I’ve noticed something in the mobile world and it's about how tech companies running their business. They will release a new phone, a new upgrade, or a "next-level" feature every year amd most titmes they are really a big upgrade from the previous. I see this like a race between samsung, Apple, Google to be first, fastest or smartest. And we get dragged into it somehow. They bring out a new phone, and it promises more yet we hardly use them to full capcity when we buy. Some people will rsuh just to lay their hands on the new one but eventually find out it's almost as their old phones.
I have witnessed how people queue to buy a new Samsung Galaxy or iPhone, they spend so much money only to use just basic features or functions , camera etc. When i got my new Samsung S24 ultra I realised it was made with Ai features and even recently with the S25 promising to offer more AI tools. It didn't look much different and there was no need to upgrade but some people it has become their thing to always upgrade.
I have been wondering wheather we actually need all the AI tools and innovations they try put in these gadgets to convince us to buy. Some features or tools i see in smart phones like edits video, AI-writes your emails, translates conversations in real-time and tracks your health are needed, no doubt but several others which we barely use or need, must they be a reason to upgrade our gadgets every year?
Do we need all of those tools built on the phones? I am beginning to realise that these companies are developing functionalities not for the sake of need, but simply to trump the next brand. The result while they try to best each other in this tech war, it's the final consumer of the product that end up spending more but utilizing less.
This is like having a toolbox with twenty tools and you only use three. And that’s okay sometimes. However, if we never spend the time to know what the rest is capable of, then what is the point? Perhaps these tools aren’t a waste at all. Perhaps we simply need to match our needs for them before buying them. So before you rush out to get the next best of phone, why not just sit together with you current one? Learn what it can really do.
Explore the phone to see what you need but missing and check if the new version can offer you that. The most important thing to do it to put your phone to work—rather than just having it as a thing you carry in your hand. So ask yourself this question: Am I purchasing this because I really need it, or because i simply want to upgrade? And if you always want to upgrade, it's important to learn how can squeeze the most out of it. Because tech when used well can be very beneficial. However, if not utilize it efficiently, and in that case, even the smartest phone is merely another screen.
Most people will upgrade all because of showoff as per my experience.
The AI tools are not for everyone, I believe. So, those who don't need them and don't know how to use them shouldn't waste their money on them.
But to each of their own...
I think life should not be about showing off but sadly that's how some people choose to live. It’s always a waste when we buy things we hardly use just to show off or impress others.
Absolutely, I've been thinking the same. It's like tech world is stuck in this loop. It's like innovation has shifted from being purpose-driven to profit-driven.
Manufacturers are always in competition with each other for supremacy and customers are caught up between their rivalry.