It’s obsolete because you HAVE it

First we’ve had to accept the inevitability of death and taxes. Now a modern wrinkle adds a third player to our list of enduring bummers: computer obsolescence.

Face it: you computer is obsolete.

It’s obsolete because you HAVE it. The very act of getting the computer on your desk involved time in transit from the factory, time waiting on a store shelf, and probably a few days of idle time sitting in a corner of your office before you mustered the courage to confront the setup routine. While the sands of time slipped by, a new processor came down the pike, and your “latest greatest” is considered fit for service only as a door stop by the techies.

The inevitability of obsolescence is powerful incentive to just put off the whole ugly upgrade mess. Why buy a new computer if it will become as worthless as an eight track stereo by the time your next paycheck arrives?

The only advantage we’ve got in Saipan is that it takes computer magazines an extra month or so to hit our stands. This allows us a few weeks of blissful ignorance of how fast and powerful the newest machines are. My rule of thumb is that the computer on the cover of PC Magazine is 20 percent faster than the one I just bought and has twice the hard drive capacity.

My upgrade philosophy runs on an entirely emotional basis: I wait until I’m frothing-at-the- mouth-angry at how slow my current computer is, then I order a new one. A year or so later, I’ll go through the same routine.

And I don’t get the best one I can afford. I just sort of get a medium one. Why bother to pay an extra grand or two for something you’re going to have to replace in a year? The performance difference between a mediocre computer and a great one is far less than the difference between today’s technology and next year’s.

Computers are the only “consumer durable” goods that don’t endure. Cars, washing machines, stereos, refrigerators…all these things should last for years, even decades. A computer is the only item I can think of (besides a Hollywood trophy wife) that you pay thousands of dollars for, knowing it will become cranky and worthless in a span of a few moons.

Given the short life span of computers, can we really consider them an investment? Or is it just flat out consumption gig? It looks to me like they’re both. Which brings me back to the agony of deciding when to take the plunge and upgrade to my next piece of inevitably obsolete equipment. Putting off an investment can be a bad idea; putting off consumption is frequently a good idea.

Given these conflicting factors, it’s impossible to make a rational decision. So forget rationality. When you get boiling mad and you’re ready to throw your computer out the window, that’s when it’s time to upgrade.

Stephens is an economist with Stephens Corporation, a professional organization in the NMI. His column appears three time a week: Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Mr. Stephens can be contacted via the following e-mail address:ed4Saipan@yahoo.com.