Some people have a bizarre obsession with trying to own the best of everything there is. While it is noble to do one’s best and strive toward perfection, it’s also unrealistic to try and become better through simply owning something you perceive as being better. This is why sometimes buying the latest piece of technology just isn’t worth the premium you’ll have to pay for it. Having the very best sometimes carries no discernible advantage.
For instance, consider Moore’s Law. When you buy any computer at any price range, in less than two years it’s going to be roughly half as fast as its current price would pay for. So if you’re only going to keep your computer for a year or two, you might as well just get a “beater” that’s not very quick. While this applies the best to computers, lately almost everything has a processor in it, making Moore’s Law equally applicable to almost any piece of equipment out there. If you get right down to it, after a long enough time a perfectly good computer will practically be free.
Naturally, the feeling of having something that’s extremely powerful in your hand is an experience that may be worth paying for. However, if the cost of such an experience would be less useful to you than putting that money to a solid purpose somewhere else in your life, it’s a false economy. You can always save up money later and buy a really powerful device. If you have a more pressing need today, however, you really have no excuse to go after the very best. So just buy what you really need.
