Back in the early days of law office technology, most managing partners hated buying replacement computers. They had already bought one computer for that user and it still worked, right? But, as lawyers began personally using computers, dealing with the spinning hourglass, the involuntary rebooting and other “features” of a computer well past its optimal lifespan made the life cycle of computers clearer to the lawyers.

But as much as we may like the improved speed and new features of the latest tech tool or gadget, we all hate the expense of replacing technology too frequently.

Brian X. Chen, lead consumer technology writer for The New York Times, has a new basic, but extremely helpful, feature How to Buy Tech That Lasts and Lasts. It contains some great tips.

You can combine reading this with another recent column from the same author, How to Make Your Tech Last Longer for a nice combination. (Yes, The New York Times only allows a limited number of free reads each month for nonsubscribers, so come back to this tip later if you need to.)