The real cost of your computer – it's not the price you paid

Fine. You got a great deal on the computer last week. For $1000, you got a bargain. But what is the “real” cost of your computer?

Got something on your PC but you can’t take your computer everywhere so move things to the web.

Since you can’t keep everything on the web, keep a copy on your PC.

Sorry. Since you can’t take your PC and you may not have web access everywhere, sync the data to your mobile device.

Since there is no guarantee anywhere, backup your data online somewhere.

Since mobile devices can’t carry a lot of data, use a Flash drive

Flash drives are dumb so use an U3 smart flash drive.

Since you need fast access to the internet, get a broadband connection.

Broadband was for the home computer but you need to access the net via your laptop. So get a wireless router.

You can do a lot with broadband and suddenly you realize that your computer needs more power – upgrade memory.

You realize that it is not just memory, you need other graphics cards – upgrade them

You realize that instead of upgrading in bits and pieces, you can just buy a new computer – there is a deal going on there so you buy a new computer

With that, ensure that you buy
1. Firewall
2. Anti Virus
3. Anti spam
4. Anti phishing
5. Access control

and several other “necessary” softwares

By the time you do this, there are new versions of software products that are available – so upgrade your computer.

When you upgrade some software, some other software on your computer may not work. So ensure that you have enough help or enough time to fix this.

I can go on. But here is my point. You can manage the technology or the technology can manage you. Most of the times, it looks like you are spending just $1000 on your computer and it is a steal. That is just the hard cost. The time you spend on the computer is the “real” investment and it is your job to get a “good return” on that investment. If you get carried away by the technology just because someone else is doing it, you may be losing more than gaining.