Keeping up with the rate at which technology is evolving is not an easy task.
It is becoming impossible to own the latest phone, laptop or MacBook because a newer version is always just around the corner. Technology is therefore fast approaching the point of becoming disposable. Because of this, people are taking less care of their technology, safe in the knowledge that they can just replace it with a newer model.
Even quick and easy fixes have become too much hassle; something as simple as replacing a worn hard drive and recovering the data on it will be too hard for some people who will swiftly decide to abandon the perfectly serviceable machine in favor of purchasing a new one. This is a costly and wasteful solution.
If you have a quick trigger finger when it comes to abandoning your tech, follow these 3 steps to hopefully stop you from throwing out another laptop this year:
- Protect the Outside
We take our tech everywhere with us: when we’re on the go, they are constantly shoved in and out of our pockets or bag. This makes breaking them an unfortunately common occurrence and phone screens are the main culprit. In America alone, more than 50 million phone screens are cracked over the course of a year. Getting yourself a screen protector and a case for your phone is such a simple and obvious tip. Protective cases are easy to come by and can save you from replacing your screen every time your phone fall out of your pocket.
- Protect the Inside
Malware and viruses are not new, but as technology evolves, so do they. Simple changes in the way you protect your sensitive data can stop your computer from getting hacked and destroyed from within. Change your passwords regularly: having the same password for everything might be a helpful way for you to remember, it but it also puts your security at risk. Be sure to include numbers, upper and lower case letters and make it a minimum of 9-letters long.
- Make Do and Mend
No longer just a phrase for darning your holey socks, mending your technology is the best way to stop you from having to shell out for something new. Is your laptop two years old and the hard drive has started making unusual noises? Don’t automatically assume the worst. Firstly, hard drives have a longer life than most tech users assume, and secondly, there are services such as Secure Data Recovery Services that can assist you in solving the problem.
Technology doesn’t have to become disposable. In a climate that is currently focused on becoming — and remaining — sustainable, the rate at which you use and dispose of anything, including tech, will become crucial. Is it vital for you to have the latest phone model when yours still performs perfectly well? Have you protected your laptop from anyone snooping on the public Wi-Fi? Simple and basic prevention can go a long way.
