The pursuit of the latest and greatest could also be called the pursuit of wasting your money and possibly getting an inferior product. The next time you see the hottest new cell phone, video game console, or MP3 player, hold off. If you buy it brand new, you’re asking for problems --glitches and higher prices.
[EDIT: this blog is old, but the prices were correct at the time] Here’s a couple of headliner examples: iPhone: The ad says it all [EDIT: said it all], “Twice as fast. Half the price.” When first released the iPhone cost $599. A couple months later, the price was dropped by $200. The rapid reduction in price caused Apple to release an apology and give a $100 voucher to those who had already bought one. A new iPhone 3G starts at $199. But, you might wait until the glitches are fixed before you buy one. Xbox 360: The Xbox 360 originally sold for $399 and had 20 GB of storage. The price then dropped to $350. Now a brand new 60 GB version is going to be sold for the same $350 price. Another reason not to buy right off the bat: The Red Ring of Death glitch, which prompted a global recall that cost Microsoft an estimated $1 billion dollars plus.
These are just a couple of examples, but they illustrate the bigger point. Wait a while before you buy the latest and greatest, and you’ll avoid headaches and overspending. Check out the upcoming brass|MAGAZINE CEO/founder Bryan Sims’ take on buying to be cool.
--Jens
Aside from glitches the iPhone 3G's starting price of $199 is deceiving. With the standard voice plan, data plan, and changes to the cost of text messages, it will actually cost you more over the life of the contract than the old one, which started at $399.
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Great point. This just further illustrates that shiny new gadgets are like fishing lures to get us to spend more money than we need to or should.
And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” Luke 12.15
I think that sums it up perfectly.
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