Skeet, I concede that if the cost is substantially more than the benefit is worth, no matter how much one enjoys the extra speed, it would not meet an objective standard of cost-effectiveness.
For me, however, productivity is the name of the game. My HP Laserjet 4000 costs about $1200 street. It prints 17 pages a minute. If someone only prints a letter or two or three, it's a waste of money. For me, it may mean the difference between being able to file a brief before the clerk's office closes, or not. I can print multiple copies of a brief faster than I can copy them, grab the stack and run to the courthouse, signing and stapling as I go. So, it's worth it. Similarly, I can fax the brief to all concerned by using the fax capability in WP for Windows 8.0, which I could not do using DOS, and took forever in WP for Windows 6.1, but I need a pentium or equivalent to do it, and lots of RAM. The capability improves my productivity. Similar comments for Quickbooks and Turbotax.
Whether I need a 10 gig hard drive vs. 500 meg, or a 400 mHz PentiumII vs. P133, I don't know. I don't have a MIS staff, I am the chief cook and bottle washer, maybe I have more than I need, but they keep writing better programs, and I keep buying them, and I am absolutely delighted.
CobaltBlue |
