They didn’t have to convince me, but BusinessWeek makes the case that IT departments would be smart to use “obsolete” and refurbished computers in a recession. Roger L. Kay writes:
This year, as IT and financial managers wonder whether, given the economic situation, they can squeeze another year out of their existing client PCs, it’s not a bad idea to revisit the principles of useful life. A good tool should last a long time.
Picking quality is the important part.
I’ve long been a fan of refurbished Macs. They make tons of sense if you’re looking to get a perfectly-capable, discounted Macintosh. I also live by the philosophy of “good enough”: all the Macs I own are G4s and older.
Charles Moore at The Apple Blog explains how Apple’s refurb system works, and why buying fixed-up Macs makes economic sense. His advice is to check Apple’s refubish page often, as a lot of the models come and go depending on demand. You can also get some amazing deals on refurbished iPods.
[Photo courtesy wowstanley on Flickr.]
“all the Macs I own are G4s and older.”
Both Macs *I* own are 68K-based. (A Plus and a IIx) I’m also a big supporter of the “good enough” philosophy.
Posted by Matej Horvat on February 11th, 2009.
I too buy computers that lag behind the latest and greatest. I see two benefits to this philosophy: Let the kinks get worked out on the newest models along with conflicts with newest software and get more on a small budget. I would love a mac pro to edit HD video but will need to settle for an iMac preferrably 24″. I have plenty of external HDDs to make up for its small HDD. I used one at the college and it did a decent job of editing regular video off mini dv tape. Buying used has its rewards especially when most of my income goes to paying for my health insurance. Artists need to form a group in order to buy less expensive health insurance. That would free up some cash to buy what we need for doing business as artists.
Posted by Carrie on October 13th, 2009.