I was talking to my fiance last night and she asked why there are new cars every year.  She meant what is the same car re-released every year as basically the same car with a new year in front of it.

If you think about it, this is really quite amazing.  The entire automotive industry is based around what year a car was produced.

Then I starting give this more thought and I wonder why computers aren’t the same way.  A computer lasts, or should last, roughly as long as most people keep a car.  That’s 3 to 5 years, give or take.

The customers that I have which adopted the 3 to 5 year rotation enjoy the least computer problems.  They are taking proactive measures to ensure that their business is always running smoothly and the rewards are massive.

It is, sometimes, very difficult for businesses to put a price on loss of productivity.  They don’t know what an hour of downtime costs them.  Or what an hour of downtime of just one person or a single department costs them.  However, they should spend the time and figure this out.  For most, the cost of a new computer every few years is one of the smallest expenses one could think of.  But costs are costs and it just isn’t viewed this way…yet.

So, to all the major computer manufacturers out there, here is my suggestion.  Start dating computers just like cars.  Right in the title.  Not only will you enjoy the same genius marketing benefits that automotive manufacturers have, but you will help solidify all aspects of the computer industry.

It’s a simple win-win.

Zachary M. Morvik