Topic: New Device Desirable, Old Device Undesirable

[Ghandi]

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/new_device_desirable_old_device

SEATTLE—With the holiday shopping season officially under way, millions of consumers proceeded to their nearest commercial centers this week in hopes of acquiring the latest, and therefore most desirable, personal device.

"The new device is an improvement over the old device, making it more attractive for purchase by all Americans," said Thomas Wakefield, a spokesperson for the large conglomerate that manufactures the new device. "The old device is no longer sufficient. Consumers should no longer have any use or longing for the old device."

Added Wakefield, "The new device will retail for $395."

Able to remain operational for longer periods of time and occupy a demonstrably smaller three-dimensional space, the new device is so advanced when compared to the old device that it makes the old device appear much older than it actually is. However, the new device is reportedly not so radically different as to cause confusion or unwanted anxiety among those familiar with the feel of the old device.

"Its higher price indicates to me that it is superior, and that not everyone will be able to afford it, which only makes me want to possess it more," said Tim Sturges, owner of the old device, which he obtained 18 months ago when it was still the new device. "I feel a strong urge to purchase the new device. Owning the new device will please me and improve my daily life."

"It's difficult to remember how I ever found enjoyment in my old device," Sturges continued. "It is no longer appealing to the eye."

In addition to aesthetic and technological enhancements, manufacturers claim the new device comes equipped with a wide range of desirable features, including fewer buttons for pressing down and holding; a new wire for connecting to larger, less-portable devices; and fewer device-related errors and frustrations.

The new device will also be available in blue.

"Not only will I be able to perform tasks faster than before, but my new device will also inform those around me that I am a successful individual who is up on the latest trends," said Rebecca Hodge, whose executive job allowed her to line up for several hours in the middle of the day in order to obtain the previously unavailable item. "Its attractiveness and considerable value are, by extension, my attractiveness and considerable value."

Consumer Robert Larson agreed.

"I'm going to take my new device wherever I go," said Larson, holding the expensive item directly in the eyeline of several reporters. "That way no one on the street, inside the elevator, or at my place of business will ever mistake me for the sort of individual who does not own the new device."

Added Larson, "The new device brings me satisfaction."

Despite the visible excitement among most consumers, some claimed to be exercising caution, choosing instead to sit back and wait for a newer version of the new device to be released before making a purchase.

"True, it appeals to my most basic insecurities, but this new device will ultimately be replaced by a newer device, rendering it completely undesirable and utterly repellent to my personal tastes," device-enthusiast Ryan Janosch said. "Also, I should start saving my money for the next latest device, which will replace the newer new device a couple months after that."

And so ends decades of tech discussion.

[MysterD]

Damn IPods and IPhones...

[Ghandi]

A counterargument....

Well put.

[idolminds]

Shit, I need to buy me one of those. My old device is a piece of crap.

[Quemaqua]

It's amazing just how much Old Device™ I've acquired over the years, and I still put most of it to good use.  My Pocket PC?  It's like 8 to 10 years old, yet it's serving fantastically as a Japanese flashcard device.  Most people wouldn't know the value of what they own if all of it magically turned into dancing money every night.

[Ghandi]

The new device will also be available in blue.

The reason I love The Onion....

[iPPi]

So true, so true.

[Cobra951]

The perfect template for years and devices to come.  Just edit the few relevant general terms with specifics, and you've got your spot-on press release.

That's too true to be funny, but it is perfect satire.  Gotta love The Onion.

[gpw11]

I was listening to an interview with how the Onion works, and it's actually pretty interesting.  A lot of the time they pay contributers to just submit headlines; like a certain amount a month. The pick however many to run; some just as headlines, some as full stories.  They then get another contributer to write the story for the selected ones.  I have no idea why they split it up like that, or if they do it like that all the time, but I guess it works.

[idolminds]

Its much easier to come up with a funny headline than it would be to write the article to go with it. So it makes sense to take a lot of ideas for headlines and leave the more difficult article content to someone that can handle it.

[Ghandi]

I've heard something along those lines before.Wikipedia states that there is a core group of writers and no unsolicited freelance writers. So I'm assuming they have a group people outside of the writing staff that comes up with article ideas.

In order for The Onion to function as hilariously as it does, you need 100 times the amount ideas that you actually use, which takes a lot of brains.

[gpw11]

Yeah.  The interview was with some comedian who does it.  Every month/week/whatever, he has to fire off so many headlines.  He went off on a tangent on how he gets some of them done and feels bad if they get picked to be backed up with a story because it would be such a bitch to write.  He also said the publishing rate is like 1 in 20 or 30 submissions.