Looknsee Photography wrote:
In general, if it works, I tend to stick with it.  I don't feel the need to be using the latest & greatest.

Same here.  Timing is pretty much irrelevant, other than whether or not I can afford it at the time.  I'm usually pretty practical in this regard:

When it fails and it's too impractical to fix.

When it becomes obsolete or performance suffers significantly.

When it still functions but the upgrade provides a significant enough improvement in performance or functionality.

Vivus Hussein Denuo wrote:
My VCR is still flashing 12:00 a.m.

"We've got a twelve-o'clock-flasher!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nL24aNugo_4

Looknsee Photography wrote:
By "electronics", I mean...
...  Computer (whichever kind -- PC, Mac, Linux, etc.).
...  Laptop
...  Operating System
...  Office products
...  Phone
...  Tablet
...  TV
...  Stereo
...  Camera
...  Anything else?

What's your thinking?



Guidelines:
...  No "mine is better than yours" discussions, please.
...  No judgments of another person's strategies?
...  You are welcome, and even encourage, to mention brand names.

I'm just looking for how people think?

When the one I have dies...

Vivus Hussein Denuo wrote:
My VCR is still flashing 12:00 a.m.

The fact that you still have a VCR plugged in says a lot...  

Looknsee Photography wrote:
How often do you upgrade your electronics?

Not too often.  I often buy the best based on my need.  They are low ticket items, I don't sweat on them much.  The big boy toys consume my $ and time more as I get older.

Looknsee Photography wrote:
By "electronics", I mean...
...  Computer (whichever kind -- PC, Mac, Linux, etc.).
...  Laptop
...  Operating System
...  Office products
...  Phone
...  Tablet
...  TV
...  Stereo
...  Camera
...  Anything else?

What's your thinking?

Computers: As needed. I try to keep current on software I use a lot, and that tends to require more and more speed and memory. It winds up being about every 4 years or so before the computer bogs down and becomes a pain to the point where I can justify replacing it.

Laptop: Now that I'm out of the corporate world I don't need a laptop any more, so I use a tablet instead when I travel. I'm still on my first tablet since it works fine after about 4 years.

TV: I have four in the house. When one dies, I replace it. That's probably one every 5 years or so.

Stereo: Still using the same stereo equipment I bought back in the 1990's.

Camera: I still have film cameras from 30+ years ago. I used to upgrade my digital cameras often when digital was still new since I was always striving to match the quality of film. Now that digital cameras have nearly matched the quality (image quality, print size, etc.) of film I no longer need to upgrade. I do tend to every couple of years want to get different lenses so I can try different styles of photography... I will sell an old lens or two and get something new to try for a while.

Looknsee Photography wrote:
By "electronics", I mean...
...  Computer (whichever kind -- PC, Mac, Linux, etc.).
...  Laptop
...  Operating System
...  Office products
...  Phone
...  Tablet
...  TV
...  Stereo
...  Camera
...  Anything else?

What's your thinking?

When they die and there is not an easy, fast, dirt cheap repair. I was an R & D engineer and also did my share of repairing consumer electronics. These days, I don't care anymore about how or why things work. I just want them to work when I hit the "On" button. Period.

Oh, and Brian - I'm still using my grandfather's stapler from around the 1920's. Works just fine. Dare I say a lot better than the ones folks can buy today?   

Looknsee Photography wrote:
By "electronics", I mean...
...  Computer (whichever kind -- PC, Mac, Linux, etc.).
...  Laptop
...  Operating System
...  Office products
...  Phone
...  Tablet
...  TV
...  Stereo
...  Camera
...  Anything else?

What's your thinking?



Guidelines:
...  No "mine is better than yours" discussions, please.
...  No judgments of another person's strategies?
...  You are welcome, and even encourage, to mention brand names.

I'm just looking for how people think?

I usually run my stuff into the ground.
My last car was unrepairable (a stick shift). The parts didn't exist anymore so it took a final drive to the junk yard.
I sold my van only a couple of years ago because it had no use for me since it was my second car.  It was 30 years old and still ran great.

Electronics...
I run my computers until they wont run software I need anymore.
OS. I'm still on XP.
Phone: I lost my last one so I bought a Samsung that is 2 generations old.  Saved a bundle and it works just fine for what I use it for.
I don't own a Tablet (except a fake one that I use for stock shoots, I make money with it. )
I don't own a TV because I'm done with it.  Too many decades watching the tube.
My stereo is from 1991 and kicks ass.  I recently sold my tape decks but still keep my turntable and CD player. I don't use them anymore though.
Camera is a Canon 5D2.  I'd like to get a Mk3 and use my current one as a back up.

I've never felt like I need to get the latest gadget although they are tempting.
I just get what I need and run it until it can't run no more.

Brian Diaz wrote:

Stapler wars haz begun!

Brian Diaz wrote:
I grew up with one that looked mostly like this.

Doesn't count. I grew up with a lot of weird stuff too. It's what you have and use today

GPS Studio Services wrote:
I have no pattern.  I replace them when I find something that I want more.

This pretty much,
I actually want to downgrade to dumb phone. Can you even still do that?

The dark Satyr wrote:

This pretty much,
I actually want to downgrade to dumb phone. Can you even still do that?

Yes just remove your sim card and buy a phone with buttons.... Plenty of "dumb phones" still on the market. And they often have more battery time.

Looknsee Photography wrote:
What's your thinking?


I'm just looking for how people think?

i leave all the thinking to the manufacturers ...

and upgrade as soon as a new model/version is released

Cherrystone wrote:
My first stereo was a beast. Sansui AU-999 Amp & TU-99 Tuner.

I had it for 26 yrs, still worked great. Sold it to an audiophile in Minnesota who went NUTS over getting it.

Big surprise! That was a really nice set-up. Not the easiest to work on (when they actually broke - not often), but, oh my, the sound . . . . . . .

Brooklyn Bridge Images wrote:
When they disintegrate into dust

This. Most of what I own is outdated and isn't made anymore. Unless it no longer functions I continue to use it.

Looknsee Photography wrote:
By "electronics", I mean...
...  Computer (whichever kind -- PC, Mac, Linux, etc.).

Roughly every 4-6 years. Shorter in the earlier days.

...  Laptop
Haven't replaced my first one.

...  Operating System
A few months after a new one is released and (usually) a revised version is released. And they usually go in a VM for a while before graduating to prime time on my computers.

...  Office products
Like staplers? Mine are 15+ years old. But they're not electronic.
Printers? Typically 4-8 years.

...  Phone
I'm using my second one now. Maybe 7 years each?

...  Tablet
Still using my first one.

...  TV
Don't own one.

...  Stereo
The amp (Levinson ML9) and speakers (Acoustat) are 30 years old. The control amp (Meridian 541) is around 20 years old. The CD player is around 5 years old. Replacing any of them but the CD would cost me a lot more than they did--and I can sell the speakers and amp for at least as much as the same as I paid for them new.  Hardly seems worth the effort.

...  Camera
I'm on my 3rd digital camera now, having bought my first dSLR in 2001. That's in addition to 6 35mm film SLRs, a 4x5 camera, 2 MF TLRs and one MF SLR since around 1970 or so. There was a lot of overlap (backups, dual use), so it's hard to say exactly, but the raw numbers overall look like 13 in 44 years: 3 years each--but only falsely assuming serial purchases instead of multiples. My previous dSLR became a backup to my current one after 9 years. (1D2->5D3)

... Strobes
My 2 monolights are around 10 years old. The packs range from 20 years to 5, but most were bought used and are 5-15 years older than that. Speedotron isn't the most flexible system, but it is durable.

Of course, I kept my last 2 vehicles for 12 and 17 years each, respectively. I obviously prefer durable gear.

Lohkee wrote:

Big surprise! That was a really nice set-up. Not the easiest to work on (when they actually broke - not often), but, oh my, the sound . . . . . . .

Never had a problem with the amp...other than blowing out two sets of speakers.
Finally I built a monster pair that could withstand the volume.
I had two other sets of speaker hooked up to it also, never a problem pushing out max volume.

When I bought those they cost me 5 weeks gross wages at the time. The Marantz I got now....eh, it's ok, but it's not that Sansui.