So far, a great year!
Wonderful and Very Happy New Year to You Kirk I have my health and wealth from the continuing run in the stock market. I hope you are just as happy and healthy!
Question/Thoughts for general comments from all:
So many times in semiconductor land we mark tops when too many say "it is different this time."
Well, here are some differences since 2000 that piss me off as a consumer but I love as an owner of semiconductor and capital equipment maker stocks.
- Software - aka BLOATWARE updates that make perfectly good devices nearly nonfunctional after a few years as their makers want to add more ways for you to "buy things" be it my DVR (wants it easier to watch extra paid for content) and my tablets and smart phones.
This means we have to buy new things and spend too much time learning what changed, just to get back the functionality we were happy with before the Farking upgrade!
- The move from desktop to laptops meant people dropped and broke their PCs more often. These days, many/most use their smart phone "phablets" to communicate with family, friends and customers AND they often drop them in the toilet or on the floor requiring more frequent replacement.
- Making a phone call is "virtually free" (with unlimited talk, text and data plans) on an incremental basis but I just upgraded a 2.5yr, $600 Galaxy S5 phone with a $600 Galaxy S8 phone. Very similar prices after the discounts and 2.5 yrs of time. The S5's battery swelled and did some cosmetic damage so a new battery should allow me to use the phone in the house as a remove or WiFi phone while I'll have more confidence the new one won't leak....
New phones have the batteries glued in and you can't replace them so this would just be land fill....
and
With traffic and congestion so bad, I don't want to be without Waze and the phone to make hands free calls while driving so I can use the time otherwise wasted.
and
The younger generation seems afraid to talk to people so they want to order their food with an ap....
So... We'll still have ups and downs in the cycles as you might buy a cheap phone if yours breaks when you are between jobs, but I don't think most, especially those younger than me, can go a day without being connected.... so they'll just buy a cheap phone on installments if forced.
Anything else to add to my list?
Everyone else, please feel free to add to my list. |
