I’ve been wrestling with a difficult question lately: Should I try to get an iphone? Though my v3 razr is sleek and sexy (and red. I’m quite fond of red) the iphone is the new hotness. I have a feeling that many early adopters do not pay out of pocket for the latest gadgets–they can expense it as part of their job, or perhaps they are sufficiently connected to receive them gratis.
Advertising: it helps me decide
What is it about this toy that I find so hard to resist? Apple products are beautifully designed and I would expect no less of the iphone. The excitement of my peers reinforces my desire. Perhaps I need to remove myself from the geekfest in order to get a clearer perspective. The phone is just so very shiny.
I snobbishly look down on LV bags and comically expensive jeans. The label on my pants does not define who I am, and yet the labels on my gadgets do? Do they? No, I don’t think so but that’s what advertising is designed to make you believe. I’m loyal to brands that have proven results, though those slick commercials certainly don’t hurt. The real problem is that I’m a young, techy apple-product loving professional. Hello disposable income. After all, I am going to spend the money anyway on something that I don’t actually need.
The economics of it all
How much value does an iphone provide versus the value of some other product? Ignoring monthly cost (since I have to pay that anyway) alternative purchases include:
day trip to the wine country including massages, booze and food
tix to the black and white ball (which was, for whatever reason, not held this year)
welding class
Donating to charity is not an option since it’s already a line-item in my budget and therefore not a part of play-money. I have trouble assigning value to each item because utility changes over time and the function is not constant. One could argue that I don’t need to buy any of these things. I could contribute the money to something practical, like 401k. Yawn. There is so little fun in pragmatism. My rash and youthful mind knows that I will not make these impulse buys when I have those dreadful-sounding responsibilities. I ought to enjoy my freedom now.
Reality check
I don’t even know if I want to be that connected to the internet. Will people start to expect immediate response from me? I’ve watched my addict-friends start to twitch if they don’t check their email for 5 minutes. I’ve rolled my eyes when they stop conversation in order to verify a fact. I’ve been annoyed by slow walking as a direct result of furious keyboard punching. On the other hand GPS would be quite handy for someone with such a knack for getting lost.
After all this musing, I still don’t know what I want. I do not want to do nothing (that does not count as making a decision) and I do not want to half-attempt to procure an iphone and fail. Is anyone else having a similar dilemma?
