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[bro1]

I have an iPhone 4s and an iPad 3. I've always been one to updgrade every year and sell my old gear. I did this to ensure that I wasn't losing money by waiting too long to sell. Now though, I'm not sure I can be bothered to keep up with nearly annual upgrades. I'm not seeing a need for greater compute power in my devices nor do I see my current use of them increasing with greater compute power.

Still, I don't want to lose money by not selling early enough. New iPads will be out this fall and while I don't need the new model, I think I would be dumb to not sell and buy a new one.

 

[BertramCooper]

As long as the next Nexus phone is at a similar price point as the N4, heck yeah, I'll upgrade annually.

 

[fluffydelusions]

I upgrade my nexus every year

 

[Various Artists]

Still rocking an IPhone 4. Its really starting to slow down. I think upgrading annually is a bit of a waste, but I think there are people that think some of my hobbies are a waste.

 

[J-Rod]

I'd wager you're losing a lot more money by upgrading every year than not.

 

[Certinty]

Too expensive. I'm happy enough with my 4S, will probably change next year.

 

[Sky Chief]

I stopped doing this when I got to the third iPad and Verizon Galaxy Nexus. The fourth iPad is an incremental upgrade and there are no other stock Android phones that work on Verizon. I have not felt like I'm missing out on anything new. However, I may upgrade my iPad this year and will definitely be getting an X Phone or the next Nexus or Note in a few months.

 

[amnesiac]

Every other year due to the contract

 

[jmdajr]

Nope. Don't even have a tablet.

I used to upgrade my phone every two years when it was cheap. Heck a lot of times it was free!

In the smartphone age that ended quickly. Now I have to pay full price to keep my unlimited data plan.

 

[rrs]

Got my iPad 2 at launch, still have it but thinking about getting the soon to be coming Nexus 7 refresh.

My phone has been a wild upgrade ride to my current HTC Evo 3D within a year, and I'll more than likely use it until it dies.

 

[Darkkn]

I currently have Galaxy s3 and Nexus 7 and I kind of want to upgrade both. Nexus 7 is just too slow and laggy with Tegra 3 and the low price makes me consider a upgrade.

GS3 is fine, except for the fact that it only has 1gig of RAM(international version), which makes multitasking a non-optimal experience. I'm not sure if this is enough of a concern to warrant a upgrade. Maybe if the next Nexus phone has a good camera and is as cheap as the previous model.

Overall I think upgrading every year is a waste(even tho i'm considering doing it...) and most people should not do it. Ultimately phones are at a stage where new models don't provide any real new benefit in terms of what you can do with them. New models are just a bit better in all the things that your phone already does.

 

[WorldStar]

people upgrade their phone/tablet every year...?

lol what

 

[Orbis]

I try to see out my phone contracts, which is usually 18-24 months. Kinda regretting the 2 year S3 contract I have; still 1 year to go and while the system itself is fine, the S3 isn't exactly the most robust phone out there. Should last me though, but now that I work, I might just buy my next phone outright and not tie myself down with a long, expensive contract. But I think I'll stick to my roughly 2 year cycle if I can. Seem to be more robust phones coming out now, and I'd expect plenty of choice when I'm looking to buy something next summer.

In terms of tablets, I tend to stick with them until they're slow and woefully outdated. Or I dislike them. I've had three iPads but the first I replaced with an Android tablet because I wasn't using it, and so I could do some Android app development, the second I sold because I wasn't using it, and the third I sold because I wanted a Galaxy Note 8.0 tablet, which I've found to be far better. I always love iOS for the first week, then miss Android. I honestly don't see myself needing to change from the Note 8 for 2 or 3 years, provided it doesn't break.

 

[jmdajr]

Overall I think upgrading every year is a waste(even tho i'm considering doing it...) and most people should not do it. Ultimately phones are at a stage where new models don't provide any real new benefit in terms of what you can do with them. New models are just a bit better in all the things that your phone already does.

When I went from a Verizon "multimedia" phone to an Android the jump was HUGE.

But now, yeah, it's not that big a leap. Really the only reason I might wnat to upgrade is that my screen is acting up. Otherwise, it does everything I need to do.

Any computer/laptops should last me at least five years. I wish my phone could last longer but they just don't do good with wear and tear.

 

[nhlducks35]

I just buy and sell my phone every 2 years as part of my contract.

Spend $260-$360 on a phone due to California tax and get about $200-$300 for my old phone.

 

[Malvolio]

Wow, what a bizarre practice and a strange justification.

 

[bro1]

I'd wager you're losing a lot more money by upgrading every year than not.

If I sonld my 4s last year when the 5 came out I would have about $200 more on ebay. I could have almost bought the 5 off contract without any out of pocket cost.

 

[WorldStar]

Wow, what a bizarre practice and a strange justification.

lol yup

 

[Somnid]

I would with tablets/iPod but probably not this year due to some expected life expenses.

I have a 3 year old dumb phone with no intention of upgrading. Fuck contracts and fuck phone companies. If work/family let me I'd totally throw my phone away for some free messaging/VOIP service.

 

[bro1]

Wow, what a bizarre practice and a strange justification.

not really. I do the same thing with video cards and other technology. THe only thing I don't do it with is TVs and audio gear as the change hasn't been much over the past few years and audio gear is usually a good long term investment.

 

[Midas]

I usually buy the new iPhone each year. It's nice with new toys.

 

[gryz]

nah I don't just do whatever the TV tells me to do.

why the hell would you need to upgrade your devices every year?

 

[entremet]

These things are reaching diminishing returns. so no.

 

[maliedoo]

Buy iPhone/Android/etc...around $200, plus contract....

in a year or two, sell phone....make some money

spend money on phone, plus sign another contract....

specs slightly improved....

use new phone to post pics/status on fb, twitter, instagram.....

you just spent money and time on something you can perfectly do on your previous phone... good job.

my rule of thumb..no iPhone.. if i have to sign contract. get free phone...root/unlock...keep until dead. repeat. no contract, buy decent phone, root/unlock, keep until dead.

stop wasting money because you think you're "saving money."

 

[Sound Deploy]

I have an iPhone 4s and an iPad 3. I've always been one to updgrade every year and sell my old gear. I did this to ensure that I wasn't losing money by waiting too long to sell. Now though, I'm not sure I can be bothered to keep up with nearly annual upgrades. I'm not seeing a need for greater compute power in my devices nor do I see my current use of them increasing with greater compute power.

Still, I don't want to lose money by not selling early enough. New iPads will be out this fall and while I don't need the new model, I think I would be dumb to not sell and buy a new one.

I really doubt this is a financial thing for you. My guess is that you're currently stuck in the tech bottleneck with the stigma of being out of date and using the excuse of "saving money" when you're really not saving. Tech devalues way too fast to be ahead of the saving curve. Spending is spending. Don't fall for the trap OP!

 

[Guevara]

No way. My 4 is still fine.

 

[numble]

I can earn about $350 in gift certificates each year from my iOS device through iOS reward programs, and I can sell it for $100 less right before the new device launches, so why not? The resale value just drops a ton after the next device is released.

 

[radios shipping overview]

The rule with electronic devices is to upgrade every other year at most. Yearly performance bumps aren't worth the expense, especially with how tech in mobile devices and digital cameras has stabilized.

 

[alterno69]

I just upgraded my original iPad after 2.5 years, got an iPad mini and i love it. I also ditched my 4s and got an iphone 5 last week. I'll probably upgrade to whatever iphone apple releases next cause i can't help it when it comes to cellphones and i can always pass my 5 to my wife who was a 4s.

It dawned on me that i own a ridicuouls amount of Apple products tho, i don't consider myself a fanboy i just like their products and at this point i have invested so much on the appstore that moving to another ecosystem would be silly.

 

[bro1]

I really doubt this is a financial thing for you. My guess is that you're currently stuck in the tech bottleneck with the stigma of being out of date and using the excuse of "saving money" when you're really not saving. Tech devalues way too fast to be ahead of the saving curve. Spending is spending. Don't fall for the trap OP!

I've had a 4s and I'm planning on skipping the 5s so not really. I just know that if I don't upgrade soon my 4s is going to be worthless in trade in.

 

[Stumpokapow]

I do sometimes, typically it costs me about $100-125 to do so if I resell the week before announcement and rebuy after. I don't think that's a ridiculous price to pay and ultimately waiting longer causes resale value to plummet. It's definitely not necessary, there's no NEED to do it, but I don't view it as a problem.

 

[WorldStar]

I've had a 4s and I'm planning on skipping the 5s so not really. I just know that if I don't upgrade soon my 4s is going to be worthless in trade in.

why not just keep it if it isn't broken?

I've had the same phone for like 4 years, have no intention of upgrading this thing until it breaks

 

[Hylian7]

I don't, I have a Galaxy S2 on Virgin Mobile and am happy with it. Got a Nexus 10 over a month ago and that is still top of the line.

 

[bro1]

I do sometimes, typically it costs me about $100-125 to do so if I resell the week before announcement and rebuy after. I don't think that's a ridiculous price to pay and ultimately waiting longer causes resale value to plummet. It's definitely not necessary, there's no NEED to do it, but I don't view it as a problem.

Exactly. It's not a need and I like having the new stuff but I think now it's gotten to a point of diminishing returns.

On my iPad, I read books, watch movies, read comics, and play a game maybe once a month. No way am I upgrading that until it can't run the latest OS.

For the phone I may due it sooner than I want to. Battery life and wear and tear on these things plus loss of resale make it real tempting.

 

[GungHo]

What you wish to do with your disposable income is your business. There's no dumb/not dumb about it unless it means you won't take care of your bills or there's significant opportunity cost. I wouldn't do it, but I'm not into gadgets as more than a utility/entertainment device.

 

[dorkimoe]

Phone yes. Tablet no. Still on my ipad2. Ill upgrade to the next version when it's announced. No rush for that.

 

[VeryGooster]

My 4S has served me pretty well since I got it at launch. It's actually the first time in a long time I've ridden out my entire two-year contract (well, in October that'll be the case), but I'll definitely be upgrading to the 5S/6. I'd probably still hold on to it if I didn't love how light in weight 5 is.

 

[numble]

why not just keep it if it isn't broken?

I've had the same phone for like 4 years, have no intention of upgrading this thing until it breaks

Hopefully if you are using a smartphone you are on TMobile or a prepaid carrier. A ~$450 subsidy every 2 years is built into the price of the plans on the Big 3, so if you don't upgrade every 2 years, you might as well go on a cheaper carrier, as that $450 subsidy goes wasted.

 

[Servbot24]

I feel no need to upgrade my 4s. It's still an amazing phone that does all the things you really could ever want a phone to do. I'll wait for 5s or 6, or maybe try Android.

 

[LeleSocho]

people upgrade their phone/tablet every year...?

lol what

it has to be so nice to have money

 

[WorldStar]

Hopefully if you are using a smartphone you are on TMobile or a prepaid carrier. A ~$450 subsidy every 2 years is built into the price of the plans on the Big 3, so if you don't upgrade every 2 years, you might as well go on a cheaper carrier, as that $450 subsidy goes wasted.

I get a corporate discount at Verizon, don't think I could get anything cheaper than what I am paying right now

 

[BFIB]

In the past, I've normally done a yearly upgrade.

However, now that I have the HTC One, I highly doubt I'll be upgrading anytime soon. Phone is fantastic.

Tablet end, I have the Nexus 10, and I'm really happy with it. I don't see any reason to upgrade at this point.

 

[Shahadan]

people upgrade their phone/tablet every year...?

lol what

How do you think they sell so much?

 

[Meadows]

Every 2 years for me

About due a new one soon but CBA looking atm

 

[numble]

I get a corporate discount at Verizon, don't think I could get anything cheaper than what I am paying right now

I don't upgrade my phone because it still results in me spending money. so you aren't "saving" anything. thinking you are "wasting money" by not using the upgrade subsidy is exactly what they want you to believe. If you are spending money, you are not saving money.

There still is a $450 subsidy built into the price. If it were AT&T I would advise you to just pay $200 for the next iPhone on launch, and turn around and Craigslist it for ~$650, use the SIM in your old phone. Maybe you could do the same thing (I'm not the most familiar with CDMA phones). But it's uneconomical to let that $450 go to waste.

You missed my post about how I come out in the black with my phones, and that is from buying them off-contract. Sell the iPhone 5 for $550, buy the next one for $650. In the meantime, I've earned over $100 from the iPhone just from iOS rewards programs.

 

[CronoShot]

For phones, every two years. Because contracts.

For tablets, it depends. I have an iPad 4 right now, but whether or not I get the iPad 5 (or even something else) depends on the improvements and features.

 

[WorldStar]

There still is a $450 subsidy built into the price. If it were AT&T I would advise you to just pay $200 for the next iPhone on launch, and turn around and Craigslist it for ~$650, use the SIM in your old phone. Maybe you could do the same thing (I'm not the most familiar with CDMA phones). But it's uneconomical to let that $450 go to waste.

I don't upgrade my phone because it still results in me spending money. so you aren't "saving" anything. thinking you are "wasting money" by not using the upgrade subsidy is confused logic. If you are spending money, you are not saving money.

I have no interest in upgrading my phone just to sell my old one on Craigslist.

 

[CPS2]

I still have a galaxy s2 phone, near the end of its contract, and I kinda want to keep it on prepaid until it completely dies. It does more than enough stuff, you get to a point where most of the benefits from increased power are to do with gaming, and I don't like mobile phone games.

 

[velociraptor]

I've had my iPhone 4 for more than 2 years. I don't even see the point in upgrading.

Everything that I want to do with the phone - calling, Whatsapp, email, internet, Youtube, some apps, some games - works perfectly fine. Besides, I'm paying £10 a month. Cheap as chips.

 

[archnemesis]

I usually keep using the same phone until it breaks or becomes unusable. I got my first smartphone six months ago (iPhone 4) and I'll probably keep using it for several more years. Unless I get a free tablet from work, I don't see myself getting one in the foreseeable future.