I was talking with a friend who received a new Garmin watch. It’s a great device and he mentioned that after three or four days, including a couple of runs, that it still had about half its full charge. In contrast, my Apple Watch Ultra 1 rarely makes it through two full days. But the Apple Watch offers many more functions and a significantly different user experience. II have chosen to compromise on multi-day battery life for that user experience.
Whenever we buy a piece of technology we have decide what compromises we are prepared to make. For example, the release of the new M4-powered Mac mini had many buyers considering whether or not they should replace their M1- and M2-powered Mac Studio. For them, there were decisions to be made about price, the number of ports, processor power and form factor. Indeed, looking at Reddit, many people are choosing between a laptop or Mac mini.
I recently upgraded from a M1 MacBook Air and considered three different devices: an M3-powered MacBook Air, a MacBook Pro and one of the 12.9-inch iPads – either the iPad Air or the iPad Pro. Ultimately, I decided on the MacBook Air as it best represented the compromises I was prepared to live with. The price was right, it has enough power (probably more if truth be told) and it runs the apps I need.
When choosing a new iPhone, there are lots of decisions to make. Is the latest model really needed? Is last year’s (of the year before) model good enough – thus saving plenty of money? What about screen size? Storage? All of those factors need to be considered and there will need to be compromises made when balancing all those factors.
Every time we look at Apple’s online store or visit an Apple Store with the intent to spend some money, we have to make a series of decisions about specifications, usability, price and availability. The key is to think about what compromises you are prepared to make – particularly when things change. Perhaps an older model with more memory or storage is available. Will that sway your decision making process?
Every tech purchase involves compromise. Do you know what compromises and choices you’ll make when standing at the register or looking at your online shopping bag?
Anthony is the founder of Australian Apple News. He is a long-time Apple user and former editor of Australian Macworld. He has contributed to many technology magazines and newspapers as well as appearing regularly on radio and occasionally on TV.