Electronics are becoming more and more prevalent in our everyday lives, and there are a lot of factors that go into deciding what to buy. You may already be a pro at electronics shopping, or you may be new to the idea of picking out your own equipment; either way, I've have the opportunity to share information with you thanks to the sponsor of this post, Lention.
Cost
Probably the number one factor for anyone shopping is looking at the cost. But it's more than just the sticker price. You want to consider the overall cost of the product ownership. If you buy something cheap that's going to quickly become obsolete, that's not going to save you money in the long run. Customer service and repair can also be a huge thing. For example, I recently had a battery issue on my laptop - it was replaced for free even though I didn't have a warranty, because it was covered under a known issue by the company. Two days after it got back, the screen quit waking up from sleep (the computer itself did because it was sending data to an external monitor). The screen assembly was replaced for free as well. Now I have an essentially new computer (except the hard drive and a few other parts; on this model the battery, keyboard, and other parts are one integrated unit). The awesome customer service was worth the originally higher price on the computer.
Longevity
This is tied into price, but it also affects the environmental impact of the product and the hassle of replacing. Sometimes there are ways to increase the longevity, however. If new display port styles come out, you can extend the life of a computer by getting an adapter like the mini displayport to thunderbolt 2 instead of getting a whole new computer to plug into external displays and accessories.
Comfort
When you're buying a computer and related accessories, you want to consider how it's going to feel when using it. If you'r eon the computer a lot, buying accessories to make its use more comfortable is worth the investment. My husband just got a really fancy office chair, but it's so much nicer for him when working from home. A few months ago he had also purchased a really fancy super wide monitor (he's a system administrator so he needs lots of real estate). I have my computers set up in a way that I can use them sitting or standing, so I have variety in how I sit. I don't have an adjustable desk; I use a platform and external keyboards with a taller desk chair (trust me, it works for me). There are a variety of stands available for different purposes, including this aluminum laptop stand, that can prop computers up at different angles.
Accessories
There are a lot of things that can get plugged into a computer - I'm a teacher for a fully online school, and I have a headset, external keyboard, external mouse, and drawing tablet. My computer only has two USB ports. I needed something like the best usb-c docking station I could find to plug everything in. When you're figuring out how to manage all the accessories, look at the inputs you have, and then I usually plan on at least one or two spare USB ports for those times I need to plug something extra in (backup hard drive or printer, for example).
Purpose
Consider what you need your computer to do. Are you a light user who mostly needs it for checking bank statements and email? You won't need the computing power of a full-time streamer. Do you use graphic software a lot, or other specialized programs? Sometimes accessories like a thunderbolt 2 hdmi adapter can increase the functionality of your computer, other times you need to just get something that is more top-of-the-line but you'll be able to use for longer.
Customer Service
As noted above, customer service can make a big difference in the overall cost of your electronic products, especially when it comes to any repair needs. It can also save you time with troubleshooting or replacing defective products.
Warranty
Generally, I've found it's not cost-effective to get an extended warranty. I know one option is to put the money you would have spent on an extended warranty in a specific account, and use that to pay for any repairs that may come up. We don't do that, but I know that over the years we've hardly had to have anything replaced or repaired, and several of those repairs we've been able to get for free. It does act as a little extra insurance, so you may decide that's worth the peace of mind though.
These are just some of the main factors to consider when it comes to shopping for electronics. Thanks to Lention for making this post possible!
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