WEBVTT - The ultimate guide to affordable technology pt 2 0:00:01.639 --> 0:00:03.880 Welcome to How Do They Afford That? The podcast that 0:00:03.920 --> 0:00:07.320 peaks into the financial lives of everyday Australians. I'm Michael Thompson. 0:00:07.360 --> 0:00:09.160 I'm a writer and the co host of the podcast 0:00:09.240 --> 0:00:11.920 Fear and Greed business News, and as always, I'm with 0:00:11.960 --> 0:00:15.120 Canna Campbell, financial planner and founder of Sugar mam A TV, 0:00:15.160 --> 0:00:18.520 the financial literacy platform that you will find on Instagram 0:00:18.560 --> 0:00:23.640 and threads and YouTube, podcast books, TikTok, keynote speeches and more. 0:00:23.680 --> 0:00:25.840 Hello, Canna, good morning, How are you. 0:00:26.000 --> 0:00:29.240 I'm going well? I'm very excited for today's episode because 0:00:29.280 --> 0:00:32.400 it is essentially part two of a two part series 0:00:32.560 --> 0:00:35.720 that we have done on affordable technology. If you haven't 0:00:36.000 --> 0:00:41.080 listened to the last episode, maybe stop now, just pause, 0:00:41.159 --> 0:00:43.160 hit pause, go back and listen to that one. Because 0:00:43.159 --> 0:00:47.320 we talked all about affordable mobile technology, mobile phones and 0:00:47.360 --> 0:00:51.159 wearable smart watches, all that kind of thing. We do 0:00:51.280 --> 0:00:54.160 not have the expertise between us, Canna, you and I. 0:00:54.160 --> 0:00:56.800 I think if we're talking about superannuation, we would be 0:00:56.840 --> 0:00:59.880 fine because we have you. If we're talking about in 0:01:00.680 --> 0:01:03.080 or financial advice or anything where we're okay. When it 0:01:03.080 --> 0:01:05.119 comes to technology, we need help. 0:01:05.319 --> 0:01:08.400 Considering I have anxiety about charging my phone and letting 0:01:08.400 --> 0:01:10.480 it sit there and charge my phone. We can definitely 0:01:10.600 --> 0:01:12.080 say we have n f I. 0:01:14.120 --> 0:01:18.560 Okay, all right, that's quite an extreme stuff. But we 0:01:18.600 --> 0:01:21.720 are joined in the studio once again by Stephen Fennick, 0:01:21.840 --> 0:01:25.640 one of Australia's top technology journalists, the editor of tech 0:01:25.680 --> 0:01:29.080 guide dot com dot au. Stephen, welcome back to how 0:01:29.080 --> 0:01:29.360 do they. 0:01:29.360 --> 0:01:31.560 Ford that great to be here? Here? You going? We 0:01:31.680 --> 0:01:32.480 are good? We are. 0:01:32.640 --> 0:01:34.559 I don't know whether Canna has any money left after 0:01:34.600 --> 0:01:38.640 the last episode. She missed out of the studio off 0:01:38.680 --> 0:01:40.840 to buy some new phones and a new new Apple 0:01:40.880 --> 0:01:43.080 Watch and all of these things. We need to cover 0:01:43.160 --> 0:01:48.200 some other tech today because TV shopping or computer shopping 0:01:48.240 --> 0:01:51.880 with me is an absolute nightmare because I do not 0:01:52.040 --> 0:01:55.600 know where to start. I walk into kind of a shop, 0:01:55.600 --> 0:01:58.240 whether it's kind of Harvey Norman or any one of those. 0:01:58.360 --> 0:02:00.280 I feel like any type of shopping with you would 0:02:00.320 --> 0:02:03.240 be a nightmare. Like I've seen what type of air 0:02:03.320 --> 0:02:08.280 fry you bought it. I was like, wow, I feels 0:02:08.280 --> 0:02:10.760 like just dominated your whole entire kitchens very bigger than 0:02:10.760 --> 0:02:11.200 your oven. 0:02:11.680 --> 0:02:13.320 It actually is, but we use it more than the 0:02:13.320 --> 0:02:14.280 oven now, so. 0:02:14.200 --> 0:02:15.560 It's always good advice from me. 0:02:16.320 --> 0:02:18.400 So you just criticized me, and then you take. 0:02:18.240 --> 0:02:20.519 The bread fry, not buy one the size of a 0:02:20.639 --> 0:02:21.800 mess to three. 0:02:21.919 --> 0:02:23.519 But when you've got kids and you need to cook 0:02:23.600 --> 0:02:26.280 like twenty nuggets at a time, you're going to need 0:02:26.320 --> 0:02:28.880 the bigger air fry. Anyway, That's that's kind of beside 0:02:28.880 --> 0:02:31.400 the point. What we are talking about here is if 0:02:31.400 --> 0:02:33.080 you go into a shop and you're looking at the 0:02:33.160 --> 0:02:37.359 wall of TVs, for instance, it is it is so 0:02:37.560 --> 0:02:40.040 easy to be overwhelmed and you kind of go straight 0:02:40.080 --> 0:02:42.240 to the brands that you know. You go to your Sony, 0:02:42.560 --> 0:02:44.040 or you go to your Samsung, or you go to 0:02:44.080 --> 0:02:47.000 your LG And how on earth are you comparing like 0:02:47.160 --> 0:02:49.680 for like and trying to decide what is value for money? 0:02:49.919 --> 0:02:52.840 And I feel like there is a risk of just 0:02:52.840 --> 0:02:55.600 being drawn to probably the more expensive one because you 0:02:55.639 --> 0:02:58.000 assume it costs more. Yep, it is going to be 0:02:58.040 --> 0:03:01.040 better quality, apparently we're starting with because it's just where 0:03:01.080 --> 0:03:01.480 I launched. 0:03:01.520 --> 0:03:03.880 Absolutely no. And I think when you consider a television, 0:03:03.919 --> 0:03:07.840 it's not something you buy often normally, like eight years 0:03:07.919 --> 0:03:10.919 normally people have their televisions for so you can imagine 0:03:11.080 --> 0:03:13.760 last time you bought a TV. It was eight years 0:03:13.840 --> 0:03:16.680 is a long time in technology. So they're out there 0:03:16.720 --> 0:03:19.959 looking at this whole new market of four K and 0:03:21.320 --> 0:03:23.960 quantum dot technology and all these for these things, these 0:03:23.960 --> 0:03:27.440 features that didn't exist for their other TV. So I 0:03:27.440 --> 0:03:29.960 think what what a customer needs to do is a 0:03:30.240 --> 0:03:32.920 look at the size they want. And we're going bigger 0:03:33.040 --> 0:03:35.440 TV sizes. It's go big or go home now where 0:03:35.480 --> 0:03:39.280 we're seventy five, eighty five, one hundred inch TVs we're buying. 0:03:40.120 --> 0:03:42.360 There is value in those still in those large sizes. 0:03:42.400 --> 0:03:43.800 Still, do you lose quality? 0:03:44.240 --> 0:03:47.360 You know you usually will. You can't not buy a 0:03:47.400 --> 0:03:49.520 four K TV. Every TV is four K. You can 0:03:49.560 --> 0:03:51.440 even buy an eight K TV if you wanted to 0:03:51.440 --> 0:03:54.400 spend the extra money. But four K is fine. So 0:03:54.440 --> 0:03:56.320 I think you just need to look for those factors, 0:03:56.320 --> 0:03:59.480 the size and obviously the brand as well, and where 0:03:59.480 --> 0:04:02.880 you're going to watch, the conditions as well on that where. 0:04:02.720 --> 0:04:05.040 You're going to watch it, and the size. And this 0:04:05.120 --> 0:04:07.280 is really we're getting off topic here, but I'm so 0:04:07.400 --> 0:04:10.520 curious about this. Is there some science behind how far 0:04:10.640 --> 0:04:12.640 back you need to be from a TV because you 0:04:12.680 --> 0:04:15.360 see kind of these eighty inch TVs one hundred inches 0:04:15.400 --> 0:04:18.080 and you're surely you must have a room that is 0:04:18.200 --> 0:04:19.960 so deep in order to be able to sit back 0:04:19.960 --> 0:04:21.360 and see it. Otherwise it's like sitting in the front 0:04:21.400 --> 0:04:21.960 rod of the cinema. 0:04:22.080 --> 0:04:25.520 Yeah, years ago, the formula was whatever the screen size is, 0:04:25.520 --> 0:04:27.840 you should sit two and a half times away from it. 0:04:28.400 --> 0:04:33.000 But that was an old formula because back with the HDTVs, 0:04:33.040 --> 0:04:35.279 if you sat too close you could see the pixels. 0:04:35.880 --> 0:04:38.599 So now with four K and eight K, I think 0:04:38.600 --> 0:04:40.440 that formulas sort of be thrown out the window a 0:04:40.440 --> 0:04:42.680 little bit. So maybe two times what the size of 0:04:42.680 --> 0:04:44.440 the TV is, even one and a half times what 0:04:44.520 --> 0:04:46.640 the size of the TV is, because even though you're 0:04:46.640 --> 0:04:49.080 sitting close, it's still going to be quite sharp and clear. 0:04:50.120 --> 0:04:52.840 And obviously size we're talking about size that affects the 0:04:52.880 --> 0:04:54.720 price too, So if the bigger the TV, the more 0:04:54.760 --> 0:04:58.160 it's going to cost. But it is a very competitive market. 0:04:58.320 --> 0:05:01.640 We're seeing obviously Samsung as the leader. You've got LG 0:05:01.680 --> 0:05:04.680 in the market as well. They also see that all 0:05:04.720 --> 0:05:07.839 these big brands have good, better, best options in TV. 0:05:07.960 --> 0:05:10.120 So you can buy the top of the line TV 0:05:10.240 --> 0:05:15.040 for twelve thousand, or the entry level TV two Triple nine. 0:05:15.320 --> 0:05:18.440 Can I put you on the spot here then and 0:05:18.560 --> 0:05:23.359 say we have a standard family which is that is 0:05:23.400 --> 0:05:26.799 not a thing, but just a normal family usage. Perhaps 0:05:26.839 --> 0:05:29.360 they watch it with watch some movies, watch a bit 0:05:29.400 --> 0:05:33.120 of sport, generally watching Netflix and things like this. What 0:05:33.680 --> 0:05:36.960 is and looking at the same medium size Let's say, 0:05:37.480 --> 0:05:40.479 what's an average size, say sixty sixty five inch? What 0:05:40.560 --> 0:05:44.479 would be the best value TV out there at the moment? 0:05:44.600 --> 0:05:48.880 I would have a look at either the Samsung Crystal UHD, 0:05:48.920 --> 0:05:50.919 which is kind of their entry level four K TVs 0:05:50.920 --> 0:05:53.880 which is still quite high quality, or also High Sense. 0:05:53.960 --> 0:05:57.400 High Sense in the last few years have really made 0:05:58.240 --> 0:06:02.200 a really huge urge in the market. They're a Chinese 0:06:02.200 --> 0:06:05.360 brand and they basically taking the place of Panasonic. Panasonic 0:06:05.440 --> 0:06:08.080 no longer sell TVs in Australia, so they've sort of 0:06:08.080 --> 0:06:09.680 become one of the what I call the Big four. 0:06:09.760 --> 0:06:13.480 So you've got your Samsung, Sony LG. High Sense has 0:06:13.520 --> 0:06:16.599 now become that fourth brand. So they offer a lot 0:06:16.600 --> 0:06:20.560 of value. So like inch inch to inch cost wise, 0:06:20.560 --> 0:06:22.440 I think you're getting a lot of value from High Sense. 0:06:22.720 --> 0:06:24.799 But other brands to look out for that also pretty 0:06:24.800 --> 0:06:29.560 aggressive companies like TCL tcls actually a display company. We 0:06:29.680 --> 0:06:31.760 mentioned with them in the previous show. They make phones 0:06:31.760 --> 0:06:34.120 as well, so they make screens from phone size to 0:06:34.200 --> 0:06:36.640 TV size. They offer a lot of value and the 0:06:36.640 --> 0:06:39.560 good thing with tcltvs is there the sound quality is 0:06:39.560 --> 0:06:41.080 also pretty good as well, so you don't have to 0:06:41.080 --> 0:06:44.160 buy a soundbar. The sound quality is all already built in, 0:06:44.680 --> 0:06:48.680 so that's an option. Also, I'm sure you've heard of Cogan. 0:06:48.880 --> 0:06:52.520 Cogan has been selling TVs online for many years, and 0:06:53.200 --> 0:06:56.080 the selling point for the lot of the Cogan TVs, 0:06:56.080 --> 0:06:57.479 and I think we were talking off here about this 0:06:57.600 --> 0:07:00.479 is that the panels in a Cogan TV aten made 0:07:00.520 --> 0:07:04.000 by Samsung, so you're getting a Samsung panel in a 0:07:04.080 --> 0:07:09.600 Cogan TV. Even Aldi sell their Born TVs. Those panels 0:07:09.640 --> 0:07:13.120 are often LG. Often they have the LG software running 0:07:13.160 --> 0:07:16.840 on board as well, so you can have the quality 0:07:17.440 --> 0:07:19.080 but have the value at the same time. 0:07:19.880 --> 0:07:22.640 This is my question, like about the white labeling, you know, 0:07:23.040 --> 0:07:26.760 you really buying a cheap TV that's really got like 0:07:26.800 --> 0:07:29.760 the sony of the Samsung or the LG technology behind it. 0:07:30.040 --> 0:07:32.600 Yeah, well it's it's I wrote a story years ago 0:07:32.720 --> 0:07:35.800 who actually made my TV? So which TV? Which panel. 0:07:35.800 --> 0:07:38.320 Am I looking at like a Sony O Lead TV? 0:07:38.440 --> 0:07:41.400 For example? That O Lead panel is made by LG. 0:07:42.120 --> 0:07:44.640 LG makes O Lead and they sell it to other brands. 0:07:45.120 --> 0:07:49.880 So if you each other, well it's they're just doing business. 0:07:49.920 --> 0:07:53.320 So I guess buying different parts and components. But here's 0:07:53.440 --> 0:07:54.600 here's if not. 0:07:54.640 --> 0:07:57.760 Quite the TV can tell that that can is trying 0:07:57.800 --> 0:07:59.440 to all TV is something. 0:07:59.200 --> 0:08:01.880 That's really important. Use it every day. We're streaming, we'red 0:08:01.960 --> 0:08:04.160 use watching sport, watching, and it's a lot of air 0:08:04.280 --> 0:08:07.720 entertainment on it. So the temptation is to buy a 0:08:07.760 --> 0:08:11.000 new television, but there are ways to turn an older 0:08:11.040 --> 0:08:14.200 TV into a smart TV with a product called the 0:08:14.280 --> 0:08:18.480 Google Chrome Cast. So if you spend ninety nine dollars, 0:08:19.000 --> 0:08:22.240 you can plug this into your TV and you then 0:08:22.320 --> 0:08:25.080 will are given an interface that then allows you to 0:08:25.120 --> 0:08:29.040 watch Netflix and all the streaming services. Because that's another 0:08:29.080 --> 0:08:31.440 reason why people upgrade is they want to have the 0:08:31.480 --> 0:08:34.560 streaming services. The TV's older and they think, I can't 0:08:34.559 --> 0:08:37.200 watch Netflix, I can't watch Paramount Plus, I can't watch 0:08:37.280 --> 0:08:40.840 nine Now. But they spend ninety nine bucks and that 0:08:40.920 --> 0:08:44.560 will turn that old TV into a smart TV. So 0:08:45.280 --> 0:08:47.640 rather than spending three thousand on new Teley that could 0:08:47.640 --> 0:08:49.839 be an option. Spend ninety nine dollars on a Google 0:08:49.920 --> 0:08:52.880 Chrome Cast and you've got all those streaming services right 0:08:52.880 --> 0:08:53.679 at your fingertips. 0:08:53.760 --> 0:08:58.040 Can I ask you a personal question, It's okay, we 0:08:58.080 --> 0:09:02.400 won't be talking about ear canals. My conspiracy theory with 0:09:02.400 --> 0:09:07.200 the television manufacturers. Where would you buy your technology? Like 0:09:07.240 --> 0:09:08.920 you've got to say, your moving house and you've got 0:09:08.920 --> 0:09:11.600 doing a whole new fit out. Is there a store 0:09:11.679 --> 0:09:13.400 of preference asking for a friend, of. 0:09:13.320 --> 0:09:17.120 Course, I think there's no real one place that you 0:09:17.200 --> 0:09:19.120 get the best deal. I think if you shop around, 0:09:19.160 --> 0:09:22.360 there's a lot of specials. JB. Harvey's, Bingley, you name them. 0:09:22.800 --> 0:09:27.440 They all compete on price. So I think, yeah, if 0:09:27.480 --> 0:09:29.720 you do your homework, all the catalogs always have all 0:09:29.760 --> 0:09:31.280 the TVs on the front of there because they know 0:09:31.320 --> 0:09:34.719 it's an item that they can move. Another tip too, 0:09:34.760 --> 0:09:39.240 would be normally obviously, like phones, TVs are updated every 0:09:39.320 --> 0:09:41.320 year as well, so the twenty twenty four models, of 0:09:41.360 --> 0:09:43.280 course are going to be the latest and greatest and 0:09:43.480 --> 0:09:47.560 more expensive. They often have a runout on last year's TVs. 0:09:47.840 --> 0:09:50.319 You can get a bargain on the twenty twenty three TV, 0:09:50.880 --> 0:09:53.880 so I would ask for that. They often advertise these 0:09:53.920 --> 0:09:56.640 runout sales where you get to save thousands of dollars. 0:09:57.120 --> 0:10:00.760 Last year's TV is still excellent. This year's TV newer 0:10:00.800 --> 0:10:02.960 and more expensive, So that's an option to save a 0:10:02.960 --> 0:10:03.680 bit of money as well. 0:10:03.720 --> 0:10:06.679 That is a great tip, all right. So summarizing TVs, 0:10:07.200 --> 0:10:09.040 the things that you need to consider when you're going 0:10:09.080 --> 0:10:12.319 in there are the size that you're looking for, what 0:10:12.360 --> 0:10:14.360 you're going to use it for, the location we're going 0:10:14.400 --> 0:10:16.160 to be watching it, the conditions that kind of thing. 0:10:16.960 --> 0:10:20.680 Then consider the brands and kind of Samsung as the leader, you. 0:10:20.679 --> 0:10:24.840 Said, Samsung, LG, Sony. Yeah. High Sense is another really 0:10:24.880 --> 0:10:27.000 sort of top tier brand that's doing offering a lot 0:10:27.000 --> 0:10:29.520 of value, sort of like inch inch per inch. I 0:10:29.520 --> 0:10:31.600 think the best value is High Sense of the moment. 0:10:32.080 --> 0:10:35.360 And then you get into the lower price bracket, which 0:10:35.400 --> 0:10:38.360 is say you're TCL and then even further. 0:10:39.920 --> 0:10:42.800 Aldi, which often have panels from that are made by 0:10:42.840 --> 0:10:45.760 Samsung and LG and all these other companies. So obviously, 0:10:45.800 --> 0:10:48.880 look I compare the value you get from Cogan and 0:10:49.200 --> 0:10:52.200 Borne and Aldi of those brands. People say to me, 0:10:52.280 --> 0:10:54.959 look what are they good? So well, look, if you 0:10:54.960 --> 0:10:57.959 want to buy Mercedes Bins, then that's the best experience 0:10:57.960 --> 0:10:59.880 if you want to drive, okay, but if you want 0:10:59.880 --> 0:11:02.600 to buy a Kia, you're gonna it's still gonna get 0:11:02.600 --> 0:11:05.000 you where you need to go, but it's going to 0:11:05.040 --> 0:11:07.280 be a lot cheaper. It's not might not be the quality, 0:11:07.400 --> 0:11:10.079 might not be as high and the but it's still 0:11:10.120 --> 0:11:12.040 going to do what you needed to do. So there 0:11:12.400 --> 0:11:14.480 is there's that thing to consider as well. 0:11:14.840 --> 0:11:17.920 And then I suppose the question with the Born TV 0:11:18.840 --> 0:11:21.360 is like, if it's got potentially an LG panel, is 0:11:21.400 --> 0:11:23.800 it like an LG TV or is it a born TV. 0:11:23.800 --> 0:11:25.680 It's really struggling with its born identity. 0:11:26.720 --> 0:11:29.040 Oh god, that was the worst. 0:11:29.080 --> 0:11:33.439 Head not bad, that was it. And I know you're 0:11:33.480 --> 0:11:35.800 a movie buff. I figured that I got it straight away. Mate. 0:11:35.840 --> 0:11:39.200 Yeah, you have one person who will appreciate this. It 0:11:39.240 --> 0:11:40.080 is Stephen Fennick. 0:11:40.320 --> 0:11:44.520 It is not camp most definitely not. And also for 0:11:44.640 --> 0:11:48.680 other you know, fifty five thousand listeners today, they won't 0:11:48.679 --> 0:11:49.360 appreciate any of that. 0:11:49.480 --> 0:11:52.680 I think everyone appreciates that. Let's move on from TV's 0:11:52.760 --> 0:11:57.160 and from excellent jokes. Let's go to it's just judging 0:11:57.200 --> 0:11:58.760 myself the computers. 0:11:58.920 --> 0:12:02.160 Yes, so I. 0:12:01.440 --> 0:12:04.080 Again, I don't mean to start everything with Apple. Yes 0:12:04.240 --> 0:12:07.800 we did last time. But I am an Apple user, 0:12:08.160 --> 0:12:10.520 and which I kind of go straight to the MacBook. 0:12:10.559 --> 0:12:12.200 I'm a Mac I'm a Mac user too. I've got 0:12:12.280 --> 0:12:14.880 I've got a Mac Studio as my desktop computer with 0:12:14.960 --> 0:12:17.800 an external monitor, and I've got a MacBook Air. 0:12:17.920 --> 0:12:21.160 At the moment, does does a computer come down to 0:12:21.240 --> 0:12:23.600 in terms of what you're going to spend on it? 0:12:23.640 --> 0:12:25.839 Does it all come down to what you need it for? 0:12:25.840 --> 0:12:28.679 For instance, if you if you need a computer for work, 0:12:28.760 --> 0:12:32.200 for design, for gaming, or something like that, I imagine 0:12:32.200 --> 0:12:34.400 the price that you pay is going to be dictated 0:12:34.440 --> 0:12:35.160 by what you need it for. 0:12:35.200 --> 0:12:37.160 Absolutely right, So if you buy if you want to, 0:12:37.240 --> 0:12:39.640 let's use gaming start with that. So you need for 0:12:39.679 --> 0:12:42.240 a game, you need a bigger screen to enjoy the game. 0:12:42.480 --> 0:12:45.040 You also need a faster processor to make sure that 0:12:45.080 --> 0:12:47.880 you're getting the best experience. So that puts that at 0:12:47.880 --> 0:12:51.960 a higher bracket. If you're a videographer or a photographer, 0:12:52.240 --> 0:12:56.760 a creative professional, then you would similarly need high processing power, 0:12:56.800 --> 0:12:59.600 bigger screen to do what you need to do. If 0:12:59.640 --> 0:13:02.000 you and I get this question a lot, if like 0:13:02.040 --> 0:13:03.760 I want to buy a laptop, my question is, well, 0:13:03.760 --> 0:13:05.000 what are you going to use it for? Oh, just 0:13:05.000 --> 0:13:08.960 to check email, browse the web, and often the a 0:13:09.000 --> 0:13:11.960 solution under a thousand dollars if it's a Windows computer, 0:13:12.400 --> 0:13:14.800 even under eight hundred dollars, you can buy a Lenovo, 0:13:14.840 --> 0:13:19.280 a hp Asa, Azeus. All these brands have sub thousand 0:13:19.360 --> 0:13:23.200 dollars laptops and we'll do exactly what you need them 0:13:23.240 --> 0:13:25.960 to do because there's not a lot of the processing powers. 0:13:26.000 --> 0:13:27.679 Not reed, you don't need a lot of processing power 0:13:27.720 --> 0:13:29.800 to browse the web and to check an email. But 0:13:29.840 --> 0:13:32.440 my other advice to a lot of customers looking to 0:13:32.440 --> 0:13:35.840 get a laptop is I think they should consider a 0:13:35.840 --> 0:13:38.800 tablet as the alternative. Oh yeah, so rather than buying 0:13:38.800 --> 0:13:42.160 a laptop, buy a tablet and attach a keyboard. Especially 0:13:42.160 --> 0:13:44.280 if you're only just going to browse the web checking emails, 0:13:44.320 --> 0:13:48.440 then why go to that spend extra money, but also 0:13:48.720 --> 0:13:52.640 go to the extra trouble of having a computer another computer? 0:13:52.880 --> 0:13:54.440 A tablet could often be the solution. 0:13:54.760 --> 0:13:56.599 I recently did that I need. It was about to 0:13:56.679 --> 0:13:58.640 upgrade my laptop and then I decided, no, I'm just 0:13:58.679 --> 0:14:01.640 going to a new tablet and it's changed my. 0:14:01.679 --> 0:14:04.520 Life, and it be quite a bit cheaper, can't they 0:14:04.600 --> 0:14:05.440 They can be cheaper. 0:14:05.480 --> 0:14:08.240 You can, like everything, you can spend thousands of dollars 0:14:08.280 --> 0:14:10.240 on a tablet like the latest iPad pro or the 0:14:10.320 --> 0:14:13.520 new Samsung tab s nine that you can spend as 0:14:13.600 --> 0:14:15.160 much as you want. But there are a lot of 0:14:15.200 --> 0:14:18.360 other brands like Samsung included Apple Apple iPad you can 0:14:18.400 --> 0:14:21.240 buy it for under six hundred bucks now. So it's 0:14:21.800 --> 0:14:25.480 there are alternatives to the laptop, especially if you you're 0:14:25.520 --> 0:14:27.200 only going to use it for pretty what to call 0:14:27.280 --> 0:14:30.600 casual usage. But again, if you if you're you didn't 0:14:30.600 --> 0:14:32.600 want to play games or you need that process in power, 0:14:32.640 --> 0:14:34.760 then you've got to consider the options of a bigger screen, 0:14:35.120 --> 0:14:38.440 half fast a processor. So that really determines the budget 0:14:38.600 --> 0:14:39.360 that you're playing in. 0:14:39.720 --> 0:14:44.160 And say you didn't really know what you needed. Is 0:14:44.200 --> 0:14:46.080 this the kind of thing that you could go into 0:14:46.400 --> 0:14:50.440 a shop, for instance, and talk to the salesperson and 0:14:50.560 --> 0:14:52.160 just say this is this is what I need. I 0:14:52.200 --> 0:14:53.920 was listening to how Today Afford that. I was listening 0:14:53.960 --> 0:14:56.880 to Steven Fanick, and he said, if I don't need 0:14:56.920 --> 0:14:58.360 it for gaming, if I don't need it for this, 0:14:58.640 --> 0:15:00.480 to look at this and they should be to help 0:15:00.520 --> 0:15:01.680 you absolutely. 0:15:02.680 --> 0:15:05.720 What's happened recently is the release of you know, AI 0:15:05.960 --> 0:15:08.720 is the buzzword everywhere now. So there's a new class 0:15:08.720 --> 0:15:12.600 of laptops called Copilot plus PC. So these are basically 0:15:12.720 --> 0:15:17.520 AI PCs and being new technology there, they're a bit 0:15:17.560 --> 0:15:20.880 on the expensive side. So now what's happened. The PC 0:15:21.120 --> 0:15:24.800 market now has two halves, Copilot plus PC and the 0:15:24.840 --> 0:15:28.560 non Copilot plus PC, which if the non Copilot plus 0:15:28.600 --> 0:15:32.440 now has created this much cheaper market of laptops, So 0:15:32.520 --> 0:15:36.840 there is the affordability now is even higher. If AI 0:15:37.040 --> 0:15:39.880 is something you don't want to use on the device, 0:15:40.240 --> 0:15:42.440 if you're happy to go off to chat GPT whenever 0:15:42.480 --> 0:15:46.000 you need your AI, then these cheaper laptops now there 0:15:46.120 --> 0:15:48.520 exist in the market. The retailers are happy that they've 0:15:48.560 --> 0:15:50.920 got a more expensive PC to sell with the Copilot 0:15:50.960 --> 0:15:54.240 plus PC. But now the non Copilot plus PC's they 0:15:54.240 --> 0:15:57.480 are normal laptops I call them. They've come right down 0:15:57.560 --> 0:15:57.960 in price. 0:15:58.680 --> 0:16:02.880 What about then, for say your zoom calls and things, 0:16:03.400 --> 0:16:05.400 you should be looking at the quality of the camera 0:16:05.520 --> 0:16:08.120 in there and the microphone that's built in. Are these 0:16:08.200 --> 0:16:10.080 the factors as well that you should be totally right. 0:16:10.160 --> 0:16:12.240 Yeah, there are a lot of the selling points now 0:16:12.440 --> 0:16:14.640 they know a lot of people work remotely, work from home, 0:16:14.720 --> 0:16:17.480 and that video conferencing is now part of your day, 0:16:17.600 --> 0:16:20.040 day to day workflow. And so there are a lot 0:16:20.040 --> 0:16:22.480 of brands that have cameras that have been optimized for 0:16:22.640 --> 0:16:25.600 you know, that are sensitive to light and can do 0:16:25.920 --> 0:16:29.680 noise cancelation and have all those features. So they're absolutely 0:16:29.760 --> 0:16:32.640 features that are even on entry level laptops. Now you'll 0:16:32.640 --> 0:16:34.720 see that those features taken into consideration. 0:16:35.240 --> 0:16:38.040 So really, I mean, you do not need to go 0:16:38.160 --> 0:16:41.920 for your top end Apple, your top end products if 0:16:41.960 --> 0:16:43.960 you are not necessarily going to be using all of 0:16:44.000 --> 0:16:46.000 the features and you don't need that amount of processing 0:16:46.000 --> 0:16:49.840 power that Lenovo HP potentially even a tablet with a 0:16:50.360 --> 0:16:54.240 keyboard kind of plugged into it. All these non copilt 0:16:54.240 --> 0:16:58.160 plus computers which are essentially you're older. 0:16:57.960 --> 0:17:01.160 Just your regular Windows eleven computers. Yeah, and even even 0:17:01.200 --> 0:17:03.040 the Mac. You talk about the MacBook Air like that's 0:17:03.080 --> 0:17:05.080 only you can get it I think for fifteen hundred 0:17:05.119 --> 0:17:07.359 bucks now, so that's the entry level on a Mac. 0:17:07.440 --> 0:17:11.040 On a MacBook Air has become a little bit more affordable. 0:17:11.280 --> 0:17:12.719 But again it's like the phone is you're either an 0:17:12.720 --> 0:17:16.680 iPhone user or an Android user. In this instance, you're 0:17:16.680 --> 0:17:19.440 either a Mac or a PC. And obviously PC eighty 0:17:19.440 --> 0:17:22.040 percent of the world's computers are run Windows, so a 0:17:22.040 --> 0:17:23.880 lot of more choices on the PC side. 0:17:24.600 --> 0:17:26.800 Where do you stand, Canna, Oh, I'm. 0:17:26.680 --> 0:17:30.720 An Apple, I'm Mac. Yes, everything in my life. Don't 0:17:30.800 --> 0:17:33.120 don't interrupt the flow, Okay, because me too. 0:17:33.359 --> 0:17:35.560 I've been a Mac user for thirty years. I've been 0:17:35.600 --> 0:17:40.639 a Mac user years. My first computer was the Apple 0:17:40.840 --> 0:17:44.480 LC two. I bought it in nineteen ninety two. You 0:17:44.560 --> 0:17:47.159 still had it, I don't know. I sold it to 0:17:47.160 --> 0:17:49.640 get my next one. 0:17:50.800 --> 0:17:52.399 That's the kind of thing that if he still had it, 0:17:52.400 --> 0:17:53.920 that would be well. 0:17:53.920 --> 0:17:56.520 It isn't a museum. There is a computer museum in 0:17:57.240 --> 0:17:59.600 San Francisco, in the in Silicon Valley. 0:17:59.600 --> 0:18:03.560 There interesting, that is amazing. All Right, we have covered computers, 0:18:03.920 --> 0:18:07.359 we have covered TVs. We'll take a quick break and 0:18:07.359 --> 0:18:10.479 we'll come back on something. Oh God, you've been just 0:18:10.560 --> 0:18:13.280 itching to discuss this, haven't you. We are talking about 0:18:14.000 --> 0:18:18.040 smart speakers, smart homes, all of the things that make 0:18:18.119 --> 0:18:21.919 your house schmick. Schmick was not the word I was 0:18:21.960 --> 0:18:23.320 going to use, but We're going to roll with it. 0:18:23.359 --> 0:18:25.400 We will come back in a second and discuss making 0:18:25.440 --> 0:18:36.360 your house Schmick Cana. We are talking affordable technology today. 0:18:36.480 --> 0:18:39.360 We have covered TVs, we have covered computers, and now 0:18:39.400 --> 0:18:43.880 we are getting into the part that really really excites you. Sound, 0:18:44.320 --> 0:18:47.959 sound and making your house just everything, just work when 0:18:48.000 --> 0:18:49.960 you need it too. We are joined in the studio 0:18:50.040 --> 0:18:52.720 today by Stephen Fannick, the editor of tech Guide dot 0:18:52.760 --> 0:18:55.800 com dot au, who knows I reckon more than any 0:18:56.280 --> 0:18:58.720 This is going to overstate it more than any human 0:18:58.760 --> 0:19:00.480 being alive about all ever. 0:19:01.119 --> 0:19:04.000 Wow, that's a big claim, but I try my best. 0:19:04.119 --> 0:19:08.160 Yes, well, you certainly no more than anyone in the studio, which, 0:19:08.160 --> 0:19:10.119 with Kata and I is a very low bar that 0:19:10.200 --> 0:19:13.800 you had to step over. Let's start with smart speakers, 0:19:14.200 --> 0:19:17.120 shall we, Because they were big. There was so much 0:19:17.320 --> 0:19:22.360 attention and so much excitement about around sound Alexa and 0:19:22.440 --> 0:19:26.560 your Google Assistant and all of these, and they don't 0:19:27.160 --> 0:19:29.639 Maybe this is wrong, but they don't seem to be 0:19:30.080 --> 0:19:34.760 as big in Australia, perhaps as they are elsewhere in 0:19:34.760 --> 0:19:37.479 the world, perhaps in the US. Are we going to 0:19:37.520 --> 0:19:38.440 get to that point. 0:19:38.680 --> 0:19:41.680