What was I doing before I got my iPhone? Nothing! That's what! Rewind to circa
January 2007. My best friend Chrystal made me privy to a website that showed a new phone that would be launched by Apple within the next 6 months. The site talked of how the phone oriented it display to both landscape and portrait. It could be used to connect to the world wide web, there was an iPod built into the phone, you could get directions using Google Maps, it had a (however many) gigabyte/pixel camera, etc, etc, etc. As additional details about the phone came out, I began to get excited about it through osmosis. Then the phone's price was revealed. $500 for the 4gig one
! That was half of a G! But just think, I would be one of the few people who had it. It was like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, not everyone would have a golden ticket! I was alre-
ady an AT&T customer too! So, I prepared myself. There was no release date for the phone until June. Then I decided that whenever it was released, I would go with Chrystal and buy one, using the money that my family gave me for graduation from my grad school program.
So, the week finally came,
and news reports showed people lining up all over the country, camped
out in tents and all that jazz. I was not the one. We began to strategize how we would get one, what location to purchase from based on population density, SES of the neighborhood, and proximity to other AT&T and Apple retail locations. We decided against any Apple store because the Beverly Center, the Grove, and other locations would be on lock! I suggested the AT&T store in the Ladera center because not as many people would be buying them there, people would be at work, and it's far enough from Beverly Hills and the rich White areas, where folks could afford to take off of work for such a purpose.
We woke up early on release day morning, went to Barnes and Noble and bought reading material, stopped by Targ
et for snacks, and discussed further how we would stand in line in shifts, keep tabs on other retail locations and if need be, how, when, and why we would abandon the plan and make another one if things needed to be adjusted. We got in line at approximately 10:3
0am. We were about 15th in line. First, was a teenage boy who had been in line by himself since the night before. We were safe. We just ha
d to wait until 4pm. We checked our accounts in the store, and re-checked elgibility and stats.
While in line, we made friends with the people around us. Star from "One on One" was in line just a few people ahead of us. Everyone had some story they'd heard or read online or in a magazine about how amazing the phone would be. People talked about how they were plotting to buy more than the alloted number of iPhones per person and sell them on Ebay. Non AT&T customers came and tried to op
en accounts the day, many of whom were turned away because of lack of staff d
edicated to that particular service that day. Then at around noon, the store closed. It would reopen at 4, after the iPhone delivery had been dropped somewhere between 3 and 4. None of the employees had seen, or touched it. Several had been semi-trained on it but could not discuss anything regarding the phone. It was li
ke a CIA operation.
That day, I was one of the thousands of people who waited in line because no one knew how many iPhones were being released. Then, I got it. I went into the store, they varified my account, I made the purchse and went home and hooked it up. I spent 2 days transferring and ditching contacts between my old phone and my new one. From that day on, the iPhone would be one of my best friends. I upgraded to the new one when it dropped in 08, and will upgrade to the 3GS this summer. Let me detail f
or you why I love my iPhone....
1) It is an iPod and I LOVE music.
2) The applications are fun and amazingly useful- games, social networks, and all kids of other stuff that I can download instantly with the touch of a finger.
3) I can get directions while driving and look up info like movie times and ticket purchases, restaurant phone numbers, and the addresses of my contacts.
4) It slowly decreases the volume of my music when I get a phone call, and slowly increases it back to the rate it was at when the call is over
5) Gmail
6) I can look up the weather so I know what to wear- and also see the weather in cities on my favorites list where my family members are (San Jose, Providence, etc).
7) I can buy music on iTunes
8) All updates are software updates, and they revolutionize what I can do on my phone. The most recent update dramatically improved battery life. How do they do that?
9) The camera takes good photos as long as I'm in good lighting.
10) I can write notes to myself and any note I can send via email.
11) I can make my own ringtones from my favorite songs using Garage Band
12) It is super compatible with my Mac Book
13) Texts messages appear like conversations
14) Touch Screen!
15) Apple has really good customer service, and yes there were glitches in the first and even 2nd generation iPhones but all I had to do was take it to the store and they handed me a shiny new one!
16) Anytime I get a new iPhone I just plug it into my computer, and it magically i
nputs everything....no need for SIM cards or loss of data
17) I can go online and view/do just about anything that I would on my computer
18) I can use my phone as a remote control to control the music on my computer using my Airport Express from anywhere in my apartment without being near my computer.
19) iCal so I don't miss appointments and birthdates, and it syncs to the caldendar on my Mac Book
20) The timer and alarm functions, I can also see what time it is anywhere in the world with the Clock function
21) The iPhone created a community of iPhone owners, sometimes its fun connecting with random people and strangers, and it happens because of the phone.
Yes, of course there are more reasons. Simply stated, the iPhone is the funnest and more useful gadget I have ever purchased. Some people are Blackberry people, and that's fine. I'm definitely an iPhone guy though. Apple > Not Apple. Steve Jobs is my homie for life!
