My favorites are always obsoleted

[Golffishny]

"The golf industry is especially famous for this. Every year, the big brands introduce a new driver guaranteed to add 15 yards off the tee and make your last year's driver obsolete."

I agree. The reality after the hype is that if an proficient golfer uses the new club most will gain closer to 15 inches. For the rest of us not so much. The top drivers are generally within 5 to 10 yards of each other. I use whatever I can keep in the fairway. It's tough to hit greens from behind trees. Keep it simple.

[Puddleglum]

Originally Posted by fazool

When I find something I like, I find comfort in the familiar. I like always knowing what I'll have.

I've driven the same brand of car for 32 years. I've purchased the exact same model three times in a row. I handed cars down to my kids - at one point we had four of the same model car in the driveway at the same time (neighbors thought I was curb-stoning).

When I need new sneakers, My favorite brand/model are off the market. I scour the Internet and stocked up and have four pair (in different colors) stashed away for future.

Recent cologne thread touched this point - my favorites were again obsoleted so I scavenged a few years' supply off the Internet.

As for guitars.......

I love my electric guitars - they are no longer made.
I love my acoustic guitars - these are no longer made.
I dislike all the replacement options.

I don' t understand humanity's rabid need to always innovate and come out with something "new and improved". If you have something that is very good and reliable and meets your needs, I wish people would just keep making it.

The entire world suffers from "new coke" syndrome.......

I know just what you mean. C.S. Lewis wrote about this in one of his essays (title escapes me now), about how everything needs to change, has to change, must change... this is "evolution," "progress," etc. To sit still is to stagnate, etc, etc. Of course, he was being critical of these ideas and pointed out how this shift in our thinking has led to us all being seen as consumers who need to be sold more stuff.

There was a time in life when a man started a family and had a carriage made to be used for all of life. He would have likely built his own house with his own hands, raised his family there, and lived out all this days under the same roof without ever having a thought of "relocating." Now people just move because they've been in the same house too long and it's time for a change.

Once upon a time a lady would get a set of cookware upon getting married and use it for all of life, often times passing it down. Lots of examples. But our society discourages things like this now because there is no profit in it.

It's even to the point now that if a company or product doesn't constantly change, it raises eyebrows on the part of the consumer. Companies are constantly changing things now just for the sake of changing. (Think of your latest phone update and how all the buttons changed spots -- drives me nuts.) It's one of the ways evolution and consumerism have wedded themselves together and become a daily part of our thinking. The "all-new" this will soon become the outdated that, and so as to not be left behind, we have to get the new thing.

[frankmcr]

Originally Posted by Puddleglum

It's even to the point now that if a company or product doesn't constantly change, it raises eyebrows on the part of the consumer.

Growing up the 1950s Midwest, most people snickered at "new and improved" advertising.

Took it to mean, "Yeah, it wasn't that great, but it's better now, honest."

[dirkronk]

Originally Posted by Golffishny

"The golf industry is especially famous for this. Every year, the big brands introduce a new driver guaranteed to add 15 yards off the tee and make your last year's driver obsolete."

I agree. The reality after the hype is that if an proficient golfer uses the new club most will gain closer to 15 inches. For the rest of us not so much. The top drivers are generally within 5 to 10 yards of each other. I use whatever I can keep in the fairway. It's tough to hit greens from behind trees. Keep it simple.

I gave my golf clubs to First Tee several years back. Hadn’t played in ages. But my dad got heavily into golf when I was in high school and college (1960s and early’70s). He was never great with woods at all, so my mom and I surprised him one birthday with a custom order 1 iron. That actually did improve his game.

Since everything that goes around comes around, I wouldn’t be surprised to see 1 irons making it big again.

Cheers,
Dirk

[Mr. Jelly]

Over the years my wife and I have joked how the places that we started to enjoy frequenting ended up closing down. We figured it's us.

[tinnitus]

Retired and available, I'll take responsibility for grocery shopping - if the list is short. But fussy digital coupons managed on a smartphone can make even the simplest errand a huge PITA because I just will not give up and pay full rip to get out of there if I already saw a freebie or a good sale price in the app. Feels like I'm trying to crack Enigma sometimes.

Anyway, there I was, looking at half-price cereals and it hit me that I haven't had a bowl of Trix for 55 years, so I bought a box.

But alas, gone (sadly) are the three simple beloved components of red, orange and yellow. And the flavor is gone too. Now boasting "6 Fruity Shapes," a modern bowl of Trix tastes like a bag of Skittles had a baby with a Hallmark potpourri-scented candle. Yuuuck!

If I ever end up on death row choosing my final meal, Trix is officially off my nostalgia list. Of course, I'm not planning on checking out that way, but I should probably sample a 2024 box of Cap'n Crunch, too, so I don't end up making a similar mis-step if/when the chips are down.

[Rolph]

Earlier this week I was helping my youngest daughter get a cell phone replaced. I watched many people who looked almost homeless, paying $150-$200 in cash to pay their monthly cell phone bill. And I just don't get it. I rarely use my phone, it's 9 yrs. old. My car was purchased new in 1996, a Land Rover Defender 90, and I still get excited to start it and drive. The mass hysteria about always needing new, different, the same just doesn't compute with me. Especially for over $1000 for a phone?

[Joe Beamish]

I miss small trucks, like the old Tacoma. They were perfect for folks who don’t need to tow a yacht across the Outback or something.

[imwjl]

Originally Posted by Rolph

Earlier this week I was helping my youngest daughter get a cell phone replaced. I watched many people who looked almost homeless, paying $150-$200 in cash to pay their monthly cell phone bill. And I just don't get it. I rarely use my phone, it's 9 yrs. old. My car was purchased new in 1996, a Land Rover Defender 90, and I still get excited to start it and drive. The mass hysteria about always needing new, different, the same just doesn't compute with me. Especially for over $1000 for a phone?

I'm not sure the tie to this topic and suggest some homework on the challenges of low wage, homeless and part-time employment that also includes how EBT and stopping scams work. My department happily aids staff with these challenges, and I volunteer on a team of tech professionals that helps nonprofits. I can offer what I know from a lot of expertise in the area but don't want to waste that if it risks the rules here or something mean spirited or reactionary.

The phones themselves are now getting longer life span for Android users. Google committed to match Apple generally having a 7 year window of support for security and reliability.

Having to make payments like you observed makes absolute sense knowing how often it is for a family plan where even modest phones and plans add up. Other common problems often compound or add to it. The folks I end up helping a lot will often have medical and insurance related costs many take for granted, and a lot of people are unaware that even bankruptcy is a really hard choice with even more complications if one is poor.

For the phones themselves, that time when there was "hysteria" you mention is well past and only a niche now. It appears most people are keeping their phones almost 2x longer now. There's a huge amount of business in the used market and selling older models as new.

Edit: It looks like for 2023 you are about $300 high for what most paid for new phones. That's easy to believe. At work we buy dozens of Android and Apple devices for much less than $1000 and generally get around 6-7 years of life from them. We're constantly helping staff with new device setup for schedule and payroll access. Those 1000 people are not mostly buying flagship phones.

[Joe Beamish]

Originally Posted by Rolph

…Especially for over $1000 for a phone?

They aren’t just phones anymore, but amazing computers that can create, consume, edit and share books, photos, art, films, whatever….and which give the user access to most content in human history in some form.

$1,000 seems cheap.

[rllink]

Originally Posted by Joe Beamish

They aren’t just phones anymore, but amazing computers that can create, consume, edit and share books, photos, art, films, whatever….and which give the user access to most content in human history in some form.

$1,000 seems cheap.

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[Mandobart]

It's funny (to me) to read all these nostalgic "back in the day" posts extolling the virtue of having the same cookware, golf clubs, vehicles, home etc. for one's natural life - on a forum infamous for the practice of churning through dozens of guitars in a decade searching for "the one" to "bond" with....

[Murphy Slaw]

Originally Posted by LiveMusic

I found a pair of boots I especially like probably seven years ago. Based on my perception of how unique and good these boots are for my feet and my eye, I bought a 2nd pair and put them on the closet shelf. The first pair is still in great shape. I would think I will never need another pair of boots unless I want something different.

I wanna hear more about the boots....