Worst Christmas Ever For Gadgets?

An anonymous reader writes, "CNet says this will be the most disappointing Christmas ever for gadget-lovers. The Playstation 3 is delayed across most of the world, the Zune MP3 player is cancelled for everyone outside the US, Vista won't be out for home users before the big day, and even Final Fantasy XII won't reach Europe in time. From the article: 'It's enough to make you slit your wrists with the shards of a smashed Christmas tree bauble... Santa fails to deliver on almost all of his Yuletide promises. Most of the major technologies that were supposed to be ready for purchase have been delayed until next year.' The writer goes on to suggest phrases to use over Christmas dinner when the offending companies' products are mentioned. To reduce the pain of a Zune-less party, he suggests remarking: 'Imagine the stability and usability of Windows migrated to an MP3 player. In short, imagine a small portable version of Hell.'"

Comments

Wii!

[skeib]

In one word - Wii!

Maybe it's time to go low tech

[locksmith101]

seems like it's high time for an unplugged Chistmas - how about we all go back a few years back in time and forget about all that never ending search for silly gadgets that have a life time span of 3 minutes...what ever happened to pets? to imagination? to communication skills?

Re:Maybe it's time to go low tech

[MustardMan]

Pets? Do you have any idea how many animals end up at shelters because some jackass thought "hey a puppy would make a cute christmas present"? Buying (or better yet, adopting) a pet should be an informed decision involving everyone in the household, not a surprise.

Re:Maybe it's time to go low tech

[Kadin2048]

Mod parent up; seriously.

Anyone who's thinking about getting somebody a puppy, or any other animal, as a surprise for Christmas ... do them, you, and not least of all the poor animal a favor and get them a Wii instead.

If you get tired of playing with a video game system, it just sits in the closet. Chances are, if people get tired of that puppy, it'll be sent to a shelter to be slaughtered.

Re:Maybe it's time to go low tech

[Fallon]

Probably the best present my parents ever got me and my brother was our cat, and later over the years hamsters, gerbils & guinea pigs. However they made an informed decision and planned for all the responsibility that went along with it. Pets help build immune systems in growing kids, don't ask me why, google it, there have been studies. It amazes me how much companionship, stress relief and quality of life improvement pets can bring to a family They also provide a good education on responsibility if the parents properly supervise the kids taking care of the pet.

But remember:

• Pets need constant attention. You can get away with leaving a cat home alone for a day, maybe 2, but dogs, especially some breeds need somebody around all the time. I've seen several neighbors leave their dogs alone all day only for them to spend the whole day howling for attention.
• Get your pet fixed, or be ready to deal with a lot of puppies/kittens/whatever
• Puppies and kittens are cute, dogs and cats aren't. Not only do you have to deal with "the new wearing off" like any other toy, but baby pets are always cuter and more adorable than when they grow up. Don't forget you'll be caring for this animal for upwards to 20 years (possibly longer than you'll be responsible for your kids)
• Make sure your pet is properly cared for. Kids can care for them at certain ages, but parents need to make sure everything is done right.
• Pets are messy. YOU or possibly your kids will be doing a lot of cleanup after them, especially dogs, and especially when they are young.
• Dogs in particular needs lots of training (cats not so much, they usually end up training you). Sit, Stay, No, etc. don't come naturally, it will take a lot of time and effort to get your dog to behave properly. And an untrained dog makes a very poor pet.
• Do some research on the breed or species of pet your going to get. Some are MUCH MUCH harder to train than others. Some may look cool, but just don't have good dispositions for being a pet.

If your unsure about your ability to care for a pet properly, don't do it. Start small if you need to, goldfish are about as low maintenance as you can get, if you or your kid can't keep one alive, the ASPCA would be after you if you got something furry and four legged. If you can handle a fish, then think about a hamster, they are cute, reasonably easy to care for, and not as longterm of a commitment as a cat or dog.

My wife and I are in Afghanistan for the year, and leaving our kitty was probably one of the harder things to do. However she is being well cared for by my in-laws who already had a couple cats that our kitty grew up with.

Not that upset, really...

[meringuoid]

The Playstation 3 is delayed across most of the world

I'd rather have a Wii.

the Zune MP3 player is cancelled for everyone outside the US

I'd rather have an iPod (if I wasn't perfectly happy with my Rockbox'd iRiver).

Vista won't be out for home users before the big day

I'd rather have a lobotomy.

and even Final Fantasy XII won't reach Europe in time.

Never mind that, when's Final Fantasy III coming out for DS?

Not many gadgets for the first Christmas

[Mostly a lurker]

this will be the most disappointing Christmas ever for gadget-lovers

Unless the archaeologists have missed something, there appear to have been precious few items available for gadget-lovers circa 5 AD.

Look at the bright side

[jawtheshark]

You can use that skeleton for a real nice case mod ;-)

No, I'm New Here

[New Here]

No, I'm New Here

Re:No, I'm New Here

[Impressively Nerdy]

No, I'm Impressively Nerdy. New Here is a friend of mine.

Re:In summary...

[91degrees]

One of them is a box, a couple are posters, one of them is a PS2 with the 2 crossed out and 3 scrawled on, and another is a PS2 taped to a PS1. The other 2 are imports.