Kyeli is planning on upgrading her iPhone to the new version, and she generously offered her old one to me.
“Sweet!” I replied. “Sure thing!”
But after I thought about it some more, I changed my mind.
Here’s why.
An iPhone will not improve my life.
An iPhone will not solve any problems that I actually have in my life.
I already have the cheapest-ass cell phone on the planet, and it does everything I honestly need. All my other problems are… not really problems at all.
Bored while waiting? I can read a book.
Want to google something when I’m out and about? I’m almost always out and about with Kyeli, so I can borrow hers. If she’s not around, I can just wait. It’s not that big a deal.
Want directions to somewhere? Again, I can borrow Kyeli’s, or if she’s not around, I can googlemap it at home and write them down.
Want 24/7 access to email and Twitter? No thanks.
If I had 24/7 access to email, I’d stress out way more. If someone emailed me saying “I’m having trouble downloading the World-Changing Writing Workshop Bonus Pack” while we’re out dropping off Dru at his Dungeons and Dragons campaign, then all of a sudden I’m worrying about work instead of spending time with my family. I know myself well enough to know that I wouldn’t be able to resist checking my email if I had an iPhone, so I’m going to avoid that cheese factory, thankyouverymuch.
Also, I prefer to minimize the number of things I feel tied to. The iPhone itself is no big deal, but I’d feel tied to a contract and a data plan, and that would weigh on me.
The benefits aren’t worth the costs — even if it’s free.
Are the products and services you buy solving a real problem or a created problem? In other words, did you have a problem you wanted to solve before you knew about that product or service?
Good products solve an existing problem. Evil products (or to be precise, evil marketers) create a problem you didn’t have before and then sell you something that will solve it.
Do you ever acquire stuff because it’s shiny, free, or on sale? Because you were somehow convinced you needed it at the time, but upon reflection, you really don’t?
Can you let go of these things? Get rid of them? Maybe even get your money back?
Do you wish you could change the world with your writing? Learn how with the World-Changing Writing Workshop! Pace, Kyeli, and 6 awesome guest speakers will teach you what you need to know about world-changing writing.
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
I actually just “upgraded” my blackberry to a regular old non-data phone for this very reason. I couldn’t resist it every time I heard it ping or saw the red light flashing. It made my boyfriend insane that even when we were out on a date, I wasn’t totally there with him–and that REALLY made me mad at me.
.-= Marian´s last blog ..Calling all student organizers and supportive teachers! =-.
I’m so glad I’m not alone!
My cell phone is so whoopty I have to fill it with minutes before I can use it, but it totally works. I joke that I have one of those Law+Order criminal phones.
Friends mock when they see it, but until they actually lay eyes on it, they never even know. It texts just fine and sounds even better than most of their fancier phones.
I agree completely about not really needing access to my internet teather while I’m out and about. Writing my thoughts in a journal or on a scrap of paper will do until the next session I have with my laptop.
I will admit I looked into getting a phone and the real turn off for me was the giant monthly expense. $1200 a year for a phone? No thanks, I’d rather fly to Europe.
.-= tami´s last blog ..21 Months and Counting – Guest Post =-.
@Marian: Yeah! I know just what you mean.
@tami: Yeah! And yay Europe! Where do you want to go? The only places in Europe I’ve been so far are Ireland and Finland.
We’re headed to Spain to visit with friends and traveling back up to Munich via train. So excited!
.-= tami´s last blog ..21 Months and Counting – Guest Post =-.
sure, it’s all well and good to tell strangers on the toobs to throw out their gadgets, when it may be that you and your wife needed to have that conversation before you made that post. You still have the phancy phone and all the neato functions and you are still footing the bill for a data plan, with the handy-dandy guilt reducing tool of being able to say ‘but I don’t own it, my wife does’… I find this post to be hypocritical and full of privilege.
I really dig this Pace.
I dig how conscious you are about the decision. It’s not just a snap yes-or-no thing. You get why you don’t want or need an iPhone. Which rocks.
I just got a Droid Incredible a couple of weeks ago. I was really slow making that decision. Because I wanted to make sure it was something that would actually be helpful. And, for me, it totally is.
What I see (and appreciate like crazy) in both examples is the being-really-clear-about-this thing. And the juicy nugget I took from your post is that it’s not so much about whether you have an iPhone or not. It’s about making clearer, more conscious decisions and choosing what’s right for you.
Which, of course, is delicious.
.-= Fabeku Fatunmise´s last blog ..Bombs. Gonzo. And Drums. =-.
Thanks, Fabeku. Your comment makes me really happy; it feels good to feel like you get what I’m trying to say. (:
Yeah, but the iPhone 4 is gonna be so f*cking good… :-)
Do you ever acquire stuff because it’s shiny, free, or on sale? Because you were somehow convinced you needed it at the time, but upon reflection, you really don’t?
Yes. And some of it, along with some stuff that I used but no longer need for whatever reason, is leaving the house a few items at a time.
See, I love my iPhone (well, as much as one can reasonably be said to love an electronic device) and I’m looking forward to getting the new one soon, but I can completely understand why somebody wouldn’t need or even want one.
I have a couple of Palm devices that were handed down to me that I never used at all, and now I’m trying to figure out where I can get them recycled.
.-= Sheila´s last blog ..Word Art: How to Kill Demons =-.
This exact carefulness is why it took me over a year to get an iPhone at all, and ONLY when I had finally decided that it would help me, keep me less tied to my desk, and fit the needs I already have.
But holy SHIT was it hard to make that decision, because if you believe the hype, EVERYONE NEEDS ONE. Which is, frankly, silly, but so difficult to sort through if you actually think you might need one. It’s almost as if you can’t own an iPhone without agreeing with all the ridiculous reasons for having one that their marketing suggests.
.-= Rachael´s last blog ..Design Showcase: Andy’s Website Design =-.