This seems pretty important to crowdsource and talk about, so I’m gonna go ahead and risk violating the no politics rule from a few days ago, because I don’t see a better community to ask this. My defense for it not “being politics” is, I’m asking you to keep it to purchasing decisions and how the details of how the tariffs are likely to work, as opposed to who did what. This thread has the potential to save people lots of money if it gets big!
Tariffs are gonna make things more expensive for Americans; what are you planning on buying now instead of later, or stockpiling a little of?
My big thing is a new TV. We have a 46” LCD from 2009 that often refuses to fully power on. I’ve been dragging my feet on replacing it, just cuz I know the research is gonna be demoralizing, with how dystopian a lot of the “smart TVs” are. But now there’s some real time pressure, so I guess I have to.
Coincidentally, I was already planning on upgrading my personal dev machine (to an M4 Mac Mini) and my retro handheld (to a Retroid Pocket 5), as well as my first dip into XR glasses with the Viture Pro. So I’m kinda ahead of the game there.
I’ve been (im)patiently waiting for the next version of the Orange Pi 800, but if tariffs hit before then I’ll probably just skip it. Analogue 3D is also likely to exit my wish list.
I’ll probably move up the timeline on adding storage to my home server if I can afford to. And some microSD cards, since I seem to always need yet another one.
I’ve got a few friends who were looking at upgrading their PCs this year, so I’ll probably be helping them shop and seal the deal before things get weird.
I wouldn’t expect many outrageous Cyber Monday deals this year. Most mfgs probably wanna stretch their inventory so they can delay price increases and stay competitive. That said, there’s also bound to be companies that are poised to strike early because they have already de-China-fied their supply chains. But even they are bound to be cautious.
Tap for spoiler
Also, imo, this is why a “no politics” rule is dumb. Policy ends up changing people’s lives, and dealing with a change in your life — especially one that others are also experiencing — is a big reason why people post on communities like this. “Superficial shit only” is a fine strategy for a massive site that can stand to prune meaningful user engagement for the sake of keeping things family-friendly for advertisers, but since Lemmy is not Reddit, wtf are we doing?
Just don’t connect the Smart TV to the internet.
check out commercial “pro” TVs. these are typically used for digital signage. they’re usually more expensive, but have a longer warranty time plus, no smarts! I bought the Samsung BE55T-H from Amazon. I think it came with a 3 year mfg warranty and I got the 3 year Amazon warranty that kicks in after mfg runs out.
I mostly use it as a monitor, but it has HDMI and DTV as well. I’m not a picky viewer so keep that in mind, even if it’s not pixel perfect 4k, it’s good enough for my uses.