I wrote recently about the concerns I have for small agencies and freelancers and how they’re going to cope with the way testing websites is changing and the associated cost of buying hardware.
It certainly struck a chord with many (although I was surprised at the 24%) and while my initial idea was simply a “throw it out there and see if it’s useful” type post, I was spurred on by both the interest and discussion on Twitter and also a need for myself as an occasional freelancer and Offroadcode as a small agency who don’t have bottomless pockets for buying and maintaining a suite of hardware.
There were two main issues with testing responsive websites that I wanted to try and at least make a dent in:
- Cost
- Upgrades/maintaining a relevant set of hardware
Neither are easy to get around, simply, they are what they are.
Cost will come down as new hardware depreciates in value but frankly looking at the iPad 1 still selling for around £250-£300 on eBay you’re not going to be able to wait it out and investing in even a modest test suite you’re going to be spending a lot.
Weaknesses in my initial suggestions
Cost – discounts may not actually be feasible
With these two restrictions in mind, I thought there was perhaps some scope for second hand phone companies and designers to “team up” and look at the option of bundles as outlined in my previous post but having spent some time speaking with Stewart at Freedom Mobiles who was kind enough to give me more of an insight into the extremely tight margins and hardware depreciation it would appear any sort of bundle deal with second hand providers that went beyond a 5% discount mark would put the mobile sellers into the red which is a tighter margin than anticipated but I must admit not entirely surprising.
Still, if you’re considering buying a couple of devices, you are going to be stretching into a few hundred pounds at least (and in the UK where we’re in the middle of a horrific recession) and you’ve got some cash available, phone up these companies and be cheeky, tell them you want a couple of phones and ask for a discount. The worst that can happen is you’d pay the price you were going to anyway.
Technology becoming obsolete
There is certainly an argument about the technology becoming obsolete after you’ve invested in it.
Don’t worry, you now have a real sense of how every user who can’t afford a new iPhone every time one comes out.
Many people are on 24 month contracts now and while the phones you buy today will inevitably be superseded, they’re still entirely relevant test devices.
You’ll almost certainly be able to sell them back to a second hand phone company and even if it’s only for a few pounds, it’s better than a kick in the teeth.
There is some good news!
Obviously at this stage it sounds a bit like doom and gloom, however, two good suggestions did come from the initial post which I’m following up:
- Rental options
- Local designers/media centres pooling resources
Rental seems a viable possibility
One of the problems above is that owning a phone that could be “outdated” quickly is a considered purchase. I don’t know if I speak for everyone but from personal experience and work at the moment, I don’t need a box full of devices within reach at all times. It would be nice of course and a benefit but if cost were a massive issue then the option of renting for a week/fortnight/month etc would be attractive.
It would negate the issue of buying specific hardware if you could pick and choose devices according to needs and not being burdened by paying out to own the devices would be a big plus.
Pooled local resources
I’m going to be discussing this very soon with the Media Centre in Huddersfield who kindly offered to have a chat about options so I’ll update on how that goes but it would be a nice additional service for a media centre to invest in a testing suite of some sort if they have enough clients and local designers/developers to make it a reasonable investment.
I believe there are a few groups out there who pool resources, I’d love to hear more about your setups if you want to pass on any insights.