Do you suffer from “Hourglass Syndrome“?
That’s what computer chip manufacturer Intel has called the stress that waiting on slow computers to do their work causes. Sure, it seems to be entirely a marketing gimmick, as Intel is focused on upselling to newer and faster computer chips – but there does appear to be some basis in fact as a general observation. Who could blame Intel for taking advantage of the situation for their own profit and gain?
Intel surveyed over 1000 high school and college students on their level of anxiety as they waited on computer processes.
- 55% of the high-school students said they were stressed while waiting, and the number increased to more than 60% of college students.
In a different study of over 2000 participants, 41 percent of adults said they were stressed by waiting for the computer to catch up.
Some of the other findings include:
- 80% of US adults experience frustration in general while waiting for technology to process
- 51% admit to becoming frustrated and lashing out at their slow-poke tech. Of those, 62% have yelled or cursed out loud at their computers; 29% have hit their computer mouse, and 24% have attacked their screen or keyboard
- 35% of adults say that they’ve missed out on some activity due to slow technology. For example, 13% were unable to participate in an online sale.
Web Watch thinks that while the frustrations with slow computers are certainly real, as Intel and other manufacturers make faster and smaller chips to meet our needs – people will still not be satisfied. No matter how fast our computers become, we have become an “instant gratification” world, and as long as their is any type of lag in processing – Hourglass Syndrome (whether a real condition or not) will still exist in some form or other.
Here’s an Intel-produced PSA describing the problem:
