Continued/Ongoing Support: The Next Big Thing
a major concern in electronic purchases: will it be supported tomorrow?
I bought a humidifier less than 6 months ago, and now filters are near impossible to find.
I’ve had 2 DVD players last only 2 years each, one from Sony ($100) and a nicer one from Denon ($250, upscaling) – neither could be repaired for less than the cost of a new comparable unit.
Bluray? better get the PS3 – you know it’ll be updated.
iPhone: you know it’ll be updated, instead of the current “you want new features / bug fixes? buy the new model” crap everyone else is doing.
Will your next purchase have ongoing support for a reasonable time? …or will it become irrelevant immediately after purchase? Some things are destined to be quickly outdated, but many things could last a long time if only their creators cared about them beyond the point of purchase.