Life

iDay!

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Last Updated on July 1, 2017

People have been lined up for days waiting to be among the first to buy Apple’s iPhone, which officially goes on sale at 6:00pm tonight.

Rest assured that I am not one of them. While I like the look of the phone and am sure that the cool factor is through the roof when you actually use one, there are two reasons why the Mac-like gadget is not in my future.

First, there’s that little thing known as cost. The phone costs between $500 to $600. Is it worth it? Who knows: if you want everything it offers and can afford such a price, then it probably is. For the rest of us, that’s a steep price. (And Apple isn’t the kind of company that offers huge drops in price over time, either.)

And that’s only the beginning. The new AT&T — so far, I prefer the old one — wants a two-year committment with service running anywhere from $60 to $100 a month. What?

I recently had my cell phone number changed to a local number here in the Lowcountry. To change the number, Verizon automatically renewed my contract for two more years. I’m sure we’ll reach a point where a call to your cell phone carrier’s 411 service will increase the term of your contract by at least a year. The difference is that my phone was essentially free and that my monthly cost is about $49. That, to me, is entirely too high.

Then there is my second objection to such a device.

How much do you really need to do with a cell phone? Sure, mine has a little calendar/reminder function, which I use. It has a built-in digital camera, which I have used occasionally. It has text messaging, which I don’t use. It has email, which I wouldn’t think of trying to use on a cell phone. It has internet, which is annoying enough on a full-sized computer.

I’m one of those purists: I prefer to watch TV on a television, to make calls on a phone, and to handle surfing and email on a computer. Putting everything into one may be convenient, but I don’t think it’s necessary, especially for that high a price. And as we’ve all learned from Mr. Murphy, if something can go wrong, it will. With technology, if something can go wrong, it will in a big way!

Just imagine the possibilities.

I’m a Mac guy…always have been. Not because I think that PCs are so bad, but they aren’t as user-friendly. And just yesterday at work, the PC I was working on gave me the “blue screen of death.” My Mac doesn’t treat me that way.

But that doesn’t mean that I want everything in my life to act like a Mac. Or to cost what a Mac costs.

If you’re one of those lunatics enthusiasts who have been losing sleep until you can have an iPhone of your own, I wish you success today. You might need it.

the authorPatrick
Patrick is a Christian with more than 30 years experience in professional writing, producing and marketing. His professional background also includes social media, reporting for broadcast television and the web, directing, videography and photography. He enjoys getting to know people over coffee and spending time with his dog.