The Update Obsession

People are always complaining about the constant stream of Facebook updates. It does often feel like by the time we finally get used to a new app there's another one right behind it that completely throws us again. 

Apple doesn't update as frequently, but when they do the change are usually even more extensive. I haven't decided yet if I prefer the non-stop little updates or the occasional massive update. I've got to say though, that today's iPhone update has got me absolutely fuming. 

I saw an update in my "settings" icon so I went for it. After about 30 minutes it was done resetting so I started poking through my phone and realized it was a complete remodel of the iPhone formatting and user experience. I plugged into my MacBook Pro to back up my phone to iTunes to make sure I didn't lose anything. 

An alert popped up saying I needed to update to iTunes 11.1 before I could sync my iPhone. I went to the iTunes website and downloaded the update. When I tried to apply the update, another alert popped up saying the update requires OS X version 10.6.8 or above. My laptop came with 10.5.8. 

I did a quick Google search to poke through help forums and discovered that I need to either purchase Snow Leopard and install it on my laptop, or buy a newer Macbook. Until I do that I won't be able to update my phone from my iTunes.

You can purchase online, but there's all this talk about Leopard versus Snow Leopard, Lion version Mountain Lion, and I'm just not sure where I'm at currently or where I need to be, since most of this stuff came out after I bought my laptop... which wasn't even five years ago - geesh - but that's a century in computer years. 

Trickery, I tell you, this obsession with updates; this lack of forewarning before updates come through or explanation of what they will include. I would be more inclined to buy the necessary upgrades or better yet a newer Macbook, but considering every iPhone I've ever owned has been riddled with manufacturer problems and my laptop has had three, yes three, batteries explode, yes explode, I'm really just not in the mood to give Apple any money today.

Currently I'm operating off of a wall charging MacBook Pro sans exploded battery, and an iPhone 4 with a button that sticks so frequently I have to smack the back of my phone into the palm of my hand repeatedly before each use. 

Technology and Change

It is undeniable that I'm heavily dependent on online services, everything from social sites like Facebook and online portfolios like Flickr to file sharing with Dropbox and downloading with iTunes. 

Last week I attended a brunch hosted by the Network of Executive Women and heard speaker Edie Weiner, who emphasized the shift from relationship based business to technology based business. I agree that the value in getting to know one's partners and clients on a personal level has decreased as computers are rapidly becoming our main form of communication and business process. Personnel turnover is far more rapid than it was for previous generations of professionals. However, the turnover in technology is frustratingly rapid as well. 

When I was in college, everyone used MySpace, until there was a shift toward Facebook. Twitter exploded, followed by Instagram, which was recently purchased by Facebook. Kodak Gallery was just sold to Shutterfly; and the list goes on. It is hard to be dependent on web-based services that are ever changing, evolving, selling, and merging. Thankfully, these kinds of transitions have only affected web-based services tied to me on a level of social interaction and convenience, and my professional life has remained relatively unaffected. I wonder, though, what is coming down the pipeline that might completely change workplace staples like Microsoft Outlook and Excel, or the way we utilize conference call services and engage in business travel.

I'm going to take Edie Weiner's advice and begin to regularly look at my business with "alien" eyes, being open to shifting the way I engage in my business. It is crucial to stay at the forefront of my industry rather than allow "the way we've always done things" to prohibit my company from anticipating inevitable changes.