Why I like simple technology.

May 22, 2022☕ 1 min read

This article will be shorter than the usual, it's just an excuse to post again and reflect on something I've been thinking about.

I read this article, "Why is it so hard to buy things that work well?", on March 2021. It came again to my mind as I was reading on my 9 year old kindle, that single purpose electronics just withstand the test of time way better.

Not only my 2013 Kindle paperwhite works perfectly in 2022 (the battery is a little bit degraded but the device feels responsive, just like new), but also all of my iPods (oldest one being a 2005 5th gen iPod Classic). The operating system is something specifically crafted for the device and its use, and it didn't need a lot of fancy new updates or an ever-growing OS that keeps being updated until the device is no longer supported (e.g. iOS on an older iPod touch).

You can also pick any camera, even film cameras from 40 years ago or more, and they just work (if they are well mantained). They do one thing, and they do it perfectly.

On the other hand, nowadays a 7 year old smartphone ages quite poorly with a modern OS. I guess that's the tradeoff for being able to do so many things on a single device (which, to be honest, is also quite comfortable).

What is my purpose? You pass butter. (from Rick and Morty)

And that's it, that's the shower thought reflection. Hope you enjoyed it, let me know your thoughts on Twitter, and see you on the next one ✌🏻