It is an unfortunate trend with modern electronics to move towards less ability to repair and/or upgrade, forcing the user into a shorter lifespan and upgrade cycle. While this is great for the company's bottom line, it is horrible for consumers, who had been used to keeping a computer for 5 years or more but are now being conditioned into replacing their computer, tablet and phone every 1-2 years. Not only is this a financial disaster for consumer's pocketbooks, but this new era of "throwaway" electronics is becoming an environmental disaster as well.

Before you make your next computer purchase, pause to consider costs that will extend beyond the initial purchase price. How long will I be able to make do with this hardware before it needs to be replaced? Will I be able to upgrade key components (memory, hard drive, etc) without buying a whole new computer? What about the battery, which will be significantly be reduced in just 2-3 years... will I be able to easily replace that? What about the most-commonly broken components, such as the keyboard and screen? How durable are the materials used so that the laptop will physically survive the length of time I intend on keeping it?

Today's case-in-point is Apple's new MacBook Pro. It has not only received abyssmal reviews from users (mainly due to the loss of all usable standard ports, forcing users to invest in a myriad of expensive adapters), but the popular iFixit repair site has given it a repairability score of 1 out of 10... their lowest ever. Unfortunately, a user who comes to me with a failed new MacBook hoping to get their data off it like I have traditionally been able to do for decades will be sorely disappointed, not to mention the zero ability to upgrade and the extremely expensive costs to replace things like the screen, keyboard, and battery.

I strongly urge my clients to consider the total cost of ownership (TCO) before making a computer purchase. Often, the money seemingly saved up-front is more than outweighed by the increased cost to service over its life, as well as needing to replace it entirely far sooner than expected. Which is better: to buy a new $600 laptop every two years, or buy a single $1300 laptop that lasts 6 years? I am happy to offer consultation prior to purchase, to share my experience and insight as to the repairability, upgradeability and potential long-term costs of various computer models.