How do you feel about your device being superceded?

[thecapsaicinkid]

Are you bothered by your flagship device becoming not-so-flagship and something else slimmer/faster being released? It seems there's very few devices you can buy today which won't see at least rumours of a successor within a few months of release. How about price drops, annoyed or not at all bothered?

What is the ideal time between iterations of a particular device, what is too soon for you?

Which new device announcement/price drop annoyed you the most?

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

I think people have this need to have the latest and greatest and I think it is misconstrued and unnecessary. There is no need to upgrade every year or every couple months to the next latest and greatest. There is nothing in this new phone that makes your phone less valuable or stop working. Price drops happen all the time, it is the nature of the beast. For example, video games for 360/PS3 frequently are released at $60. But after a month or so, they get discounted to $40 or $50 or are part of some package deal. This doesn't make your game worthless or worth less.

There are a lot of opinions, including mine on the matter of ideal time between iterations. I think Apple and Nokia/MS has one side of the spectrum and have flagship releases every year, on queue. I think the Android handset manufacturers have the other side of the spectrum where they are releasing every month or so.

One of the reasons that some people are bothered, I think, with the Android handset manufacturers is their delay in getting the next Android update to their flagship devices. I think people feel they need to get a newer phone so they can get the newer operating system.

People need to start letting go of this preconceived notion. Your flagship phone is great. Your flagship phone is going to last for the two years of your contract. Just wait. Be patient. Lumia 922. Nexus 4. iPhone 5. Galaxy S III. Galaxy Note II. Droid DNA. HTC 8X. Your phones will last 2 years. Just be patient.

[Eug]

I think it's great, because that means the half-generation older devices drop in price. I'm happy to wait 6 months if it means the device will be 40% cheaper than when it came out. The later ones also often have a lot of the manufacturing kinks worked out.

eg. Razr HD at release $150 on a 3-year contract. A few months later, it's $50 on a 2-year contract, which is cheaper each month to boot.

Maybe I should have waited 2 months for the Nexus 7, as I could have gotten a 32 GB model for the same price as the 16, or else the 16 cheaper, and maybe I wouldn't have had to deal with the lemon Nexus 7s I got.

[ImDonly1]

Well I bought my iPhone 4 on here used so it wasn't top then since the 4s was out. It's been about a year since I bought it and I just had it unlocked for free from AT&T. I'm think I can sell it now for close to what I paid for it a year ago because of this.

If you are worried about price drops etc just buy used and if you're on contract then it shouldn't matter since you got it at discount anyway.

[Ravynmagi]

If it happens within 3 months I'll probably be irritated. What Google did with the Nexus 7 was for example an irritation.

If it's 6 or 8 months, I don't think I'll mind much at all. I got my iPad 3 when it first came out, the iPad 4 showing up 8 months later didn't really bother me.

If it's 12 months or more, then I look forward to it. So happy to upgrade from my Galaxy Nexus to Nexus 4.

[Red Storm]

When I buy my devices I typically hope for at least one year before the next iteration is released. This gives me ample time to use and enjoy the device before inevitably selling it off to fund my upgrade. I basically rent devices since I sell everything I buy at some point, makes upgrading super cheap and keeps you on the cutting edge.

[zerogear]

I buy my devices for 5-6 months, then I resell it at usually 80~90% of the price, which you think about it isn't too bad since I'm basically paying 100$ to rent the phone for 6 months.

[makken]

As a nexus 4 owner, the hardware is fast enough that I don't care if a new flagship comes out that's slightly faster, or slimmer. I've also owned mine long enough that it wouldn't bug me if they announced a price drop.

What would annoy me is if 1) I'm cut off from software updates or they take too long to get to my device (not happening with a nexus hopefully), or 2) A new feature is released that I can't get because of a lack of hardware (for example, if I can't get face unlock because I don't have a front camera)

[skyking]

I'm perfectly happy to continue using a functional device as long as it does what I need. What pisses me off more is hardware that is built around the typical upgrade cycle. For example, hard buttons that begin to fail after two years of normal use.

[KeithTalent]

I never get annoyed; I buy with the assumption something newer and better will be out within months and the device I bought will be half the price. Just the way it works these days.

Of course that does not stop me from pining for the latest and greatest. Always seem to end up with device envy after a few weeks even though what I have is more than sufficient for my needs.

KT

[ponyo]

I'm pretty aware what's out there and what's in the pipeline so I don't really care. I don't resell my devices so resell value is moot. If I want it, I buy it. I'm big into bang for buck so I have to feel like I'm getting a bargain at the time of the purchase.

[ew915]

I just love how people have such a low self esteem that they need to have the latest device to be able to function in the modern society

[corkyg]

Originally Posted by KeithTalent

I never get annoyed; I buy with the assumption something newer and better will be out within months and the device I bought will be half the price. Just the way it works these days.

Of course that does not stop me from pining for the latest and greatest. Always seem to end up with device envy after a few weeks even though what I have is more than sufficient for my needs.

KT

This, all the way!

[Thegonagle]

Originally Posted by ponyo

I'm pretty aware what's out there and what's in the pipeline so I don't really care. I don't resell my devices so resell value is moot. If I want it, I buy it. I'm big into bang for buck so I have to feel like I'm getting a bargain at the time of the purchase.

I'm pretty much the same.

I tend to buy models which may have been top of the line on release day, but by the time I buy them at a price I wish to pay, they've been out several months and may have already been superceded.

It's OK for me though. The "former" flagship is usually still quite nice to have and use. I'd be broke if I always had to have the latest. (Oh wait... I'm already close to broke... My credit cards would be maxed out and if I always had to have the latest.)

[RedRooster]

I think we're almost at the point now where the hardware isn't really driving as much as the software/OS is. In my opinion.
For example, I'm perfectly happy with my "old" Nexus, as long as I keep getting the OS updates and am running the latest and greatest. In the iOS world, maybe that's different, since each gen of hardware has new features that are unsupported in the old ones, but Android and hopefully WP8 seem a little more stable in that you can buy a device and get through a legitimate 2 years with it as you enjoy all(or virtually all) the new OS features and new apps and whatnot. Of course I'm talking as a Nexus owner, not as a frustrated HTC or Motorola owner.

So I don't feel bad my phone is outdated, I have no use for the newest at the moment.

[Qbah]

I don't care. Just because a faster device is released doesn't somehow make my owned device inferior to what it already is. I still can use it the same way... Using an iPhone 4S and a 3G iPad2.

[Bateluer]

Originally Posted by makken

What would annoy me is if 1) I'm cut off from software updates or they take too long to get to my device (not happening with a nexus hopefully),

F'ing Verizon Galaxy Nexus.

[Plugers]

Got my Gnex straight from Google. Fast enough for me. I bought it in July and don't feel the need to get the Nexus4. Even if I did though, my phone has paid itself off already as I'm on the prepaid T-Mobile plan.

[ilkhan]

Originally Posted by thecapsaicinkid

Are you bothered by your flagship device becoming not-so-flagship and something else slimmer/faster being released? It seems there's very few devices you can buy today which won't see at least rumours of a successor within a few months of release. How about price drops, annoyed or not at all bothered?

What is the ideal time between iterations of a particular device, what is too soon for you?

Which new device announcement/price drop annoyed you the most?

Doesn't affect me. I buy at full price, sell at a decent price, and buy the replacement. SGSII->GNexus->N4.

[JackBurton]

I really don't care. If the new version isn't a substantial upgrade from the device i already own, I just keep what I have. I buy my devices for me, not to impress others.

That being said, if Apple makes a big improvement on the next iPad, I'll trade in my 4th gen iPad for the new one.

[notposting]

I have this crappy HTC Trophy on Verizon...it's something like original Nexus or Droid Incredible level hardware. Super crap camera is my only real complaint though.

[Wyndru]

I usually buy refurbs, so as long as they have decent hardware specs and I can flash the devices to a somewhat latest version OS, I'm happy.

My favorite device is still my Kindle Fire that I got refurbed last year for $130. I'm running Android 4.1.2 on it without any issues. Even the real early jelly bean roms worked without many bugs.

[lothar]

If I'm going to spend $500+ on a device, it damn well better be future proofed.

Originally Posted by ponyo

I'm pretty aware what's out there and what's in the pipeline so I don't really care. I don't resell my devices so resell value is moot. If I want it, I buy it. I'm big into bang for buck so I have to feel like I'm getting a bargain at the time of the purchase.

This.

[Chocu1a]

Originally Posted by lothar

If I'm going to spend $500+ on a device, it damn well better be future proofed.

No such thing, unfortunately.

Your electronics are only as future proof as you allow them to be. If it does what you need without problems, then don't upgrade.
Personally , I buy & sell phones every 6 months, when something new comes out. I either make some money, or lose very little upgrading.

[Nvidiaguy07]

I think I've finally reached a point where i dont care anymore. In the past, newer versions made huge jumps over previous ones. I felt my upgrade from my captivate was a big one, but now that im using a 1+ year old galaxy nexus, anything better than that right now is really gonna bring me almost no benefit.

That being said, if i were crazy/dumb enough to go and pay full price for a sgs3 right now, id feel a little bad when the sgs4 came out (but i should have known better that its been out for a while now).

Since im no longer with ATT and buying subsidized phones, Im not as interested in spending twice as much for the newest phone. Id rather wait a little bit, or buy something more sensible from google than go out and spend 700 bucks on the newest/best phone.