Among my friends I'm pretty much considered "the Mac Guy" and of course that translates into being "the Apple Guy". Every time the boys from Cupertino release a new product every one of my friends at one point will call me, eMail me, voice mail me, or smoke signal me and ask me, "So... what do you think of the new iThing?"
First off, I want to say that I think the new iPhone 4 is pretty bad ass, even with the potential reception issues at hand, and the fact that the HTC EVO seems to out perform it in every single category, I think that if I were in the market for a new Phone that this new iPhone 4 would be the one I bought.
I think the double cameras are great, I think the flat back is MUCH better then the stupid rounded back on the 3G and 3GS. I dig the fact it records video at 720P. Face Time may be cool, but the jury is out. I think it is a marvel of technological achievement, so you may wonder, "why WOULDN'T you want to get one?".
Here is the purpose of this entry. The reason that I won't be getting an iPhone 4 has NOTHING to do with the technology but everything to do with economics. Simply put, I already have a phone. The phone that I have, I've had for 1 year. In my world, a phone needs to last me for 2 years. Therefore I am going to wait another year before I buy a new phone.
I'm always amazed at the "Leo Laporte Types" that have to have EVERY SINGLE product that ever comes out. Or if not every brand that comes out at least every MODEL of a given brand. So i may not have to have an iPhone, an HTC, an Android and a Blackberry but I at least have to have every MODEL of iPhone. Pure and simple people... this is not healthy. Its not financially wise, and it just isn't smart.
We need to be a bit more aware of the brilliant marketing that drives us into owning every single thing that gets shoved in front of us and have a bit of will power to stand up and say no, at least once in a while.
The other thing that bothers me is what I would call, for lack of a better term, "forced justification". If you look hard enough you could 'justify' any purchase. I could come up with a good enough, legitimate excuse, to buy an iPhone 4 if I wanted to. But no matter what the reason I'm still going to go against my own personal rule and 'logical lifespan' of 2 years to hold onto a phone. Its for that reason that I'm gonna hold onto my 3GS for another 11 months.
Notice I said, 3GS. I was in the Palo Alto Apple store the day the first iPhone was released and had it from day one. I did not however, go out and stand inline to get the 3G. No, I held on to the first gen iPhone until its 2 year life ended and then gladly picked up a brand new 3GS last summer.
So why am I telling you this? If you want a new phone there is no way I'm going to talk you out of it. BUT the thing I CAN do is try to get you to rethink some of your purchases. Ultimately, in the long run, we as consumers are better off if we temper our purchases and not fall prey to every marketing gimmick that gets thrown in front of us and, most importantly, not over extend ourselves and our credit cards in an attempt to "keep up with the Laportes" all the time.
I also want to say that I DO own stock in Apple, and I probably would see my stock go up if everyone in the country bought a new iPhone, and yet, I DON'T believe it is good for us as people, and as consumers.
I'll probably think of more I want to say, and I may add on to this in the near future.
Take a deep breath people, you may not need that new Microsoft Kin.