Obsolete too soon

I heard a bit of news on the radio that shouldn't have been a surprise. A man had complained that his four year old Sony TV could no longer stream programmes from the BBC iPlayer. Apparently, Sony had decided that they weren't going to update the security software on his TV any more, and the BBC, not wanting to connect with a device that had become insecure, had cut off the TV's access to iPlayer. He was blaming the BBC, but actually it was Sony's decision not to support his TV any longer that was the root problem. He could still of course stream content from other providers - at least for now.

Fancy that. A four year old TV considered too old to be updated, and in effect made obsolete.

But then, it's an Internet-connected device like any other - like a phone or laptop or tablet - and if it's not going to get a security update, it clearly does become liable to progressive disconnection from online service providers. It happens with phones and laptops - you can't expect to use them indefinitely. There will come a time when the update plug is pulled. It may very well be that well before then, you'll have bought a newer, better device, not because you have to, but because you want to.

The thing about TVs, though, is that historically they have been things you get and then keep for quite a number of years. They were once items of furniture, in wooden cabinets! Now they are just large black plastic panels. But nevertheless expensive to buy, and if they are going to be deemed outmoded after only four years, it raises the question of whether they are worth buying.

That's what I'm asking myself.

The answer would be easy if I were a telly addict: yes, it would still be worth it, because I'd want the best TV experience I could afford. I'd be using it enough to justify a frequent replacement schedule.

But I don't watch much television. Nor do I stream films. I might contemplate spending £500 on a TV I can keep for six or seven years, but if the thing is going to be obsolete in half that time it would seem to be rather a poor use of money. Particularly when I could do all my watching on the laptop.

A timely warning then. Replacing my elderly TV from 2008 has now slipped further down my priority list!

I suppose that when 5G finally comes to my village, and all devices in the home can join the 'Internet of Things', it will be usual to replace every device in the house at short intervals. Cooker, washing machine, heater, fridge, freezer, the lot. What a palaver that will be.

It makes you think that it might be wise to hang onto anything that works well, and doesn't have to be connected to the Internet. I'm so glad, for instance, that I still have my eleven-year-old-camera! It needs no updates, and can't be got at by malware, nor can Google or anyone else see what pictures I take, nor track me from spot to spot.