- Daylight computers were a glimpse into slower, simpler computing.
- We are stuck in a relentless upgrade cycle.
- Computers have been good enough for years, but software has kept bogging them down.
What would happen if our phones and computers lasted as long as our washing machines and drills? Why wouldn't they?
Cell phones and tablets are essential to our daily lives, so they should be more reliable, more appliance-like and easier to use. We often have to deal with glitches that "paper-cut", or applications that suddenly change their entire purpose, and hardware that becomes inexplicably slower over time. Some manufacturers are embracing slow computing so that our products last longer and don't get stuck in relentless upgrade cycles. The Daylight tablet is the latest example, and while it's far from perfect, it points to the future.
"The main barriers to 'slow' computing are primarily cultural and economic. Consumers are indoctrinated to look for the latest features and fastest performance on the market. As a result, manufacturers have no choice but to keep innovating at the expense of to meet this demand at their own expense, 4Freedom Mobile CEO David Sinclair told Lifewire via email.
Our phones, tablets and laptops are in desperate need. They require active maintenance, whereas appliances do not. Constant app and software updates, constant charges, and ever-increasing security risks. In the meantime, most of us just want our phones and computers to keep doing what they do. Is Instagram really better today than it was before Facebook started chasing Snapchat and TikTok? Since Slack has 100 times the number of features you'll never use, is it easier or harder to use?
As users, we deal with this problem because we have no choice. Features are constantly being added to all phones, computers and popular software, although long-standing bugs are never fixed. We chalk it up to the price of progress. But is this really progress?
If you have an old iPad, phone, or laptop, you're probably familiar with this problem. It's slow, you can't install the latest versions of apps because developers no longer support older OS versions, and so on.
But why? View your current phone. It runs very fast. By some measures, the latest M4 iPad is Apple's fastest-selling computer ever. Macs are incredibly powerful and have batteries that last all day. But in a few years, this will also be slow. Not because computers are less powerful, but because software makers, including Apple itself, use all that idle capacity to increase bloat, just like adding lanes to a highway only brings more cars instead of reducing traffic congestion.
The next big jam in computing is artificial intelligence. Apart from artificial intelligence, there is little that can push current computers to their limits. Is this why all computer manufacturers are so hyped? Their ideas may not be clear, but artificial intelligence seems like the perfect way to make our current, super-powerful computers appear sluggish.
“While today’s phones and computers are adequate for everyday tasks, enterprises are pushing AI beyond basic functionality,” reade Taylor, cybersecurity expert and founder of Cyber Command, told Lifewire via email. “Achieving such advanced AI capabilities often requires Powerful hardware thus drives the market to frequently upgrade and update devices.”
Daylight computers are one answer to this problem. It's designed to be more ambient and be there when you need it. You can read it like a paper book in the sun. You can use the stylus to take notes and sketch. But it can also run apps like Spotify, Pocket, and Notion, and it can display videos. It can last for several days on a single charge.
The makers of Daylight pitch it as a wellness device, a way to avoid constantly using one screen and another. But by reducing computing to the essentials, Daylight shows a way to get out of the upgrade cycle. If we could find a way instead of chasing the latest version of everything, then we could keep using the same devices for years, just like any other device.
Sticking to your old phone, iPad, or laptop may seem like a good idea, and to a certain extent, it is. But if you stick with older software without updating, you won't get necessary security fixes.
Until manufacturers provide long-term support, repairs and parts for older equipment, we will always have this problem. When these manufacturers' business model is selling new hardware, the incentive to keep old hardware running is almost non-existent.
Answer? Buy used software where feasible, choose software that has been supported by small independent developers for a long time without chasing growth driven by investment capital, and try to wean yourself off dependence on new software. It's not easy, but it's worth it for your pocket, your environment, and your mind.
