In one day, the Christmas Season will be upon us! Between Christmas and Black Friday, the next month will be the time that the majority of Americans either purchase new outright or upgrade our computers, tablets, smartphones, printers, and other technology. What, in our opinion, is worth upgrading and what is worth waiting out?
Internet
Google Fiber has just reached my neighborhood, and I’m pretty excited about it! With very competitive prices compared to AT&T and Comcast, AND the bonus of no contract, this is a no-brainer. As a side note, if you are currently happy with your internet provider, it may be a good time to give them a call and negotiate for a better deal. Pro tip on skipping a lot of hassle – call with the intention of cancelling your service. The operators on the other end of that extension are very motivated to keep your business, and can generally offer great deals and perks that are worth the hassle. I would recommend doing this yearly.
Smartphones
Apple has now introduced the iPhone 8 and iPhone X, as their newest flagship products (and with a pricetag to match!). I generally tend to skip iterations with Apple, and since the 7 hasn’t even really been out that terribly long, we will be holding out for the inevitable 8S. However, for the money, Samsung / Android smartphones are some great devices, and as it gets closer to time for me to spend $6-800 for a new iPhone, the more i’m tempted to flush every Apple product my family owns and convert to Android. This may be the year!
Computers
As I wrote in a previous article, we are still very excited about the all-in-one computer systems that have been coming on the market. Most seem to have very decent power for cost ratios, and many come with great features like touchscreens and wireless keyboards and mice. Because these are enclosed boxes that generally do not have interchangable parts on a local level (like Travel Tech) and with passive cooling, we would recommend steering towards Intel processors on these boxes, as AMD always runs hot. Read back a few weeks on why temperature control is important to computers.
Windows 7 is now officially second-tier on new systems, with most current PCs shipping with an iteration of Windows 10. At the moment, we would not recommend purchasing Windows 10 outright for an upgrade ($149 for an OEM disk / download is pretty steep) as there aren’t any huge benefits over 7. However, if you have the choice between the two, opt for 10.
In summation, there’s lots to be excited about! If you need help deciding between systems, give us a call! We can help navigate through all the fluff and find the right computer for you, and make sure you get the most bang for the buck.