This week’s Intentional Tech comes with a challenge. As the cost of living soars ever higher, we all have to think that little bit harder about upgrading our tech - luckily it doesn’t have to be a lose-lose scenario. How much could you save by letting go unused possessions or subscriptions this October?
In today’s issue:
Time to out-grade
When to upgrade
Apple’s productivity superpower
Time to out-grade
It’s pretty tough being a small tech creator during a cost of living crisis. For the past year, I’ve been working towards a point whereby I could review the new MacBook Air upon release but despite Intentional Tech starting to generate some revenue, the £1,249 price tag didn’t feel worth the investment. Especially when the tech review space has become so ‘hotly contested’ in recent months.
Instead, I’ve turned my eye towards the older tech that I already own and thought really hard about what I actually use on a regular basis. What I’ve discovered is that lots of consumer tech has retained its value very well, especially at a time when people can’t necessarily afford the latest upgrades. Selling just 10 items on eBay, I’ve managed to raise almost £650 which is huge in the current climate, plus it has the added bonus of making space around the house.
Instead of constantly looking for the latest new product, I think many of us should be more intentional about maximising what we have available and letting go of the things we don’t need. This is especially true of subscription services and other hidden costs that are clogging up our lives and preventing us from concentrating on the things that matter.
So here’s my challenge to you: take a look around your room and price check a couple of items on eBay. Maybe now is the right time to out-grade?
When to upgrade
If you do really want to upgrade something in the near future, check out this video, in which talked through my thought process in upgrading my camera. It didn’t get too much traction but I still think it offers a great framework when helping you decide whether to upgrade just about anything.
Check the video out and let me know if there are any more topics you’d like to cover!
Apple’s productivity superpower
Being a new father, train journeys really are the only time that I get to write at length. It’s definitely slowed down my output on both this newsletter and on YouTube. However, I recently discovered a new superpower that has gotten me back on track - dictation.
In the same way that podcasts are a brilliant media format for anyone with perpetually full hands, the ability to dictate speech to tech across the Apple ecosystem is a fantastic productivity tool. Whether it’s a passing thought or a full on stream of consciousness, simply getting something down that can be edited in a word document later on is immensely valuable.Â
On any Apple device, as long as you have dictation turned on in the settings, you’ll be able to turn speech into text wherever you can type. If you’re new to dictation or have a strong regional accent, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how accurately it works and in iOS 16, Apple has made considerable improvements to things like punctuation and grammar. It’s fascinating to watch the AI go back on itself to adjust what it’s written in the context of a full sentence.Â
However, if you really have your hands full I can’t recommend an app called Just Press Record highly enough. You can record voice memos via your Apple Watch or iPhone and transcribe automatically onto your iPad. The text you get back is often fairly garbled in places and not broken out into paragraphs but if you’re in a pinch it’s better than not creating anything at all. I’m also finding that especially for video scripts, my tone is much more conversational and authentic when I’ve recorded it as audio first.
Just Press Record is a paid app and unfortunately, if you want to get the MacOS version you will have to buy it there again - especially frustrating as this version of the app can’t yet transcribe. However, if you’ve got an Apple Watch I see it as an essential purchase for anyone who wants to get more done.Â
As always, thanks for reading! Please do reach out with any thoughts or ideas on what you’d like me to cover in the next issue!