As is usual for me, this is a long story, and it’ll take a little while for me to get to the point.

So, n the days of the Classic Mac OS, which seems a century ago (and more or less it was), I used Claris Emailer as my email client of choice. It was originally created by Fog City Software and acquired by Apple’s subsidiary Claris, which also (and still) publishes FileMaker.

I settled upon Emailer because of its support not just for regular Internet email, but to such online services as AOL and CompuServe. Indeed, it was reportedly the only email client licensed to manage AOL. As a former member of AOL’s forum staff, at the time this was the best possible solution.

To me, the features beyond the basics were not important. Being able to manage my growing collection of messages was upfront and center.

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So let me sum it up for starters: Is it very likely that smartphones, tablets and personal computers have become so good that the new, improved models are offering features that few of us really care about? Does that, in effect, make you less likely to upgrade your device?

Let’s take a look at the path and the results.

After expectations from Apple rumor sites and speculators that there would be new Macs in the fall of 2022, it didn’t happen. Instead there were some new higher-priced iPads. So the basic (?) iPad now comes with a larger 10.9-inch display, an ancient A14 chip and the usual camera and connectivity enhancements.

It also starts at $449 U.S., a $120 increase over the previous, 9th generation model, which remains in the lineup at its original $329 starting price. Is the upgrade worth the bother? Well, if you have an older iPad that doesn’t run current operating systems, or really crave the growing laptop-style features from iPadOS 16, perhaps.

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It happened during what seemed like many years ago. I was knee deep in the original Mac OS platform, and not only upgraded the OS as soon as it came available, but I would buy new gear every year or two. For a time, before my son left home to seek his fortune, I had two desktop Macs, plus a notebook, known then as the PowerBook.

While not the cheapest approach by a long shot, it seemed the reasoned approach for my work situation. Each model upgrade was fairly substantial in the scheme of things, and I got paid to write articles and books about technology. So having the newest Mac was an important part of my work.

At least then.

When Apple switched to Intel CPUs in 2006, there were vast improvements in performance for the first few years. Then, as Intel confronted more and more difficulties boosting number crunching, not so much. It’s one reason among many for ditching Intel and adopting Apple Silicon.

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According to the latest estimates, the average age of a new car in the United States is 12.2 years. In other countries, it may be longer, and that means many vehicles are even older, yet they are still on the road in decent enough condition. Sure, they probably require constant maintenance to run, and that maintenance can be expensive if you’re not a do-it-yourselfer. But the average price of a new car is $48,o00, largely because of tight supplies of chips from Asia, and the fact that so many of you prefer SUVs, crossovers and trucks to “old fashioned” sedans. My first new car, an Opel coupe bought in 1967, cost me all of $2,100.

How time flies when you’re having fun.

But in the tech world, we need more or less instant gratification. An older gadget needs to be replaced on a fairly regular basis to keep up with the times and the latest apps. It used to be two years for a smartphone, but it’s now 3.5 years at trade-in according to published reports, but iPhones last far longer, usually.

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