--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People always worry that buying tech…" description: "\"People always worry that buying tech products today carries a risk of obsolescence. Most of the time, that fear is overblown.\" — Walt Mossberg" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/191/walt-mossberg-4158_buying_people-always-worry-that-buying-tech-pro_2393855.png" --- # People always worry that buying tech products today… ![“People always worry that buying tech products today carries a risk of obsolescence. Most of the time, that fear is overblown.” quote by Walt Mossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/191/walt-mossberg-4158_buying_people-always-worry-that-buying-tech-pro_2393855.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/191/walt-mossberg-4158_buying_people-always-worry-that-buying-tech-pro_2393855.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/191/walt-mossberg-4158_buying_people-always-worry-that-buying-tech-pro_2393855.png) > “People always worry that buying tech products today carries a risk of obsolescence. Most of the time, that fear is overblown.” [Walt Mossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-mossberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Fear of rapid tech obsolescence is often exaggerated; most products remain useful beyond perceived lifespans. **In simple terms:** Tech fear is usually overblown. Key Takeaway Buy tech with confidence, plan for upgrades. Themes technology obsolescence consumer anxiety longevity Mood pragmatic analytical Type informative practical When to use this quote - budget planning - device maintenance - upgrade strategies Key Concepts economics product lifecycle innovation Questions to Reflect On - How do you assess a product’s longevity? - What factors influence your tech purchase decisions? A Different Perspective Rapid tech change can still render devices outdated quickly. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Buying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buying/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Obsolescence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obsolescence/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Risk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/risk/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Worry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worry/) ## Related quotes > [All the art that's in my house is my own, which is nice because I never have to worry about buying it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-chaikin/all-the-art-that-s-in-my-house-is-my-own-which-is-nice-because-i/) [Carly Chaikin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-chaikin/) > [I have dealings with a pension firm, an insurance company and a bank, and every day one of these institutions tries to worry me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-enfield/i-have-dealings-with-a-pension-firm-an-insurance-company-and-a-bank/) [Harry Enfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-enfield/) > [Obsolescence is the key to innovation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homaro-cantu/obsolescence-is-the-key-to-innovation/) [Homaro Cantu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homaro-cantu/) > [Obsolescence is the moment of superabundance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/obsolescence-is-the-moment-of-superabundance/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [I personally am not so obsessed about immortality for myself. The human body has been designed that way, obsolescence is OK.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/i-personally-am-not-so-obsessed-about-immortality-for-myself-the/) [Lisa Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/) > [by operating on the principle of human and material obsolescence, America eats her history alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/by-operating-on-the-principle-of-human-and-material-obsolescence/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [Britain today is suffering from galloping obsolescence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-benn/britain-today-is-suffering-from-galloping-obsolescence/) [Tony Benn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-benn/) > [“Cheap objects resist involvement. We tend to invest less in their purchase, care, and maintenance, and that's part of what makes them so attractive.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-ruppel-shell/cheap-objects-resist-involvement-we-tend-to-invest-less-in-their/) [Ellen Ruppel Shell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-ruppel-shell/) > [Starving the future to feed the present is a mistake - it leads to obsolescence and stagnation. Sometimes it is hard to make this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burton-richter/starving-the-future-to-feed-the-present-is-a-mistake-it-leads-to/) [Burton Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burton-richter/) > [Obsolescence is a factor which says that the new thing I bring you is worth more than the unused value of the old thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kettering/obsolescence-is-a-factor-which-says-that-the-new-thing-i-bring-you-is/) [Charles Kettering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kettering/) > [Instead, most colleges are studies in obsolescence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-mccord/instead-most-colleges-are-studies-in-obsolescence/) [Kent McCord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-mccord/) > [Rant said that view of time was set up so folks won't live forever. It's the planned obsolescence we've all agreed to...'Nothing says you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/rant-said-that-view-of-time-was-set-up-so-folks-won-t-live-forever-it/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Planned obsolescence is another word for progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-jeffrey-roche/planned-obsolescence-is-another-word-for-progress/) James Jeffrey Roche > [Systems program building is an entropy-decreasing process, hence inherently metastable. Program maintenance is an entropy-increasing process, and even its most skillful execution only delays…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/systems-program-building-is-an-entropy-decreasing-process-hence/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Styling is designing for obsolescence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-guinness/styling-is-designing-for-obsolescence/) [Alec Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-guinness/) ## More by Walt Mossberg > [I wasn't surprised to find Samsung's OLED screen to be bright, vivid, and clear. It's beautiful, although in viewing some photos and videos, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-mossberg/i-wasn-t-surprised-to-find-samsung-s-oled-screen-to-be-bright-vivid/) [Walt Mossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-mossberg/) > [Books should cost less and they should be digital.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-mossberg/books-should-cost-less-and-they-should-be-digital/) [Walt Mossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-mossberg/) > [Just remember: you're not a 'dummy,' no matter what those computer books claim. The real dummies are the people who-though technically expert-couldn't design hardware…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-mossberg/just-remember-you-re-not-a-dummy-no-matter-what-those-computer-books/) [Walt Mossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-mossberg/) > [I have on my wall right now a front page of the 'Journal' from January 1991, when I co-wrote a front-page story about Iraq…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-mossberg/i-have-on-my-wall-right-now-a-front-page-of-the-journal-from-january/) [Walt Mossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-mossberg/) > [Microsoft makes numerous apps for both Android and iOS, as do Google, Amazon and Facebook. You can run iTunes and iCloud on Windows and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-mossberg/microsoft-makes-numerous-apps-for-both-android-and-ios-as-do-google/) [Walt Mossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-mossberg/) > [Jeff Williams, Apple's senior vice president of operations, has been called 'Tim Cook's Tim Cook' by some.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-mossberg/jeff-williams-apple-s-senior-vice-president-of-operations-has-been/) [Walt Mossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-mossberg/) > [The products I review are typically lent to me by their manufacturers for a few weeks or months. I return any products I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-mossberg/the-products-i-review-are-typically-lent-to-me-by-their-manufacturers/) [Walt Mossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-mossberg/) > [Who have I picked fights with over the years? Bill Gates. Google. Mark Zuckerberg. Even - despite everything that's written about my relationship with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-mossberg/who-have-i-picked-fights-with-over-the-years-bill-gates-google-mark/) [Walt Mossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-mossberg/) > [There are lots of reasons email persists, even as faster and simpler forms of communication proliferate and your personal communications likely have mostly migrated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-mossberg/there-are-lots-of-reasons-email-persists-even-as-faster-and-simpler/) [Walt Mossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-mossberg/) > [Big screens helped propel Samsung to top-tier prominence and helped iPhone sales explode a few years later. But for many, including myself, the biggest-screen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-mossberg/big-screens-helped-propel-samsung-to-top-tier-prominence-and-helped/) [Walt Mossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-mossberg/) > [Though it has plenty of competitors, Slack claims to be the 'fastest growing business application in history'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-mossberg/though-it-has-plenty-of-competitors-slack-claims-to-be-the-fastest/) [Walt Mossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-mossberg/) > [When I walk into a Best Buy, I now see, right from the front door, a giant Apple logo. I see a giant Samsung…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-mossberg/when-i-walk-into-a-best-buy-i-now-see-right-from-the-front-door-a/) [Walt Mossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-mossberg/) > [I try not to make snap judgments. I never, ever make conclusions about products I've never tried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-mossberg/i-try-not-to-make-snap-judgments-i-never-ever-make-conclusions-about/) [Walt Mossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-mossberg/) > [I believe that tablets - and especially the iPad - are extremely versatile and productive tools for consumers, schools and businesses and are better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-mossberg/i-believe-that-tablets-and-especially-the-ipad-are-extremely/) [Walt Mossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-mossberg/) > [It turns out that CVS is one of about 40 merchants in a consortium that formed in 2011 to develop their own mobile-phone-based payment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-mossberg/it-turns-out-that-cvs-is-one-of-about-40-merchants-in-a-consortium/) [Walt Mossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-mossberg/) [Explore all 115 Walt Mossberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-mossberg/) ## More Buying quotes > [To me, the beauty of a quilt or a dress lies within the stitches and the thought of the person who made them. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie/to-me-the-beauty-of-a-quilt-or-a-dress-lies-within-the-stitches-and/) [Natalie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie/) > [Look at music for what it's worth around the world and not just America. In other countries, people are still buying CDs and going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/look-at-music-for-what-it-s-worth-around-the-world-and-not-just/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [Corporations invest in sophisticated CRM, or Customer Relationship Management, programs to effectively oversee their relationship with their customers at every point during the buying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-ostrofsky/corporations-invest-in-sophisticated-crm-or-customer-relationship/) [Marc Ostrofsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-ostrofsky/) > [I'm being called in by all the great casting directors. It's no longer based on a headshot. I realize now what they're buying is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-gonzalez/i-m-being-called-in-by-all-the-great-casting-directors-it-s-no-longer/) [Nicholas Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-gonzalez/) > [Whether you are buying a car or casting a ballot, choosing a job or planning a family, follow your moral compass. Don't let others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-hayes/whether-you-are-buying-a-car-or-casting-a-ballot-choosing-a-job-or/) [Denis Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-hayes/) > [A hardback's harder at Christmas time because that's a good hardback buying time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/a-hardback-s-harder-at-christmas-time-because-that-s-a-good-hardback/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Truth is, people like buying things for $0.99 and $1.99 for their digital devices. We know that from iTunes. We know that from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lee/truth-is-people-like-buying-things-for-0-99-and-1-99-for-their/) [Jennifer Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lee/) > [There's a whole generation of women who never really heard the word investment before, when it came to fashion. They've been buying things because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kors/there-s-a-whole-generation-of-women-who-never-really-heard-the-word/) [Michael Kors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kors/) > [I think buying a home is the best investment that any individual can make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-paulson/i-think-buying-a-home-is-the-best-investment-that-any-individual-can/) [John Paulson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-paulson/) > [The more a prospective customer clicks on you and your stuff, the easier it is for them to make a buying decision in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-gitomer/the-more-a-prospective-customer-clicks-on-you-and-your-stuff-the/) [Jeffrey Gitomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-gitomer/) > [“If you have half a nothing - sell it for a double something, resell half at double-price, and buy another something and a half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-advise/if-you-have-half-a-nothing-sell-it-for-a-double-something-resell-half/) Will Advise > [Every kid looks forward to buying their first JanSport backpack for school - you know my kids did!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-buteau/every-kid-looks-forward-to-buying-their-first-jansport-backpack-for/) [Michelle Buteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-buteau/) > [What is the focus of the new image infrastructure? Attention. It's all designed for capturing, tracking, quantifying, manipulating, holding, buying, selling and controlling attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-mau/what-is-the-focus-of-the-new-image-infrastructure-attention-it-s-all/) [Bruce Mau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-mau/) > [It’s always going to be easy to live like others or other’s life, because creating or innovating something of own is always difficult in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anuj/it-s-always-going-to-be-easy-to-live-like-others-or-other-s-life/) [Anuj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anuj/) > [The truth is, if I was maybe better or funnier or prettier, wouldn't I have starred in a movie? I can see it objectively…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-greer/the-truth-is-if-i-was-maybe-better-or-funnier-or-prettier-wouldn-t-i/) [Judy Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-greer/) [Browse all 1,598 Buying quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buying/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People always worry that buying tech products today carries a risk of obsolescence. 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