Do you need the new iPhone?

It’s at this time of year that the technology companies start rolling out heavy advertising campaigns to convince us to buy their latest phone, tablet or other gadget. The cynic in me says they are trying to cash in on our Christmas spending, either for ourselves or as gifts, but of course it could just be this is the time of year they release new models!  So I thought it was timely to share with you how I go about reviewing my technology needs.

I recently did an exercise in assessment of my phone technology. I could of course, have simply rushed out and bought the latest, most expensive model because if I believe all the hype it can do everything for me. However, I decided to actually consider what I use my phone for and then made a decision on the cost-value proposition. I use my phone for the following main activities:
to make calls,

• to synchronise with my calendar, contacts and emails (in that order),
• to be my navigation tool, and
• to be a secondary hotspot device.

Business transactions (eg. banking or invoicing), complex emails and social media I reserve for doing on my home computer or my iPad when I’m away from the office. The small screen (even though they are getting larger each new release) of the phone I find a bit too small for my 50 year old eyes and the keys are too small for substantial typing.

The message in this for you is don’t be tempted to simply rush out and buy the latest release of phone or tablet or other gadget. Sit back, have a coffee and think about what you really need from your technology tools. How do you do business? What do you need your tools to do to help you run your business or life more effectively?  Remember, that technology should help you as a tool not complicate your life or provide you with a hundred “added features” that are useless to you and only add to their cost.

After thinking about what I genuinely need my phone for, rather than spending all my money on the latest smart phone, I got a phone that does what I need it to and had enough left over to buy a new iPad!