More Power Syndrome

Let me give you a scenario that I’ve been seeing lately.

Some person, either a friend or coworker or family member, is bragging to you about some new computer they just purchased. They give you a run down on all the specs. Their face brightens as they talk about getting the best of the best. Quad-cores, the latest video cards, the greatest hard drive storage.

So you proceed to ask them what their plans are for this monster machine.

Their response, “Browsing and working on Word docs”.

Who’s fault is it for the More Power Syndrome?

I have written about the lessening need to max out computer hardware. Even though I’m convinced that most computer hardware isn’t the real bottleneck in performance, many people still are.

Is it the consumer’s fault?

Perhaps these people buying suped up computers hoping to watch their YouTube videos faster are getting what they deserve. They should pay more for not doing research about computers and realize that they would profit more from upgrading from 1.5 mbps DSL to 6.0 mbps. Whenever it comes time for me to make some important purchasing decision I make sure I’m fully educated, often to the point that I know more about the product than the person selling it to me.

Is it the consumer’s fault for poor research?

Is it the marketer’s fault?

Maybe the reason so many people over buy their computers is because all the marketing suggests that it will improve their performance. I can’t remember that last time I saw an ad that acted like I didn’t need the latest and greatest. Can you?

Is it the marketer’s fault for overstating performance benefits?

Is it the manufacturer’s fault?

Computers, PCs especially,  are cheap. Dirt cheap. With weekly deals being given at almost all computer retailers, it’s not hard to find a good bargain on a good piece of hardware. You can pay an extra $100 to $150 to get a base model maxed out, depending on what deals are going. Maybe most of these overboard purchases are because it’s not that expensive to upgrade to something beefier.

Is it the manufacturer’s fault for making the upsell so cheap?

Is it our fault?

Perhaps the reason that above scenario takes place is because people like you and me aren’t educating them on what specs are worth paying attention to and what upgrades would be more beneficial. I try to let it be known amongst my family that they can contact me if they have a computer question and I always try to give sound advice to them. Even with that I feel like it isn’t enough.

I had a family member get a new MacBook Pro this week, and the only applications he’ll probably use are Word and Keynote.

The scenario at the beginning was a conversation I had yesterday with a co-worker.

Is it our fault for not better educating others?

So, who’s to blame?