gooblax
MVP
My way of deciding what tech devices to buy is extremely tedious (the TL/DR version is below).
I currently need a new phone. As of this moment, I would've spent 8+ hours researching and am no closer to a decision. The biggest decision I've made is that it's worth getting an expensive flagship type and holding onto it for as long as possible again to delay the next time I have to go through this process. Although I'm thinking 1 gen behind the latest generations just to keep the price down a little (I prefer buying outright).
There has to be a better way of doing this that isn't as tedious, but also isn't a complete stab in the dark. So how do you all decide on purchases?
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TL/DR "My way" of deciding:
I sink hours into researching what's available, at what prices, from what stores (varying from cheaper prices at dodgy online stores, to more expensive prices at online stores that have at least proven themselves a bit more... the physical stores are usually priced out of my consideration), and what time it's going to take to get the device (delivery vs store pickup), vs what products are coming out soon and may result in a price drop, vs upcoming 'retail seasons'.
During each research session I'll open dozens of tabs, gradually making my way through them and opening more, until eventually I give up and start again the next day. If it's something that was only a passing 'yeah that'd be nice' then I often make the decision-making process too tedious to be bothered with. If it's something that I really want, I typically conduct these research sessions over a number of weeks until I finally decide how much risk/price/compromise I'm willing to accept, pull the plug, buy the thing, wait for it to arrive, and memory dump all the useless info.
I currently need a new phone. As of this moment, I would've spent 8+ hours researching and am no closer to a decision. The biggest decision I've made is that it's worth getting an expensive flagship type and holding onto it for as long as possible again to delay the next time I have to go through this process. Although I'm thinking 1 gen behind the latest generations just to keep the price down a little (I prefer buying outright).
There has to be a better way of doing this that isn't as tedious, but also isn't a complete stab in the dark. So how do you all decide on purchases?
____
TL/DR "My way" of deciding:
I sink hours into researching what's available, at what prices, from what stores (varying from cheaper prices at dodgy online stores, to more expensive prices at online stores that have at least proven themselves a bit more... the physical stores are usually priced out of my consideration), and what time it's going to take to get the device (delivery vs store pickup), vs what products are coming out soon and may result in a price drop, vs upcoming 'retail seasons'.
During each research session I'll open dozens of tabs, gradually making my way through them and opening more, until eventually I give up and start again the next day. If it's something that was only a passing 'yeah that'd be nice' then I often make the decision-making process too tedious to be bothered with. If it's something that I really want, I typically conduct these research sessions over a number of weeks until I finally decide how much risk/price/compromise I'm willing to accept, pull the plug, buy the thing, wait for it to arrive, and memory dump all the useless info.