Technology
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What I am referring to is that for personal use an old PC or laptop can naturally be used, depending on what you intend to do with it, but in the professional field things change. A professional needs a device to match to be able to do their job well. Naturally, for most people a PC or laptop will suffice and they will use it until it stops working or where they replace the necessary components. I think the biggest problem is fewer laptops or PCs, which are normally used for a long time, before replacing them, the plague for the environment is the people who buy a new smartphone of the latest model every six months, despite the fact that the old one can still work for many years offering the same services as the new ones, which are mostly used the same for WhatsApp, CandyCrush and taking selfies.
Professional work don't necessarily means having the new shiny gadget. Computer have been used for creative works in all fields since decades.
Smartphones are also fashion goods, so there are indeed other logics at play.
Imo the issues with smartphones are their limited reparability and general fragility. Also if your phone is not supported by a custom os you're quickly stuck update wise.
I have just bought a new low-end smartphone, because the previous one has stopped working after almost 6 years, also low-end. Of course they are more fragile devices and more prone to theft, but having a little care can last several years.
Naturally, a Professional can also work for many years with the PC or laptop he uses, but it would certainly not be a low-end one and surely at the end of the device's life, he will not buy a used one. It's like in all professions, to do a good job you need good tools. For an individual, it does not matter how much your PC needs to render an image, but for a designer, who has to deliver the work to a fixed term, quality and time can be decisive.
Ho yes. My phone is almost 9 year old. But I feel it significantly more than my laptop. The only reason it's usable is because I don't have google services and the only resource heavy app I run are two messaging apps. (5 years ago google maps was already struggling)
I wonder the difference in environmental impact between a 300€ laptop and a 2500€ one. Btw, the only time I've worked with a graphic designer, she had a 9yo thinkpad and was running open source software.