Firstly, let’s talk iPhones/phones in general… I recently picked up an iPhone 7 Plus, particularly because for all manner of common functionalities that I am going to be using the phone for, the performance is going to be similar as perceived, in comparison to an iPhone X, or iPhone 8 plus. I paid something like $400, nearly half that of a brand new latest generation iPhone, and I get a fully waterproof phone, with comparably fast processor, and a very good camera, with most of the other things remaining the same. Besides, I can get a battery upgrade for 30 bucks end of this year, and it should add to the speed – indeed, it’s a used one, unlocked and it still has a few months of the one-year warranty left. Particularly for this year, I have found there to be no real reasons to upgrade – the biggest face palm is that turd on the 1000$ iPhone you know what Im talking about? And that wireless charging thing… I picked this off of Amazon for 10 bucks… Stuck the connector under my solid unicorn beetle case… And there I have wireless charging now … Only get a phone that is a little depreciated and that meets your needs – you’ll save money ? because everything is obsolete in the mobile world as soon as the first month ends. Do this until there is stability. Keep that ? in your pocket until then.

I also just picked up a 2016 MacBook Pro, with the Touch Bar. If you really care for this particular feature, get the 2016 Touch Bar MacBook Pro, you’re looking at savings of up to 50% of on the price of a new laptop and the only new thing I recall is the Kaby-lake processor in the new ones. For all practical purposes, unless you are running simulations, any of these modern processors in Apple MacBooks should do the trick – don’t even go with names/scores. Just make sure to pick a screen that has a retina resolution, because that was definitely a big upgrade. Otherwise, my 2012 MacBook Pro, with upgraded RAM is really a good back up computer with no lag anywhere. And of course if you pick up a MacBook, make sure it was one of the newer, powerful batteries that go on for 9 to 12 hours, as opposed to the three hour batteries found in the 12–13 models. So with a powerful battery, a retina screen, a Touch Bar if you are an aficionado, you should really be set for the next 5 to 10 years. More like 10 years really I can’t see why you may have to upgrade.

Now let me share some tips with you about storage… I use like five or six different cloud service providers, on their free plans. Each of the service providers contains a certain category of files for me. Not only is everything very well organized this way, my files are safe, and I get away without having to pay a single dime when I don’t have to. There is also another major advantage. For the first time, I keep an account of what files I want to keep, and what I simply don’t want hanging around, occupying space because I may not be able to upload and save them w/o having to upgrade. With new compression technology, its getting cheaper and cheaper to save files, just as it’s getting cheaper and cheaper to process… So only invest in technology as much as you need to get your stuff done for now. There is nothing here for the long-term that’s not even a concept.

See whats already happened with desktop systems? The processors you could have picked in any of the years 2010 onwards are as powerful as the newest ones unless again you do computational fluid dynamics simulations over a long period. We are seeing performance plateau now and if you can take advantage. My prediction is as soon as 5G tech percolates we would start seeing remote computing where you won’t be buying processors any more, just a subscription and the data would travel fast enough for you to not even notice. So hold off on those big tickets items.

Unless you are a professional photographer do not be deluded with funny new DSLRs either. All I’m saying is go to YouTube, or just type in Google what pictures you can take with many of these modern phones with several dozen pixels available on them now – indeed the only make and model of phone that takes good pictures should be considered. Also look at what videos are possible. Do you really need a better resolution? Are you going to be uploading infinitely to Google, because in that case unless you are on a paid plan, Google is going to reduce the resolution anyways… high res is good, but you need a lot of space to store it. Not all photos need to be that way at least – Besides, I find the one DSLR I did buy in 2011, I never got around to using each and every function, not even use the ones I was familiar with properly… So it will take a little bit of learning for sure. Besides, you are not going to have it on you all the time… And that makes all the difference. My iPhone is always on my belt, and ready to go click.

One thing I did invest in was a Go Pro in Bali, and that was really because I wanted to take some underwater shots. And now they have come up with a new Go Pro… How is that even possible? I wish I hadn’t done that and kept the $500 in my pocket. : / s h i t

About the mouse – get the best one that you can find… I use a pair of Logitech MX Masters, and it’s every bit a good return on investment because big-ticket mice and keyboards usually have some worth. Flawless experience thus far – absolutely the best peripheral I’ve used to this day.

And hey, definitely get a mechanical keyboard… You’ll thank me later… Those things can be a delight to type on.

If you do type a lot, while we’re on the topic, do yourself a favor and get DragonDictate, or whatever Dragon product works on your native operating system. It’s far, far better than the free alternatives in Siri and Google dictation etc.

But hey, watch out for Bluetooth 4X’s – this technology is really improving with time. Instant connectivity, longer spans, smart functionality, stay away from things lesser than BT 4.2 Id say. BT lover