4 Illusions not to fall for

As technology advances and advances, consumers are falling for more and more illusions. Here are four big ones to avoid:

1. Get a Mac for college/work. After all, you'll be using it a lot, so why not get the best?

Sure, you will be using your computer a lot, and Macs are nice, but you still shouldn't fall for this. First, Windows 7 is almost as good as Mac OS X Snow Leopard. Second, just because you'll be using your computer more, it doesn't mean that you'll need a better one. You'll only need a better one if you're doing more difficult tasks.

2. Getting a cell phone is a deal.

Okay, some cell phones have nice cameras and keyboards, maybe even a small touchscreen. But for less than $75 more, you could get access to hundreds of thousands of apps, an amazing platform for scheduling, email, web browsing, productivity and more, a very nice camera as well as access to a music store. Talk about deals.

3. I'm already getting a car that costs $25,000, why don't I just get this nice feature for $500? It's nothing compared to the price of the car...

Too many people add too many features to their car, because they think it isn't a lot compared to the price of their car. We must stop comparing extra features to the price of the car. For example, when considering a $1,200 package, think about whether you'd rather have it or a new MacBook Pro.

4. I need a lot of memory!

A lot of people go ahead and buy fancy 8GB flash drives, because they think they have a lot of documents to store on it. I have a lot of documents and files on my USB drive, and I've only used 0.3 GB. On my iPod Touch, I've only used 1.6 GB, and I have 90 apps. A 4 minute song takes only 0.004 GB!

Why we don't need such fancy computers.

If the processor is faster and it's got more RAM, the computer is better, right? Well, for most people (excluding scientists, video editors, or other people that have jobs requiring powerful computer tasks), that's incorrect. For normal buisness (internet browsing/research, word processing) you don't need anything better than a Core 2 Duo or Pentium Dual-Core processor, and 2GB of RAM. It's natrual to say that I'm incorrect. However, studies have shown that 8GB of RAM really has a small difference over 4GB of RAM for normal tasks. Oh yeah, and it costs an extra 200 dollars. And unless you're a hard-core gamer, scientist, or video editor, a Core 2 Duo processor is really all you need. So then why would you get a fancy computer? The only good reason, in my opinion, is if it is a Mac. That's not because they have insane i7 processors with 16GB of RAM (which they don't, except for the Mac Pro), but because they have a better OS, better software, and better hardware. They're even virus-proof, and the Mac Mini compact desktop starts at only $699, a good deal for a Mac, while the MacBook is just $999, an incredible deal for a Mac laptop. Both of those give you what you need; a 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo, 2GB of RAM, and other reasonalbe specs. And though a PC's OS, software and hardware are not as well developed as a Mac's, a PC with similar specs to the Mac Mini could be found for under 500 dollars. The computer I use has a 1.9 GHz Celeron processor and 1GB of RAM, and though it is slow, it really isn't that bad.

Consumerism: Buying what we don't need.

The other day I was trying to persuade my mom into buying a minivan when our old Camry dies, and she said something very interesting: "We only have five people in the family! Why do we need seven seats?" That's called consumerism. Buying what you don't need. Which everyone does, with the exception of my mom. She certainly had a point. We don't need 7 seats. Obviously though, it is much more fun to ride in a minivan than a little sedan. Minivans are also typically fancier than sedans. So this type of consumerism would be understandable. But I have more to say. The other day I noticed that my music teacher, who has had an iPhone 3GS for almost a year now has no apps. Zero. That just blew me away. What's the point of an iPhone if you don't have any apps? That's an even better example of consumerism. He could've bought a phone with half the price, and half the monthly fees that does all that he needs his iPhone for almost as well as his iPhone- probably with even faster typing. So why did he get the iPhone? I'm not really sure. Maybe it was brand name. Maybe he didn't know about other phones. Maybe he thought he would use the apps. If you could tell me why you think he bought the iPhone, do tell me in the comments!