I Changed My Mind – I AM Getting an iPhone

Posted on by

You’ve read my rants about why I wasn’t going to buy an iPhone – no Exchange support, no 3G, no SDK, etc. I was pretty vehement about those things, so much so that people (like my friend Jason) started calling me the OIH – Original iPhone Hater. ;-) But things have changed in the last 24 hours…

I have reversed my position, and I now plan to buy an iPhone this weekend.

Here are the three main objections I had to getting an iPhone, and how I’ve rationalized my way around them:

  1. No Exchange – I pay for my own phone and use a pilot program to get my Intel mail on my Windows Mobile phone now. I can give it up. If work really wants/needs me to have mobile access to my email, they can buy me a BlackBerry Curve. ;-)
  2. No 3G – I had to force myself to be honest with myself on this one. 3G has high throughput speed, but really high latency. I’ve been using WiFi on my 8525 when I’m at home, and it feels a LOT faster than 3G, because of the lower latency. Coupled with the fact that I only get EDGE at work anyway, I have WiFi at work and at home, and there’s the nifty wifi sense that hops on wifi if it’s available, I can live with no 3G. I still think they’re stupid not to launch with it, but hey, they’re still going to sell every single iPhone they can make.
  3. No SDK – This one still hurts, but again, if I’m honest with myself about my current usage of my PDA phone, I use it for web, mail, and ebooks. Of those, an ebook reader is the only one missing on the iPhone. That’s going to hurt, but I can get by with reading on one of my other Windows Mobile devices or UMPC at night, rather than on my phone.

So, am I a sellout? You bet! In the end, though, I just couldn’t deny my gadget geek nature. The pull of the iPhone was just too strong. I love my iPod, I love my Macs, and I really, really enjoy using Apple products.

Plus, when I told Rachel about my dilemma, she said “just buy it, for crying out loud!”. So I consider that to be Senior Management Approval! ;-)

I’m going to drop by a couple of AT&T stores on Friday night or Saturday, and see if they have any, and if not, I’ll order one online from Apple.

With any luck, I won’t be left out of the joyous multitudes fondling and stroking their iPhones this weekend! :-)

  • Pingback: UMPC Blog

  • Pingback: My Internal Dialog by Saliva

  • http://www.thomashan.com/blog Thomas Han

    as long as the CFO (a.k.a. wife) approves, go ahead! :)

    If I keep up the blogs and the twitter, maybe my wife will “talk me into” buying one too

  • http://blog.wiredpig.us Glenn

    Using my SmartPhone I have 3G turned off. Page loads and downloads on Edge are quite acceptable.Not to mention better battery life without 3G.

  • http://blogs.zdnet.com/mobile-gadgeteer/ Matthew Miller (aka palmsolo)

    Ha ha ha, Josh you and I must be on the same wavelength since these are just about the same major concerns I have. I use my MacBook Pro as my main computer and have been an Apple fan since 1989 and am very close to convincing myself to go stand in line on Friday. I am with T-Mobile so will have to add an AT&T contract to get it, but dang it is very tough for a gadget fan to resist even if it does less than my Windows Mobile or S60 device does.

    The only question remaining that still hasn’t been answered is, “Can you take the SIM out of the iPhone and put it into another AT&T or unlocked device and use that device for voice and data?” If I get tired of the iPhone and touch only interface and want to go back to a device with buttons and a QWERTY keyboard is this going to be possible? I know I can’t pop another SIM in the iPhone, but how about the other way? If so, then I could cancel my T-Mobile data plan and apply that US$30 to my iPhone monthly fees making it a reasonable US$40 or so (counting taxes and fees) for the iPhone.

  • Matt Davis

    Yep, gotta jump on those “senior management approvals” before they disappear… I’d have an S3 TiVo if I’d followed my own advice. :)

  • http://spoetzl.net/dave davechen

    Excellent! Welcome to the RDF!

  • http://www.themightysquid.com/blog/squidblog.html Mighty Squid

    Wuss ;)

    Then again my CEO wanted video encoder profiles for it today so there may still be a chance of a Mighty Squid owned Corporate iPhone.

    Just for testing purposes. You know.

  • http://jezlyn.wordpress.com Jezlyn

    You’re funny. :) Unfortunately, my budget doesn’t allow me to get the 1st-gen iPhone in addition to my N95. And my main objection is AT&T. I just don’t like them! I’ll be watching people’s experiences pretty closely. And if somehow an unlocked version comes out, perhaps I can nag the hubby until he caves and lets me buy one. :D In the meantime, my brother is getting one, so I’ll try to check it out that way. :)

  • http://www.gadgetfamily.org Rachel Bancroft

    To my iPhone-lusting, gadget-obsessing, geekiness denying husband:

    I’m trying to find a way to add to this scripture from Exodus 20:17 — Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor his iPhone nor any gadget that is thy neighbour’s.

    I think you are on the verge of gadget madness. For all you tinyscreenfuls.com readers out there, let me tell you that earlier this week, Josh was in serious gadget geek denial mode. And now that he realized that he’s just going to lose his mind if he doesn’t get an iPhone, he is absolutely hyper. (and he doesn’t even own the iPhone yet) He randomly rattles off new bits of info about the iPhone and how he’s going to go about obtaining one and wakes up at 4:00am thinking about it.

    Meanwhile I’ll be dreaming of a microwave and a second car…sigh

    Bancroft Senior Management

  • http://blog.verani.net Ioannus de Verani

    Haha, I new it would happen. I was just waiting for the moment you would burst with iphone envy…

    I hope you like it!

  • Jim

    One can find microwave ovens for $100 or less. A decent one is less than $200. Josh, shame on you for wasting $600+ on what’s basically a toy, while your wife has to wish for a microwave.

  • LLol_slim

    Can i request an unboxing vid please? I /wont/ be getting an iphone, having just bought my first umpc (asus r2h) so no iphone for me. Love to see an unboxing though.

  • http://www.libertybasic.com Carl Gundel

    I personally would like the iPhone to be slightly more PDA-ish. For example none of the reviews I’ve read say that it even has a notepad feature. Does it?

    As for not having an SDK, this is definitely a device for the web. Apparently there are already a whole bunch of web apps specifically designed for the iPhone, and anyone with a little inclination can make their own custom ones using Run BASIC or something similar. http://www.runbasic.com

  • http://sumocat.blogspot.com Sumocat

    Awesome, but please buy it online or wait until Saturday (at the earliest). You know that Friday line will be there all night, although I doubt it will be a “disaster of epic proportions”. :P

    BTW, of your three objections, I don’t think you’ll be out of luck on Exchange support and an SDK forever. Apple is doing the smart thing by keeping the iPhone under tight control at launch, but they may yet open up the platform as they get the bugs worked out and get comfortable with the phone network. Probably won’t be an upgrade to 3G anytime soon though.

  • http://www.tinyscreenfuls.com Josh Bancroft

    Yes, I’ll do an unboxing video. I’m sure there won’t be a shortage of those this weekend. :-)

    @Jim – the microwave question is a little more complicated – our kitchen is tiny, so we’d need to either add on to our house, or get one of those mount-over-the-stove models, which isn’t that expensive, but it’s quite a project to rip out what’s there right now and get it installed. So it’s not like I’m wasting all of our money. ;-)

  • IntelWife

    Not wasting money when you just spent how much buying an 8525, are you planning on asking AT&T on taking that in on trade? Dang, not to pass judgment, because I am not you, but, you must have money to burn. Microwave for family use, or yet another geek gadget that you just have to have. Have you thought about the madness of it all? I mean, think about it, are you getting it because it is truly better than the 8525 or just because someone reviewed the thing and you got sucked into the hype and slickness of the product and what you think it can do for you? I truly hope that you do not suffer buyers remorse when the next newer better gizmo comes along.

  • http://mr.spoontr.com Spencer

    Doesn’t change the fact that’s it’s a toy. Now…the HTC Touch or Advantage…that’s what I’m talking about. Plus, it doesn’t require a two year commitment.

  • http://mr.spoontr.com Spencer

    If you’re looking to get rid of your 8525, let me know. :)

  • Pingback: Ars Lounge Feedjack

  • http://www.eleven3.com George

    Haha @ Rachel.

    I too wake up at 4am thinking of the iphone. I’ve never had the gadget itch quite like this.

  • Pingback: Life On the Wicked Stage: Act 2: Resisting the Urge

  • http://jezlyn.wordpress.com Jezlyn

    (laughing at Rachel’s account of Josh’s transition from iPhone hater to soon-to-be-iPhone-owner) I can totally relate to Josh’s behavior (much to the hubby’s chagrin). Once I lock onto a gadget I want, I start surfing up all there is to know about the device, talking off the hubby’s ear about it, slying slipping in mentions of the gadget here and there, slowly getting him used to the idea that I am buying it, until he caves and “approves” the purchase. That’s how I got my N95. :D

  • Pingback: Sumocat's Scribbles: iPhone: Josh will, I won't

  • Pingback: stevienova.com » Blog Archive » iPhone. iDontGetIt