1.  Only buy computers with SSDs (solid state drives).  It’s pretty rare to find a computer without a SSD these days.  All Mac Books have had them since 2012, but not all Mac desktops since 2020.  One of my clients is painfully aware of this.  Sometimes, at the cheaper end of computing, they are still sold with a traditional hard drive.  However, as you can see from the example above, cheap doesn’t have to mean slow.  In the larger sizes like 512 GB or 1 TB — the cost will go up but your stress will go down.  SSD or nothing.

2. The iPhone SE is a good choice for someone who needs Facetime and iMessage but does not want to spend $800 to $100 on an iPhone 13 series model.  Of course, the 13 is better.  Of course, the battery lasts longer.  However, if $429 seems like the most you would pay for a smartphone – the iPhone SE is a solid choice. 

3. The New M2 Mac Book Air – base model 256 GB  – now selling for $1199 has not been well received.  It’s not a keyboard issue or a design issue.  On that particular model, the hard drive is actually slower than the 2020 M1 Mac Book Air.  So — you have to go big or be unhappy here.  Bite the bullet and get the 512 GB M2 Mac Book Air.   It is $1499.   The 2020 M1 model is still sold and may be a good option.  Keep in mind that as it is approaching 2 years old — that may well mean 2 years less of updates than the M2. 

4.  Windows — Windows 10 / 11 does a pretty good job of updating automatically.  However, are you keeping your drivers up to day?   This is the software for your video card, sound card, WiFi.  I went through a trying exercise with a client who could not get WiFi on a 6 year old Dell Desktop.  Once, I downloaded the proper driver from Dell (onto an Android phone — then beamed to the computer, the WiFi worked.   The client had no idea that the manufacturer’s drivers had to be updated separately.  This is not an issue with Macs. 

5.  Don’t be married to your cell phone provider.  Just because Verizon was the best in 2005 (and it really was!!) doesn’t mean it is the best today.  The same could be said for ATT or even T-Mobile.  Be nimble.  Towers are changing.  Verizon has been shutting down towers and building new ones.  ATT has been shutting down towers and doing the same and so has T-Mobile.  You may have thought your coverage was perfect at your home or at your office or XYZ spot that you always go to.   It might change in 2022.  Be nimble means, don’t lock yourself into these long term financing deals on phones where you are stuck with a carrier.  Buy your phone outright or if you need payments — possibly think of the Apple Card — that allows you to finance your iPhone in 24 interest free installments.  Then you can move from carrier to carrier without being tied down by the old ball and chain (a phone contract).

6.   If I wasn’t an iPhone user — which phone would I use?  I would want a pure Android experience with nothing added on.  Today, I would choose a Google Pixel 6A which was just released.  https://store.google.com/us/product/pixel_6a?hl=en-US

If I wanted a more upscale experience (like iPhone 13 quality) I would wait for the Pixel 7 which should be released by the fall.

7.  Naming Files —  I have had some instances over the years when I copied my files between different disks on various computers and the dates of the file or folder would change.  This was very annoying.  So I am now in the habit of putting the dates in my file names.   I do a lot of Print to PDF in my internet browser when saving things from my internet browser.    So if I saved a file on July 27th, I will put  “20220727” in the file name.   In some folder, I put the date first in the file name.  This way I know I can sort the files alphabetically but they will also be sorted by date in effect, even if the official date on the file changes.