Ron Erickson

Ron Erickson: Fifteen years ago, amid the launch of Windows 95, I suggested that consumers take a break from new technologies and simply avoid upgrading. That suggestion appeared in The New York Times in August 1995 in an OpEd that addressed questions about the excitement over the new operating system and the hyperbole surrounding its launch.

Now, fifteen years later, I have just booted up my new iPhone 4 and thus have cause to reflect on those distant sentiments and how relevant they are today.

My iPhone 3G worked fairly well. I had it for two years. It was inferior to my Blackberry for email. It was inferior to my Motorola Razr for cell phone calls. I liked the iPhone apps and it carried my tunes. All in all, it managed to be a pretty good compromise. However, as I traveled in various cities across the country, including Seattle, I dropped calls with more and more frequency.

So, I got a new iPhone 4. My wife has one. She thoughtfully bought one for me.

I immediately got a cover so I didn't touch the antenna danger zone. But that doesn’t seem to matter. I constantly drop calls with the new phone.

So, the other day, I went to the AT&T store and they gave me a new SIM card in hopes that would cure the dropped call problem. No such luck.

The most maddening thing: For the past two years, I made calls with my iPhone 3G from my home office with no problems. Now, with the iPhone 4, it is like a dead zone. Ridiculous!

Upon reflection, much of what I wrote fifteen years ago about avoiding technology upgrades holds true today.

We use a very small portion of the technology that sits in front of us on our desk or the technology that we hold in our hand. The transition to the latest version is typically a problematic time sink. Why else would I hold on to my XP operating system avoiding Vista and eye Windows 7 cautiously?

And now I am about ready to throw my iPhone 4 in Puget Sound as I cross over to Bainbridge on the ferry.

The New York Times published a piece last week that spoke to the overload that comes from ubiquitous digital devices.

Fifteen years ago I suggested that we need to take a time out. A vacation from tech upgrades.

With the proliferation of new devices, a stronger case can even be made today for taking a break. We need to figure out how to use what we have and consider whether or not "the new, new thing" makes us more productive and useful human beings.

By the way, the Waterman fountain pen I used to write that OpEd piece fifteen years ago still works wonderfully well.

Ron Erickson is the former chairman of Egghead Software, eCharge and Blue Frog Media. Opinions expressed in guest posts are those of the author and don't necessarily reflect the views of TechFlash.