T60 from 10+ yrs ago is still going strong. I upgraded the processor, ram and SSD.

My HTPC is 10yrs old with original processor (q6600 at 3.2ghz) and motherboard. I have gone through a few gfx and hard drives during that time. Surprisingly the water pump, radiator and the water blocks are all working like new for the past 10yrs. I'm pretty amazed as well.