I'm not sure why, but I've been tempted by a lot of things lately. To clarify, I'm talking consumer items here, and it is mostly Apple's fault.
The IPod Shuffle
They released the iPod Shuffle with express intent of suckering me into the fold. They know I'm a fan of iTunes, they know I love gadgets, and they know the thought of paying a mere $99 or $150 entry fee (Depending on the model) looks like chump change compared to the $300 lb gorilla of an iPod which has been taunting me off and on for the past year and a half or so. The $250 iPod mini hasn't been entirely innocent in its attempts to seduce me either.
The problem is that I really want one for those times that portable entertainment is desired or the times where I want to listen to MP3s away from my computer. But usually if I'm not near my computer it is because I am in my car (which has a MP3 CD player already) or in class (which doesn't take kindly to people listening to music) or in some other social situation where it would not be appropriate. (Out to eat with family, Church, etc) The only times I figure that an iPod would get use out of me are the 10 - 15 minutes I spend walking from my car to class and vice-versa, and on plane rides. I know for a fact that I'll be on a plane to California soon, but past that there is no telling when the next time will be. I wish it was more economically feasible and time-away-from-school permitting to visit Meags in Canada more often, but I know THAT plane ride will unfortunately not be high enough frequency to justify the cost.
Yet the temptation is still there. The mini appeals to my cheap and "I can live with only 4GB" side, the standard iPod appeals to my "Get more bang for your buck" side. And now the Shuffle is on the scene to tempt me further. You see, when I listen to music it is always on shuffle anyways. I don't need a screen to browse through music as I know the songs in my collection by sound and rarely look them up. In other words, the shortcomings of the Shuffle are dangerously non-existant for me. Dangerous for my wallet that is. I don't need one, I want one. I hate you Apple for the conflict which has arisen in my heart thanks to your cheap-ish yet still stylish and easy to use hardware.
During the trip to Best Buy I mentioned in the last blog, I actually went to their portable music player section with the express intent of being tempted by the temptress trio. I knew the shuffle wouldn't be there, but the absense of the standard iPod and iPod mini was a bit of a shock. They only carried the new iPod photo which in no way shape or form tempts me, it is just a frivolous waste of money. I was a bit disappointed by their absense, but it was probably for the best, that was a day in which the chance of impulse buying was dangerously high.
The Mac Mini
The Mac Mini was also deviously designed with the Mike consumer in mind. The thing is just so darn small in size and price that it just tugs at that little heart string that wants to own a mac "just to mess around with." I know that it has very limited upgradeability, I know that I won't get a ton of use out of it, I know that I would mourn the loss of the $500 within the month of the purchase. Yet a piece of me still really wants to own one of these cute, affordible, unobtrusive computers. Thankfully this temptation is considerably less strong than that of the iPod, it is more cost prohibitive and I would use it with far less frequency than the iPod. The only way it would get use with any sort of frequency would be if I used it as a HTPC (Home Theater PC) which would be just silly, I'd be better off converting my XBox for that purpose.
The TiVo
TiVo has never stopped calling out to me since its untimely demise last April. It just sits in the living room, cold and lifeless, reminding me of its former glory. I don't think I would be tempted by TiVo if I had never used one, but unfortunately I have. Not only did I get a good few months of use out of it prior to its electrocution, but I bought my parents a TiVo that same Christmas they had given me one. They liked it so much my mom bought my dad a second TiVo for his birthday so they could have one in the bedroom and one upstairs. Now every time I go home I have a fresh reminder of what could be busy scheduling and recording my viewing whilst I do other things.
The back of my mind keeps telling me that for a mere $99 after rebate, plus a nominal monthly fee or a $300 lifetime fee I can return to former glories. I'm quite wary of the lifetime fee these days though, you never know when the product will have an extremely short lifetime thanks to certain evil repairmen. I never watch TV anymore, partly due to not having an interest in many shows which are on at the moment, partly because I liked viewing TV on my own schedule so much that I don't want to go back.
I think a huge cause of my absense from the TV also stems from Meags. Even when my TiVo first died, I didn't miss it as much as I would have without meeting her. I found myself enjoying conversations so much that the thought of TV and TiVo rarely entered the brain. This is the largest driving reason that I haven't re-aquired a TiVo. Anytime the temptation strikes I remember how little I missed the TiVo when it died due to prefering conversation with her, and how I still spend a huge chunk of my day talking to her, and I know I really don't need one. Actually, my parent's offered to replace it for me as a present for BDay/Christmas OR give me some extra money to help out with visiting Meags, I chose the latter.
The Dell 2001FP
The last consumer temptation that plagues me from time to time as of late is the Dell 2001FP flat panel LCD monitor. These things are just all kinds of nice. They have a great picture, can display at my preferred resolution, (1600x1200) and are more affordable than similar LCD monitors, particularly when combined with Delph-type discount offers. I'm just lucky I have two monitors which work just fine (A 20" flat screen CRT monitor and a 17" LCD which stays at 1024x768 res) or I would be a few hundred dollars poorer right now.
Those are all the pricey, techy, consumer temptations that I can think of which float around in my head from time to time - I'm staying strong and avoiding them for the forseeable future, but only time will tell if I give in!