Intentional device upgrades

Peter Witham is a software engineer, podcaster, and avid photographer. Yet, when upgrading from his 2020 iPhone 12 Pro Max, he passed on the iPhone 15 Pro Max 5x Telephoto camera and gave up the large screen, “settling” for the smaller but still excellent iPhone 15 Pro.

Peter’s tech choices are interesting not because of the device he ultimately chose but for the rationale that went into it.

On his podcast, Peter explains that he does most of his work on a Mac or iPad. He’s been lugging a huge phone in his pocket without really using that extra screen real estate. As for the camera, he prefers to use his DSLR when taking pictures because of the flexibility and creativity it allows. The extra 2x zoom on the Max model is alluring but would be used rarely.

Peter’s upgrade rationale shows an intentional approach towards technology. Instead of continuing on the pre-established lane of the latest and biggest device, he chose something that suited his needs.

The technology choices we make, whether it’s which device to buy, which online social community to join, or which productivity tool to adopt, all come with tradeoffs. We need to be aware of them so that we can use tech to augment our potential, not slow us down.

It pays to question our setup from time to time. Is there something we carry in our pockets but no longer use? What can we subtract? Sometimes, downsizing is the best kind of upgrade.