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Oops! We are more careless with our phones when a newer model is nearing release, study finds

By Daniel Petrov

Updated: Dec 20, 2016, 6:27 AM

Apple

You know the drill - a newer model of your current phone nears release, and your handset of choice suddenly feels sad and useless. What to do given that you splurged so much money on it last year, and it still works perfectly fine? Well, researchers from the Columbia Business School recently plotted the amount of accidents with our phones prior to the new model release, and it turns out that they go up nearer to the event.

There is even a phrase coined for this phenomenon - the "upgrade effect" - and it seems to be valid for a lot of things, not only handsets. The authors also focused on the peak of the amount of iPhones reported lost when a fresher model is on the horizon.

Thus, it turns out that we may be subconsciously more careless with our oldie-but-goodies when a shinier thing is in store, and may be more prone to lose or drop them in order to justify a new purchase - you know, the "oops" factor.

source: Journal of Marketing Research via Mashable

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena from 2010 to 2025, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.