The iPhone 6 was released last month, so the subject of upgrades are on many peoples minds, including ChurchMag’s Phil Schneider.
In the back-channel of the ChurchMag Authors Guild, Phil brought up the topic since he’s due for an upgrade on his own phone and couldn’t decide whether or not to make the jump.
So in this episode, we talk about upgrading smartphones, church tech equipment, laptops, and the basic fundamentals of what should be considered when deciding on whether or not to upgrade. I hope our conversation helps!
Series Two — Episode Twelve
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Have you ever suffered from ‘upgrade lust?’
I have.
There are a lot of variables that go into making an upgrade decision. And even with all the contributing factors of budgets, easy of use, growth, durability, and so on, the condition of our heart is of the most importance. If we can approach these kinds of decisions—first personally and then in ministry—with a clean and pure heart, our decisions will most certainly be in the best interest of the Kingdom of God.
What do you think?
M says
I appreciated today’s podcast! It is all to easy to swing from the mentality that churches deserve 30 year old couches in the youth room to the entire staff needing top of the line gear. I fill a funny creative/tech/missions/small groups/a bit of teaching role at my church. I “inherited” a 2010 27″ iMac from the past creative guy. It’s almost 4 years old, and could easily say I need something newer for my job. I’d love something more portable. But I’ve decided to sit on what I have for the next couple years or so. What was nice about that previous round of iMacs was that I just upgraded my ram to 20gb for like $150, and I’m considering dropping in an SSD drive soon too. And will those tweaks a 4 year old machine still screams.
Eric Dye says
Whoa! Yes, those upgrades would certainly make your machine scream. 😀
Millennial Minister says
That’s really one of the things that discourages me from wanting one of the newer iMacs– They’re much more difficult if not impossible to upgrade down the road. And a Mac Pro seems like more than I really need yet.
One of the current tech trends that I have appreciated, however, is that the “tech curve” has been slowing down. It used to seem that a 2 year old computer was unusable. Now, I’m more than happy with an older iMac at work, and I still whip out my 2010 Macbook to write a sermon from time to time.
The downside? New stuff isn’t all that revolutionary. I’ve waited on upgrading my iPhone to see what the new 6’s would bring around. It’s a bigger screen with a slightly better camera than my 4s, but it’s still pretty much the same thing. It doesn’t do my taxes or mow my lawn. Maybe next year.
Eric Dye says
“…doesn’t do my taxes or mow my lawn. Maybe next year.” LOL!
Agreed. My three year old Mac is still hummin’ along. I may drop in a memory upgrade sometime soon, but I plan on using it for another three years—easy. Then again, I made sure I purchased a beefy processor that would suffice years down the road. And while I like the idea of upgrading this or that, truth is, I’ve NEVER done it. I also think you’re right about the tech curve slowing down. I remember when I had to configure a super high-end machine to edit audio, let alone video.