Opinion

On the pain of separation from personal devices

26.1.2021

Translation: Veronica Bielawski

When it comes to breakups, I’m the master of procrastination. No, I don’t mean human breakups. I mean machine breakups. My electrical devices are companions I don't like to lose – even when they’re already long gone.

I've had a new work laptop for just over a month now. Theoretically. I haven’t actually started using it yet. And that’s despite the fact that the battery in my HP EliteBook 840 G4 is bloated and I’m afraid the thing will explode beneath my hands any moment now. I kept bothering IT support about it and managed to bellyache my way to a new laptop. I got in touch with them time and again, explaining long and hard why my laptop-less situation was so unacceptable. And now it's just lying around. Sorry, IT support...

I even still have the sticky note with my name on it.

I’m really not trying to be difficult; I just really have a problem. A problem with parting from old devices. My last phone switch also included a transition period of about three months. Despite the fact that my old smartphone had a huge crack in the display and the camera had stopped working. As annoying as this kind of damage is, familiar operation is just such a comfort. And besides, my end devices and I have a shared history, a relationship with each other that I can't just neatly file away and forget about.

I know how to handle the device. I know all its idiosyncrasies. And this is the gear I’m supposed to be phasing out... I get so used to the problems that the workarounds turn from inconvenience to habit. Just like in a human relationship, I get to know the quirks of my electronic counterpart and learn to love them a little. I’m the only one who knows how to handle the device so it keeps working. And that’s exactly why I have such a hard time bidding it farewell.

On the left: the new EliteBook, steadily collecting dust. On the right: the old geezer, still in constant use.

Every change feels cold to me. I suddenly find myself pressing the wrong buttons on my new phone or laptop. The keyboard is different; typing is suddenly more difficult. The design is unfamiliar. Everything is tedious and sluggish. We’re not yet in sync as partners. It’s in these moments that nostalgia creeps in. I miss my old electronic buddy who served me so well for so long and had his own personality.

I carry this feeling with me for weeks until it suddenly just clicks. Just like in an arranged marriage: it’s love at second sight. We suddenly become close, my device and I, because it’s always by my side. I see its advantages, understand its essence. We platonically become closer and usually stay that way for a long time. Hopefully, this’ll also be the case with my new HP EliteBook 840 G7, which I’m finally putting into operation.

Notebooks

HP EliteBook 840 G7

14", 512 GB, 16 GB, CH, Intel Core i7-10710U

P.S.: As you’ve surely noticed as an attentive reader, I even procrastinate when staying within the same model series. Apart from all the romantic verbiage, maybe laziness also plays a small role... Just maybe.

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Carolin Teufelberger

Editor

carolin.teufelberger@digitecgalaxus.ch

My life in a nutshell? On a quest to broaden my horizon. I love discovering and learning new skills and I see a chance to experience something new in everything – be it travelling, reading, cooking, movies or DIY.

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