WBJ Talking Tech:
Is it Time to Upgrade?
May, 2006
By
When my reliable, but dated cell phone finally decided to stop working recently I realized this was the opportunity I had been waiting for - a chance to upgrade! Up until that point I had steadfastly held onto my trusty phone in the face of what seemed like daily promotions touting phones with new and “better” features – digital camera, custom ring tones, games, etc. As I called my cell phone service provider, little did I know I was in for a rude surprise. The customer service representative politely informed me that in order to take advantage of the current promotional phone offers I would also have to “upgrade” my monthly service plan. As I discovered, however, the upgraded service plan would simply mean a higher monthly bill and not more services.
This incident and the forthcoming (but delayed) release of Windows Vista led me to consider the technology upgrade cycle – from cell phones to PCs, servers, and software - we all regularly face decisions about when and whether to upgrade. Often this is a question of needs vs. wants. The vendor wants to sell more phones (software, PCs, insert your product here) and thus, tries to create a need among consumers. While the question of whether you want and can use the “new” features should be the first consideration, often it is more of a matter of whether the vendor has successfully convinced you of the need.
Let’s take a look at some of the more common business technology products and considerations for determining whether an upgrade makes sense.
Desktop computers
– As we all know, even though the computer you bought just a few years ago was
state-of-art at the time, by now it has long been surpassed by a newer
generation of PCs. The good news is that
while
Of course, “your mileage may vary”, depending on how much you initially invested and how the PC is used. A good rule of thumb is that your PC should only be as old as the most recent operating system. In other words, if your PC still has Windows 98 on it, you should seriously consider upgrading your PC AND operating system. Similarly, if you are considering the purchase of a new PC, you may want to wait until early next year when Windows Vista is available (which, invariable will require faster PCs for optimal performance).
Software – Software vendors have a tough job – sometime after you have already purchased their product they must convince you that the version you have isn’t good enough anymore. I have mixed feelings about this. While, on one hand, software vendors do an amazing job of continuing to cram more features into their software, the question is: do you really need those new features? Microsoft Office is a classic example. Most of us use only about 10% of its functionality in the first place and would probably do just fine with Office 2000 (now 6+ years old). As a result, my rule of thumb is typically to skip every other release of software. This is especially true of products like QuickBooks and others that are updated every year. Unless there is a compelling feature enhancement I will wait at least a couple of years before considering an update.
Printers and network components – I have found most printers and networking components (such as switches and routers) to be amazingly timeless. In fact, we still have HP printers in our office that are over 10 years old. While I wouldn’t bother to spend much money to repair them (as new printers are relatively inexpensive), the technology in inkjets and b&w laser printers hasn’t changed that much in recent years (although prices have). If you are satisfied with the print speed and quality of your printer, there is little reason to replace it.
Similarly, the technology in network components such as switches and routers has remained relatively stable. However, there are a few exceptions which you may want to consider. Switches route network traffic much more efficiently then hubs, but because of their cost premium, in years past it was common to use hubs within internal networks. Nowadays, that cost difference is non-existent. In order to improve your network performance, you may want to replace any remaining hubs with switches. If you’re not sure what you have, ask your network consultant.
Wireless routers and network cards are still a fairly new and evolving technology. Thus, if you are using older “b” routers in your network you should consider upgrading to “g” or “pre-n” equipment which offers data speeds that are at least 10x faster. However, a note of caution is in order. The higher data speeds will only benefit internal network traffic. If you use your wireless equipment only to access the internet then the older equipment will still suffice.
Office phones
Many would say that not much has changed when it comes to traditional office phone systems. I would generally agree. However, voice-over-IP phone systems (VoIP) offer an entirely new option (which I’ll spend more time discussing in an upcoming article). While I don’t think the technology is quite mature enough yet to merit a wholesale replacement of your existing system, it has evolved rapidly in the past couple of years and offers a number of substantial benefits (and potential cost savings). If you have outgrown your current phone system or plan to open new branch offices, VoIP is definitely worth considering.
And, of course, a discussion of phone upgrades would not be complete without mention of cell phones. The range of options is so vast that the decision to upgrade and to what model is a personal choice that depends primarily on how you use your phone. Good luck getting the phone you want without upgrading service plans. As it turns out, I ended up replacing mine with the same old model!