Last week I ended my article with the quote “Should auld acquaintance be forgot.” In the context I used it, I fully wanted last year to end and wish for something good in the new year. With time comes new things, relationships, and hopefully some fun as well. Happy New Year!
My old phone started to show its age Christmas Eve morning. After shutting down work early and picking up my kids, I made a stop at the cell phone store to get a new phone. Christmas Eve is probably the worst day to be in a hurry; but after an hour wait I ended up with a new iPhone.
A self help book I read many years ago said something about all relationships ending; either due to death or breakup. Of course, the author was talking about human relationships and not the relationship we have with technology. But me being me and trying to make a boring subject fun decided to embrace the statement and use it in my article. Text me and let me know if it’s working (my cell number is at the end of the article).
I’ve been in a relationship with Android based phones for years and have never had reason to change. Between my business and personal calls, I clock somewhere around 5,000 minutes per month of talk time. I’ve become used to the little nuances presented by Google and Android but I’ve worked around them.
My daughters’ mother purchased them iPhones for Christmas. My decision to go with an iPhone is simple: Apple has an application called FaceTime that only works between iPhones. I foresee them needing to ramp up communication with me in the coming months so timing is apropros.
Anyways, after I started using the phone I realized there’s a big difference between operating systems. Some Google applications I am used to working with are simply not available for Apple which may present a slight obstacle. Most of the other applications I use frequently were available; however, they may be a bit different. As an example, TD Bank makes a basic application that is identical between platforms. Facebook (yes I use it daily), on the other hand, is slightly different.
Importing contacts proved to be a major setback. Technology to technology should be easy – at least I would expect in this day and age. Like Pip in Great Expectations, my satisfaction dwindled quickly after following directions to import contacts from Android. I ended up with thousands of contacts and should of only had a couple hundred.
One would think someone who uses technology daily and embraces it would find transitioning less overwhelming. I don’t look at my phone as a fun thing; I see it as a productivity tool so I simply want it to work. Transitioning has proved to be a slight challenge with some hiccups along the way. Luckily it’s been a very slow month for me so I don’t feel like I’m losing any time (or money) by making the swap.
Making a trade from one technology to another can prove daunting. If it’s a productivity tool like my phone, I would think twice about it unless you have a valid reason to make the swap. The same rules apply to computer operating systems, software, and home entertainment. I talk to people daily who I try and convince to not swap from one system to another to avoid hiccups.
A reasonable option for most businesses and individual users is to simply upgrade. Provided the utility you’re considering replacing is doing everything correctly, upgrading makes it easy to transfer without changing platforms and creating a learning curve. So before you dive into something new, rethink the old.
(Jeromy Patriquin is the President of Laptop & Computer Repair, Inc. located at 509 Main St. in Gardner. You can text him directly at (978) 413-2840 or visit www.LocalComputerWiz.com.)