How My iPhone Has Changed My Life

A lot of fuss was raised about 6 months ago when the mystical iPhone 3G came out. I was definitely one of the people raising said fuss. I was also one of the people (or “chumps,” depending on who you ask) who waited in line for some ridiculous amount of time (6-7 hours) after getting up at some ungodly hour in the morning (4:30am) the day after the phone came out.

Yes, of course, there was a lot of oo-ing and ah-ing when I first got it. I was enamored with its sleek curves, smart and capable operating system, and all-in-one-ness… I loved it. I loved my iPhone. I’m not afraid to admit it. I accepted my fate as an Apple Slut a long time ago.

Of course, there were plenty of people who didn’t understand and/or poo-pooed the whole spectacle. There were all kinds of debate over the merits/disadvantages of the touchscreen keyboard, the AT&T network, the contracts, etc etc.

6 months later, I still have my iPhone. And, yes, I still love it. But I thought it’d be interesting to report on if/how the iPhone has changed my life… for better or worse. Mind you, I realize there are other devices out there that could do some of these things and a lot of them existed before the iPhone. …But I didn’t have any of them :p I used to have the old school 6 GB iPod mini, an LG V6somethingorother, and a Palm TX.

So, with that, here we go:

iPhone Pros (yay!):

1) I don’t have to carry around an iPod, a cell phone and a Palm Pilot anymore.
2) I’m never bored on the subway. Or anywhere, really.
3) I can finally seamlessly sync my phone with my Mac.
4) I can carry around a lot more music.
5) I never get lost.
6) I have a digital notepad for lyric ideas, shopping lists, etc…
7) Keeping in touch (which I’m kind of obsessed with) is easier than ever.
8) I can use the song recognition applications to figure out the names/artists of songs that I hear when I’m out and about (not being able to do so is a HUGE pet peeve of mine).
9) I can reference and check e-mail wherever I get a cell or wi-fi signal.
10) I have a user-friendly, good looking and highly functional datebook.
11) My family’s now on a family plan, so it’s cheaper for everyone.
12) All my photos are easily accessible.
13) I can finally feel the phone vibrate in my pocket… and/or hear the ring in my earphones.

iPhone Cons (boo...):

1) The first time I’d thought I lost it, I FREAKED. THE EFF. OUT.
2) I sometimes worry about walking around with a highly desirable, pretty expensive, easily steal-able gadget in plain view.
3) I can’t talk on the iPhone in my house OR my office, since AT&T gets zero to one bars of signal in those places. I have since been forced to get a landline (gasp!) in my house. So much for those savings on my cell phone bill…
4) The 3G network in NYC kind of sucks. I suppose this hasn’t really changed things for me, other than the fact that when people ask me about the service, I always have to add in that caveat.
5) The first couple of times I dropped it, I FREAKED. THE EFF. OUT.
6) Despite the amazing error correction software, typing on the touchscreen keyboard is really difficult in a moving car. Or when drunk. Or when drunk in a moving car.
7) I can’t type without looking anymore.
8) I used to be one of “those guys.” (Though that’s changed since the phone has become so damn popular)
9) I’m already wondering how jealous I’m going to be of the owners of the next generation iPhone…

So, although the pros and cons are pretty evenly matched in terms of numbers, I think the value of the advantages far outweighs that of the disadvantages. I still love my iPhone and, as far as I can tell, it still loves me.

-e