Oh iPhone, where have you been all my life?
As I mentioned over at Mamapundit the other day, I am now officially an iPhone person. And after having had possession of this wondrous Apple device for about two weeks now, I have to admit that I have developed a huge, Tiger Beat-level crush on my iPhone. I just really, really love the thing.
Now I am well aware that some of y’all don’t want or need a multipurpose mobile gadget of any sort, and don’t really understand why anyone would (see comments below my first post about the new iPhone), but ever since I switched from super-basic cellphone to my first smartphone – a Blackberry Curve – about five years ago, I’ve found that having the right mobile thingamajig in-hand makes my very busy life run a lot more smoothly. Given that I work full time, do a lot of freelance writing (you’re reading some of it right now), and that I also have a passel of children to keep up with, my smartphone is like my other brain. I can get online for my job while sitting at my kid’s after school ball practice, and I can check my calendar in the checkout line. I can keep up with email as it comes in instead of facing a mountain of messages the next time I sit down at my laptop, and texting with my kids, friends and family helps me be in touch throughout the day. My kids know that even when I am in a meeting, I can usually get and respond to a quick text if something comes up. Basically, I’d be pretty well lost without my mobile gadget.
While I’ve listened to my little sister and brother (who bought the very first iPhone within 24 hours of its release and has been an iPhone evangelist ever since), as well as many friends sing the praises of the iPhone for some time now, I was never fully convinced that using the Apple smartphone as opposed to the Android I used for almost two years, and the Blackberry before that, could be very different. But boy was I wrong. My new iPhone 4 is the all-purpose, multitasking force of technology that this working mama has been waiting for all her life.
For starters, I can’t mess anything up on it like I could on the ‘Droid. A lot of people (like my tech geek husband love the ‘Droid because it allows you to get all technical, and fool around with the way it works, and change a lot of things about it. Jon has his ‘Droid all customized with the same kinds of geeky, Open Source kinds of things he has on his actual computer, like Linux. He is opposed on principle (albeit a principle I admit to not fully understanding…) to buying any sort of tech device or gadget that locks you into using the software that comes with it or that’s sold by the company – meaning Apple products. But for me, a gadget that allows me to mess around with the way it operates is a problem waiting to happen. I was always accidentally changing settings and functions on my ‘Droid without meaning to. But my iPhone is very straightforward. It works the way it works – which is very well -and I like that. Basically, some people want some kind of car with a stickshift, or even a car with a stickshift with which they can tinker on weekends. I, on the other hand, want an automatic that does exactly what the salesman told me it would do without me ever having to think about it, and does it really, really well.
I was also able to get the hang of using the iPhone in just a few days. It’s very simple and intuitive to use, while the Android was just trickier overall. The screen icons on the iPhone are, well, iconic, meaning it’s very simple for me to find what I am looking for on my iPhone, and then get that thing to work.
When I finally killed my long-suffering ‘Droid off once and for all by dropping it one too many times, I still had not figured out exactly how everything on it worked. I was always having to get Jon to help me fix settings or explain some function to me. Also, to the very end, I remained confused about where things like music, photos and PDF files would end up on the ‘Droid when I downloaded them from some online destination. It seemed like I could never find files after I downloaded them. On the iPhone, it’s very clear where all photos go, where all music goes, etc, etc, etc
I wish the screen on the iPhone were substantially bigger, but I know I am an outlier on that. Most people like their phones as small and thin as possible instead of bigger. But the screen it does have is incredibly clear and bright. Things just look better on the iPhone screen. And in case y’all haven’t noticed, I’ve become just the teensiest bit obsessed with the incredible camera on the iPhone 4, plus all the cool camera apps you can get in the App Store.
And that leads me to another point – while the Android App store does have more and more stuff in it all the time, it still has waaaay fewer apps than the iPhone app store, plus the apps I’ve now tried on both phones are much better designed in their iPhone version. As an example, my preschooler never had any interest in playing any of the games I downloaded for her to play on the ‘Droid, but now that I have Fruit Ninja and Monkey Preschool Lunchbox installed on the new iPhone, I can barely tear her away from it. That’s gonna be a good thing for both of us during long stretches in, say, the pediatrician’s waiting room.
So yes, I am now smitten with my iPhone. It’s just a much better fit for my personality, habits and needs. I wish I’d figured out a way to hook up with an iPhone much sooner, but now that my iPhone and I have finally found each other, I predict a long and happy marriage.
How about you? iPhone or Android? Or something entirely different? If you are an iPhone person, do you find it as fantastic as I do? Tell me in the comments below.
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[...] official. I want to marry my new iPhone. I am totally smitten. That’s what I am gushing about over at Babble this morning. Tweet This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink. ← Achieving camp [...]
I just had to order a keyboard for my new iPhone because I hate the touchpad keyboard. My texts come out totally garbled and I can only type with one finger. Other than that, I like it.
I wanted to hate it, but I love iPhone!
Love, love, love my iPhone. We’ve had a relationship for about 2 years now and don’t know how I would get through the day without it. It is amazing for traveling, shopping, and keeping in touch with my kids. I can Tweet, FB, and see what’s up via LinkedIn. I can email, send Instagram images, or photograph things I think someone may want, sent it, get the reply and either buy the item or pass on it. It’s a tremendous time-saver.
I can read books via my Kindle app, check the weather, see what delicious things Christies is auctioning, buy movie tickets on Fandango, match color with my Sherwin-Williams app, find restaurants in various cities, and answer “Who is that actor?” with my IMDB app. I always feel like a magician with a powerful magical tome when I use it. Oh! and it also can be used as a phone. Who wouldn’t love their iPhone!
I didn’t think I’d need a smart-phone because I don’t talk on the phone all that much and I hardly ever text. But after I tried out my sister’s iPhone, I fell in lust for it and bought myself one right away. I ended up loving it, especially the ability to check out the Internet without firing up my laptop.
I’m an Apple person, always have been. But AT&T service sucks in our area (Atlanta), so when I made the leap to a smart phone it was a Verizon Droid. And I liked it fine. But when Verizon started carrying the Iphone that was it for me. I love it. It’s to the Droid what a Mac is to a PC. They both get the job done, but it’s just so much more fun and intuitive and easier on the iPhone. My only wish is that the camera were more easily accessible.
LOVE my iPhone. On my 2nd one in 4 years, which in cell phone life, I think is pretty darn good!!!!! Never had a droid or blackberry so I can not compare but then again, we are a Mac family all the way. Ditched PC about 5 years ago.
Love my iPhone, even though I was the kind of person who didn’t want a smartphone at all. Texting is so much easier, I love Instagram as much as you seem to, and I like being able to check things quickly on the Internet wherever I am (no more having to remember to look up things later).
I don’t know. It just sounds like you had a rather cursed relationship with your Android. I feel about my G2x like you do about your iPhone, and I haven’t had any issues with accidentally changing settings. Plus, both of the games you mentioned C loving are available in the Android market. Glad you’re found a phone you click with, though!
I used to be the same way. I lived my BB and was not interested in a droid. Then I loved my droid and was not interested in an iPhone. Now I can not imagine my life without my iPhone. I would marry it if I could!
If you like the iphone, you’d probably like Apple computers as well. Macs are just incredibly intuitive. For tech geeks, that may be no fun. For everyone else though…I’ll never never switch back.
No smartphone right now. I can’t justify the extra expense at the moment. If I could I’d buy an iphone.
I am so glad to read this post. I got my first smartphone, an Iphone 4 about 3 weeks ago.(The salesperson had tried to talk me into an Android. Sooo glad I didn’t do it after your info here.) For about 24 hours I had buyer’s remorse, but only because it was not ‘the devil I knew’. I quickly became accustomed to it. And, with a 14 yr old and a 17 yr old who have them, I feel like we (hubby and I) have our own tech support team.
Having said all this, I think they are *incredibly* expensive and the monthly fees are a lot.
I am very, very lucky. My employer is providing me with my iPhone. – Katie
I really like my Android but the iPhone does sound like it could keep my life easier and I have numerous appointments per week.
I just am happy to have a phone. Maybe iPhone will be in my future but not my near future yet.
Count me as one of those who is opposed to the iPhone on principle. If I can’t get to the file system and tweak to my heart’s content, I’m not happy. I love my Droid! I should mention that I’m a software developer, though, and I can see how Android isn’t for everyone.
I would marry my iPhone if I could. My love for it is simply that huge.
i love my iphone, too. i love having over 300 books at my fingertips, maps help me not to get lost, music! the WHOLE of wagner’s ring trillogy, at my fingertips! youtube!
…and my son’s favorite lightsaber app LOL the hubby has had one since day one. mama is about ready to throw the crackberry against the wall (she wants a basic flip phone) but i love the iphone.
Absolutely agree with you so much! I’ve Been using smartphones for about 5 or 6 years now. I started with Sidekicks, then switched to a BlackBerry, then to an Android phone, and now to an iPhone 4. They were all good at something, but absolutely nothing can compare to an iPhone, in my opinion. Love the camera! I use it multiple times on a daily basis. Everything is just so great and simple to use on my iPhone. I don’t think I’ll ever switch to another phone. Even when others come out with better phones, I think Apple will, like always, take what has been done and make it 10 times better. Therefore, making me believe that I will always be loyal to the iPhone.
I heart my iPhone4, too. Besides all of the fun apps, I also use it for several sensible reasons. If I had to rely on my own sense of direction I’d be extinct. We all have talents. I’m not ashamed to say that God skipped me when he handed out that one. The map feature on my phone has saved me several times.
Also, we live in the Midwest, land of intense storms. Our satellite cable is always out during crucial moments. Facebook access and weather apps have provided news updates when the cable was out. I even “friended” the local news channel because they give storm tracker updates.
Besides, I love winning my new game. Husband and I will bet whether I can find a unique restaurant with map and reviews before he gets to the next exit. Loser buys. Mmmm, good!!
[...] 4GTechnoBuffaloMore of the same: Android, iPhone atop June '11 Millenial reportExaminer.comOh iPhone, where have you been all my life?Babble [...]
I’m into my second iphone and will never go back. I had the Dreadful Droid for a short time and there is no comparison.
[...] around with the way it works, and change a lot of things about it. …See the article here: Oh iPhone, where have you been all my life? – Babble (blog) This entry was posted in Droid News and tagged husband-love, life, table-border, tech, tech-geek, [...]
LOVE my IPHONE!! I never want to go back to a life where I can’t surf the internet on a road trip or while waiting at the doctor’s office. Or check a fact in the middle of a dinner party to see “who’s right” on the completely obscure topic. Or quickly pull up a shopping list at the grocery store. Oh, iPhone–How I love you!!
But I must say…I have turned off my work e-mail from my phone. It wasn’t allowing me to be completely away from work when I was home in the evening, weekends or even vacation. Managing the e-mail at all times was GREAT!! But then I kept running into e-mails that would bring up a sensative topic that I needed to explain or pointed out that something had gone wrong. It wouldn’t allow me to relax and enjoy my time with my family. So, I turned it off. It is kind of a pain on Monday morning to have 105 e-mails in my in box…but that’s part of my job. It’s what they pay me to do. So, that’s when I deal with it.
But everything else is GREAT!!!
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I had an iPhone for about a week and I’ll never use an iPhone again. I live in the city, commute only via public transit. Often have to type email or browse on the go (often while walking or standing), but I don’t have a chance to sit still much less sit down. Therefore I hate touch pads. iPhone is not really useful with my lifestyle.
“I had an iPhone for about a week and I’ll never use an iPhone again”
Sheryl, you only tried it for a week? Most valuable skills cannot be mastered in just one week. You know that. You should have given it more time; it’s worth it.
My Blackberry could usually be found under the couch cushions. Now, with my iPhone, it is second only to my kids in terms of what I keep track of. My husband calls it my Precious. I just blew his mind in the grocery store by using SoundHound to identify the song playing in the aisles.
[...] for RIM by ChangeWave. Apple also outshined the competition in customer satisfaction. …Oh iPhone, where have you been all my life?Babble (blog)all 140 news [...]
I take it to bed with me. Literally. Helps fight my insomnia.
So sad: thought you were a Droid girl.
The iPhone is amazing. The thing I like the most as opposed to the Droid is what you basically pointed to. Its far less stressful. I don’t need to worry about setting up the phone, but rather can use it to do what I want.
@Tricia – You will be thrilled when iOS5 is released. It allows you to take pictures by clicking your volume up button, and you can reach the camera directly without having to unlock the phone.
One of my best friends has the iPhone. He let me download Bejeweled 2 on it (one of the MOST addicting games ever). I’ve also played Apple’s version of Scrabble on it. While I am in love with flip phones & hate(!) touchscreens, I’m quite liking the iPhone. As soon as I have a job, I think I’ll be setting money aside for it. I rather like being able to look up the nearest restaurant, finding out what city I’m in, playing my favorite games, & checking my email & FB without having to keep my laptop running – if I find out I can do my school work on it too, I might have to break up with my laptop!
Love the post; it was very entertaining to read, Katie! I just read your article about addicts, too, when I clicked on the link to this one. I’m sorry you lost your son. I have kids (two, a 3 1/2 yr old boy & a 1 1/2 mo old girl), so I have some inkling of how it feels (my son was taken by his g’rents & I’m still trying to get him back). I can remember how dead I felt for two weeks – I’m sure you felt that way much longer. But, to end on a happy note, my daughter is by my side, sleeping on her Boppy pillow. :)
IPhone is my dream phone..wish I can have it soon *big sigh*
[...] Oh iPhone, where have you been all my life?Babble (blog)As I mentioned over at Mamapundit the other day, I am now officially an iPhone person. And after having had possession of this wondrous Apple device for about two weeks now, I have to admit that I have developed a huge, Tiger Beat-level crush on my …O2 Priority Moments: GPS app aims to take on Facebook Deals, FoursquareGadget Helpline (blog)all 4 news articles » [...]
I guess I am in the minority, but I love my droid. I like having a physical keyboard for longer emails. I just like the way it works. I am not super tech savvy but have no issues figuring out how to customize it to my liking and find the interface pretty intuitive. Plus, everyone is always telling me how the iphone is so much better, and that just annoys me and makes me want to do the opposite of what they say :)