I have a $20 Sprint cell phone. You have a $500 iPhone. I make phone calls. You make phone calls. I send text messages. You send text messages. I go out for sushi. You go home and eat Top Ramen.
Update: The New York Times has a more positive than negative review of the iPhone that closes with this.
But even in version 1.0, the iPhone is still the most sophisticated, outlook-changing piece of electronics to come along in years. It does so many things so well, and so pleasurably, that you tend to forgive its foibles.Financial decisions, like buying an iPhone plus AT&T service for $1200-$1400 are made on the margins. As in, "what else could I do with the money?" For all the glorious interface capabilities of the iPhone, I don't understand what I'm getting for my extra, say, $480. I'll admit that I don't want to surf the web or get emails on my phone. I want to be inaccessible in that way when I'm not at home or in the office. That $480 is just for useless, shiny things as far as I can see.
In other words, maybe all the iPhone hype isn’t hype at all. As the ball player Dizzy Dean once said, “It ain’t bragging if you done it.”
Not being a crow, it doesn't interest me.
Being an occasional contributor to the Festival of Frugality, I don't think the thing was made with me in mind in the first place. Of course, the sushi wasn't, either. I'll take that $480 and put it in a mutual fund instead. At an average rate of return, in 5 years I'll have $703. You'll be replacing your iPhone battery from Apple by mail for a hefty fee.
I only use my cell phone so my office and family can reach me in emergencies.
ReplyDeleteIf I want to listen to music, I'll turn on my radio.
Target audience is people who hoard shiny objects - crows. I like that. For that extra $500 you are getting a beautifully designed machine. A BMW is also a beautiful machine but as you say is it really a good use of one's money. A fairer comparison would be with a blackberry. So if you need a blackberry, an iPhone costs you a few hundred more.
ReplyDeleteRegardless, its a toy, not a necessity.
According to some psychological studies, it could be argued that the Crackberry makes you less efficient, not more. Multitasking increases the amount of time required for all complex tasks so you get fewer tasks done in a given time period.
ReplyDeleteEither that, or you do a lousy job of the complex tasks and tell yourself you did a good one.
No email on the move for me, thank you very much.
pcmag has a more realistic review of the iphone.
ReplyDeletei don't think it is that revolutionary at all. i have a phone that does everything the iphone does plus much more and costs much less. i'll wait for 2nd or 3rd gen unlocked iphone before i think about buying one. i was expecting much more with all the hype, and the thing just ain't worth it to me at its current version.