It always interests me to see how people tend to refer to their equipment in more specific terms the newer or more expensive it is. I was reading a recent blog post that was commenting on the age-old (at least 10 years!) argument about whether phones were “real” cameras. Never mind the argument (which I think is silly), but the writer stated that “there are significant differences between my iPhone 8’s camera and my OM-D E-M5 Mark II, not to mention some newer full-frame cameras.” Well, no sheet, Sherlock!
The thought that went through my mind when I read that sentence was that, if he were shooting with a 3-generations old Android phone (like me) or a hopelessly obsolete mirrorless camera (like me) he might not have been so quick to mention his gear. Is that what is referred to as “humblebrag? As in, “I had a hard time finding a suitable parking place for my Porsche?” Anyway, my weird thought twists on this Saturday morning.
I hope everyone has enjoyable holiday week/weekend, whichever holiday (if any) they choose to be observing.
This life view of obsolescence is out of control. It’s not just our cameras but in so much of life, including the elderly. My cameras and computer are obsolete in that I can’t update to current Lightroom unless I upgrade my computer. 🙁
And hope you enjoy your weekend!
I’m dealing with the obsolescence issue right now regarding a perfectly functional Macbook Pro where the only issue is that Apple has “decided” to not allow me to upgrade the operating system. As a result it is getting to the place where I can’t run the latest version of anything and am gradually being forced to buy new hardware. The only functional shortfall it has over a newer version is that it weighs twice as much. But when it spends most of its time sitting on a desk it’s a non-issue. My son says it would make an excellent Linux machine though. Might be something for me to think about. Happy Easter, Monte!
Time for an upgrade, Monte! 😉 I don’t know how you’re getting by!
I do find it amusing the way people refer to their gear by their brand names. I blame Apple. I mean, have you ever heard an iPhone owner ever refer to their phone as, well, you know, just “phone”? 🙂
It surprises me that no camera manufacturer caught on to this great marketing idea. Camera names are always so convoluted and complicated.
Anyway, it makes for some fun when listening to hipsters talking about their gear. I’ll stick with, “phone”, “camera” and “computer”.
As for obsolescence however, I have to agree with Monte. It’s crazy how short the lifespan of electronic devices can be. A pocket watch that belonged to my great grandfather still works perfectly and yet, a phone with no moving parts barely lasts three years. That’s just more marketing I guess. Gotta keep that economic wheel of consumption turning 😉
I agree Cedric. I still find myself wanting to purchase something with the idea that it will last as long as I need it to. Kathy & I have a washer and dryer that we bought nearly 38 years ago. We’ve had them repaired a few times, and every time we have a repairman here (rarely) they say that as long as they can get the parts they can keep them running. One guy told me that these are the machines that gave Maytag their good reputation, but that no machine made these days could be expected to last as long. A real shame, but as you say, manufacturers don’t make money with reputations any more. Marketing and price drive consumption.
Well, it _is_ an iPhone! LOL As for upgrading to a newer computer, I would imagine I’m approaching that end of life for my computer. I’ve had it since 2011 and it functions quite well, just like my 2005 car! Let’s see how long Apple will allow me to keep using my computer before I have to “upgrade” and deal with Donglegate thanks to their brilliant idea to remove all of the ports and leave you with one!
We have a perfectly good MacBook Pro – 2011 model – that Apple has decreed is no longer eligible for an OS upgrade. As a result we’re forced to run outdated versions of programs, and one by one certain features stop working because of various compatibility issues. It’s stuck on Lightroom 6, which is fine with me if I ever need to use it, but just like my decision to change my desktop computer over to Windows, my next laptop will be Windows as well. There will ultimately be obsolescence with either platform, but Windows is my platform of choice until I learn enough about Linux to make that switch. 😉
BTW, Tom. I like that “humblebrag”
I forget where I heard that but it seemed appropriate! 🙂