What Technology Did You Buy This Year?
Personal December 29th, 2006It’s come to the time to wind down and review and look at the year which has almost passed. I’m doing a little review of what technology purchases I made personally this year. In other words this doesn’t include birthday or Christmas gifts, only objects I bought myself.
MacBook Core Duo
I had been eyeing up a laptop for a long while. My initial plan was to purchase a MacBook Pro, but when the MacBook’s were released I couldn’t resist getting the cheaper model. It has an awesome glossy screen, small form factor, great specs, at one great price.
Cash Dropped: $2350
iPod 5th Generation 60GB
My iPod 3rd generation died this year, and I was lucky enough to have bought an extended warrenty with Dick Smith Electronics when I initially bought it. I sent it in and got a message back “damaged beyond repair”, and an offer to swap it for a 30GB 5G iPod, I paid $120 extra and got the 60GB.
Cash Dropped: $120
iPod nano 2nd Generation
I only bought this iPod about a month ago when Nike sent me the Nike+iPod sports kit to review and I didn’t have a nano. I love my nano and take it with my everytime I go running now, it’s really a wonderful iPod to have in the collection.
Cash Dropped: $265
Sony DSC-S600
Mid-year a new store called Noel Leeming opened in my town, and they had opening day specials. I queued up at 7AM to get into line to buy a new digital camera. The deal was limited to 5 cameras at $199 and I was lucky enough to get one of them.
Cash Dropped: $199
Canon EOS 350D
I quickly outgrew my point and shoot digital camera and realized photography was a hobby I loved and one I really enjoyed. I decided to upgrade to a DSLR which I could purchase lenses for and continue to pursue and learn photography.
Cash Dropped: $1250
Logitech USB Headset
Earlier this year I was working with MacZOT recording daily podcasts. I wasn’t happy with the audio quality been recorded with my iMac’s built in microphone, so taking Brian Ball’s advice purchased a Logitech USB headset.
Cash Dropped: $90
I have a few purchases planned for 2007 already. I’d like to update my setup around WWDC time (if I have the cash) to a Mac Pro with an Apple Cinema Display. I also want a 250GB External HDD for use with Time Machine, and a Canon 50mm 1.8 lens.
What technology purchases did you make in 2006, and do you have any planned for 2007?
December 29th, 2006 at 11:43 am
Man…what do you have to do to an iPod to damage it beyond repair??
Let’s see…I bought a cheapo pair of Koss headphones, a TI-84 Plus calculator for school, a Moto V325 phone, and not much else.
December 29th, 2006 at 12:09 pm
Haha. This is just too hard for me to list everything in order. 1G iPod shuffle, 2G iPod shuffle, 2G iPod nano, 3G iPod, JBL Encounters, 20″ iMac, 15″ MacBook Pro, Canon 350D, Nintendo DS Lite, Nokia 6280, Nokia 8800 Sirocco, LaCie d3, Canon IXUS 60, iSight, Wireless Mighty Mouse, AirPort Express and dozens of software titles and accessories.
December 29th, 2006 at 12:40 pm
I spent a lot of money this year, most of which was spent on my MacBook with an upgrade or 2.
MacBook White 2Ghz - $2400
1st Gen iPod nano (4gb) - $110
doesn’t seem like much, but there was a bunch of random stuff purchased in between as well as a bunch of apps for the mac.
December 29th, 2006 at 2:02 pm
I’ve spend more money buying stuff for the internet (eg. domains, webhosting, shell account, etc.) than I spend on actual technology (a few hundred dollars).
December 29th, 2006 at 2:28 pm
I bought a Nintendo DS Lite, Altec Lansing iPod speakers, Sennheiser wireless HD headphones, a 160 GB external HD, a new Palm Zire, Canon iP5000 printer, HP Portable Photo Studio, Radio remote for my iPod, a new flat screen TV and a couple of other techs accessories….
December 29th, 2006 at 2:45 pm
Personally, I don’t have ::calculates:: $5274 NZ, which is :::converts::: $3721.04 US, to spend on anything, let alone technology. But I did buy, with my own cash,
2.66ghz Pentium D processor - $250
and an iPod dock (cables and such included, not the speaker kind) for $50
I also don’t log what I buy with my own cash, because that happens once every 5 blue moons.
December 29th, 2006 at 2:46 pm
I spent around $1500 for a Macbook and printer, then $200 for a 2gb RAM upgrade. Other than that, I’ve killed my addiction. Next year I also plan to buy a LaCie drive.
December 29th, 2006 at 4:28 pm
I’m quite grateful because it’s been a good year for me: 2 GHz MacBook Pro with 2GB of RAM, Nintendo DS lite, Nintendo Wii, Sony PlayStation 3, 42-inch HDTV, and an iPod Shuffle.
December 29th, 2006 at 6:08 pm
Where are you getting all this money!? I don’t think I could even buy myself anything this entire year, everything tech I’ve all gotten on my birthday (iPod Photo) or on Christmas (iMac 20″). I’ve been living off of allowance. D: I’ve got a web client now, $90 and a domain registration, but it’s a corporate site so it’s a biznitch. I don’t think I’ll do any more corporate sites for a while.
December 29th, 2006 at 6:30 pm
Here’s what I bought with my own money this year:
- MacBook Pro Core Duo
- Seagate 250 GB Barracuda HD for my desktop PC
- Apple Keyboard & Mighty Mouse
- Canon PowerShot A530
That’s it.
December 29th, 2006 at 6:33 pm
I forgot to mention what I plan to buy in 2007.
- An iPod Shuffle for the gym
Hmm… can’t think of anything else. Maybe some of Apple’s new products that have yet to be announced. :-)
December 29th, 2006 at 6:45 pm
Would you mind me asking exactly what it is that draws you to the Apple Cinema Displays? I’ve had excellent experiences with Dell monitors both with PCs and my new Mac and they are markedly cheaper ($449/300/1100NZ for the respective Ultrasharp models) with comparable, if not better tech specs. While the Dell monitors lack that slick Apple feel, I’ve found the black edges are often less distracting that Apple’s silver edges in certain lighting.
December 29th, 2006 at 6:53 pm
Ed, pretty much just the style and sticking with an “all Apple” system.
I do actually like the new Dell displays, but I couldn’t see myself with a display thats not from Apple…sick, I know..
December 29th, 2006 at 10:15 pm
I purchased a Macbook 2ghz White, iPod nano 2gb, iPod 5th gen 30gb, 250gb External, new Motorola L6.
Next year I’m looking into buying a DSLR, Mac OS X Leopard and maybe an external display
December 29th, 2006 at 10:42 pm
I purchased: MacBook 2Ghz White (And upgraded RAM to 2GB), MacPro (Standard Config, then upgraded hard disks to 730GB), iPod 2G Nano Blue and finally a 30″ ACD.
07 will see more RAM in my MacPro (1GB is nowhere near what I need for my work), some newer hard disks (2 x 36GB Raptors, 2 x 500GB), and hopefully a nice graphics tablet. As with everyone else, Leopard is also on my list.
06 really has been a great year for Apple tech in my opinion.
December 29th, 2006 at 11:19 pm
Let’s see now.
17″ iMac Core Duo with upgrade to 1.5GB RAM
LaCie Porsche 250GB Firewire HDD
iPod Video 5G 60GB
iPod Nano 2G 2GB
Universal Dock
Nokia N80
Shure E2Cs
Total of about US$3.5k approximately.
I just plan to get a 15″ MacBook Pro next year when Leopard is released.
December 29th, 2006 at 11:21 pm
Oh well I spent a lot of money this year.
A Mac Mini Core Duo.
A MacBook Core 2 Duo.
An amp for my guitar.
For 2007 I plan to upgrade Ram.for both the MacBook and the Mac Mini. Maybe I’ll purchase a bigger Screen and a new iPod,too.
December 30th, 2006 at 3:26 am
Glenn, I’ll be honest with you:
I’m pretty familiar with Aperture’s core (granted it’s pretty impressive. Core Image and the like), but nevertheless, you don’t need the type of machine you’re suggesting purchasing for Aperture, and definitely not for blogging. Not even close. Aperture was designed to scale down well, and even if it wasn’t, the Core Duo isn’t a slow platform. That granted, despite what you used to have as a blog post, “What Mac for me: Blogger,” Core Duo will also sail straight through ecto and the like…
I understand you may want it to perform (in Steve words) “like butter,” but you should seriously consider the investment, because unless the things you can do with he Mac Pro that you can’t do with the MacBook + iMac are streaming income, I don’t see that as a smart move for you.
December 30th, 2006 at 3:55 am
After reading Brian’s comment, I’m starting to agree with him. I have a MacBook Pro Core Duo with 1 GB of RAM and both Aperture and iPhoto with 4000+ photos “scroll like butter” on my machine. I also have[*] some 30+ GBs of music on my Mac.
Maybe you should reconsider the Mac Pro purchase, Glenn. I personally think that if you max out the RAM etc. on your iMac, you shouldn’t need a new computer for a couple of years.
* Had, actually. I moved my music to my Ubuntu fileserver a few days ago.
December 30th, 2006 at 4:48 am
This year I purchased an 80gb White iPod (Which got stolen), I got a 2g Shuffle, and a .mac subscription. Next year is looking to bring a Canon Rebel XTi or a 40d(assuming it’s made when I’m ready to purchase).
Hey Glenn, I was wondering how do you set your feed to your feedburner feed instead of the default feed?
December 30th, 2006 at 6:30 am
Smaran & Brian.
Maybe you are right. I couldn’t upgrade this machine and be happy with it for a few years, because for one, the screen is far too small.
The main reason I wanted the Mac Pro (yes, I believe it’s an overkill) is for it’s upgradeability. It would last me a long time.
@ Brad.
You just replace it under WordPress > Presentation > Theme > Header.
December 30th, 2006 at 6:32 am
Glenn, can’t you attach an external monitor to the iMac?
December 30th, 2006 at 6:34 am
Yes I can, but it would ruin the whole clean setup look I’ve had for such a long time, which I dont want to do. If I upgraded this Mac I would need a 24″ display, 500GB external HDD, and an extra GB of RAM. The price to do all of that wouldn’t be economical.
December 30th, 2006 at 6:35 am
Thanks Glenn.
December 30th, 2006 at 6:43 am
Ah, okay. I understand. I guess your only two choices are the 24″ iMac and the Mac Pro then. And I believe we already discussed this in a previous post. I recommended you go with the Mac Pro. :-P
December 30th, 2006 at 6:44 am
Exactly ;-) When they work out around the same price, the Mac Pro is always the machine to go with. Even if I have to use Dell displays it might be better.
December 30th, 2006 at 12:33 pm
I spent quite a bit of money this year.
-Macbook Pro and an extra stick of ram.
-300GB Firewire, external HDD.
-Bush Corner desk.
-Xbox 360
-Wacom Tablet
-32″ Samsung HDTV
-Nintendo Wii (no longer own it)
I believe that was all for this year, but I am sure next year will be big too. We’ll just have to see what Apple releases in January ;)
December 31st, 2006 at 11:32 am
- G5 iMac (January)
- Canon PowerShot SD600 Digital Elph
- Domain name and hosting plan
January 3rd, 2007 at 12:28 am
@Jeff:
Where was your hosting plan from. I’m just looking for recommendations. Thanks.
January 8th, 2008 at 10:41 am
-Mybook 500 GB external Harddrive
-80GB iPod video
-8GB iPod Nano
-New iMac 20″, 2.4 ghz, 2gb RAM