When was the last time you upgraded your home computer?
If
itÃ?s been awhile, youÃ?re not alone.
Year after year PC sales have
been on the decline.
Some blame the demise of the netbook, or
the rise of the tablet, or all the confusion around ultrabooks and
hybrids -- but I donÃ?t believe any of it.
IÃ?m Donald Bell and in this episode of Top 5 IÃ?m counting down
the top five reasons NOT to buy a new computer, unless weÃ?re
sponsored by Microsoft or Lenovo or something.
In that case GO
COMPUTERS!
Starting off at #5: Smart TVs.
Over the past few years,
connected televisions have gotten smarter and cheaper.
You can
stream your Netflix, connect over Skype, check the news -- itÃ?s
all there.
Even the remote controls have built-in keyboards now.
The Smart TV IS quickly becoming the modern home computer.
Why else do you think Apple is so hot to make one?
At #4: The Web.
Everything we do is on the web now.
We used
to live in a world where if we didnÃ?t update our computers every
few years, we couldnÃ?t run the latest software and work would
grind to a halt.
But now our software is in the cloud.
Our email is
in the cloud.
So long as your old clunker can get online, itÃ?s
looking at the same Web as anything else out there.
Coming in at #3: Apps.
You want them and all the cool ones are
made for phones and tablets.
Why would developers waste their
time writing great software for a platform thatÃ?s rife with piracy
and illegal downloads.
There are exceptions, but for the most
part, all the interesting consumer software out there is being
made for iOS and Android.
IÃ?m looking at you Candy Crush
Saga.
At #2: Uninspired Hardware.
TodayÃ?s machines may be skinnier,
faster, or make clicky sounds as they convert into pseudo-
tablets, but are they really offering you something useful?
Retina
display?
Meh.
Game performance?
Not really my thing.
I mean,
those giant Windows 8 tablet all-in-oneÃ?s kinda caught my eye,
but eh...
thatÃ?s a lot of screen smudge.
A lot of weight on my lap
area.
Now before we get to the #1 reason to pass up a new computer,
let me qualify this a little.
Some of you REALLY need a new
computer.
If youÃ?re a student, a hardcore PC gamer, or someone
who works with media like music or video -- then frequent
updates make sense.
Also, if your computer or laptop is over 5 years old.
Some of you
are holding on to your old computers with the delusional idea
that it will become a valuable antique.
But your candy-colored
iMac is not a badge of nerd honor, itÃ?s just an indication that you
still listen to Chumbawumba...
on CD...
with your Discman.
Go
treat yourself.
But if none of those apply to you then hereÃ?s your #1 reason
NOT to buy a new computer: Your old oneÃ?s fine.
Maybe spruce
it up with a super-fast solid state drive, update the OS, buy some
extra RAM.
Because if you think about it, the past five years
have been about dumbing down software and the web so that
everything can run on your phone.
Your computer has just been
sitting pretty, waiting for your phone to catch up.
So your computer is fine.
It probably just resents all the time you
spend on your phone, collecting virtual candy.
So there you have it, five reasons to quell your primal geek
instinct to upgrade your computer.
But donÃ?t let me stop you.
Truth be told, manufacturers are bending over backwards to sell
you a computer right now.
Check out CNET.com for all the latest
reviews of laptops, desktops and all-in-one computers.
And for
more Top 5 videos, Top5.
CNET.com
IÃ?m Donald Bell, thanks for watching.
