I was at an electronics store in Mumbai last month. A salesman approached me with a tablet. It had a foldable screen, 5G, an AI camera, and a price tag that made me wince. He said, “Sir, this is new tech today. You should upgrade.”
I asked him one question: “Does it solve a problem I have?”
He blinked. “It’s… it’s the latest,” he said. “Everyone wants it.”
That’s the question we almost never ask. We see “new tech today” and our brain lights up. Shiny. New. Everyone else will have it. But most new tech is designed to be bought, not to be useful.
Think about your last three tech purchases. How many of them actually made your life better? Not just different—better. I’m not talking about the initial excitement. I’m talking about six months later, when the novelty has worn off.
I bought a smartwatch once. I was excited. It tracked my heart rate, my steps, my sleep. I wore it for a week. Then I realized something: I already knew when I was tired. I already knew when I needed to walk. The watch added no value. It just added notifications—and anxiety when I didn’t hit my step goal.
I sold it.
Now when I see “new tech today,” I pause. I ask myself a set of questions:
- What problem does this solve? If the answer is “none,” I walk away.
- Does it replace something I already have? If so, is the replacement actually better, or just different?
- Will I still use it in six months? I’ve learned to be honest about my own habits.
- What does it cost in time? Setup, learning, maintenance—that’s a hidden cost.
I apply these questions to everything: phones, laptops, apps, subscriptions. It’s saved me thousands of rupees and countless hours.
Let’s take a common example: a new smartphone. The ads say it has a better camera, faster processor, longer battery. But if your current phone takes good photos, runs your apps without lag, and lasts the day, do you actually need a new one? The difference is marginal. The industry wants you to think it’s huge.
I remember when 5G launched. The headlines said it would change everything. I waited. Two years later, I still don’t have a 5G phone. Why? Because 4G is fast enough for everything I do. The “new tech today” would have cost me money and added no real benefit.
There’s a reason companies push “new tech today.” They need you to upgrade. Their business model depends on it. But you don’t have to play that game.
Try this: the next time you feel the itch to buy the latest gadget, wait a month. Put it on a list. Revisit it after 30 days. You’ll find that for 90% of items, the urge has passed. And for the 10% that remain, you’ll be making a deliberate decision, not an impulse.
The goal is not to have the newest tech. The goal is to have the tech that serves you. And most of the time, that’s the tech you already own.