Apple Fever | brokeGIRLrich
I am not a giant fan of technology.
That may sound sort of weird from a blogger, but it’s true. I’m not generally all razzle-dazzled by new, shiny and tiny objects with lots of buttons.
I don’t trust them.
I’m also afraid to live in the Matrix someday.
It’s happening people.
But watching other people react is fascinating to me. I mean, how many blogs and magazines are dedicated solely to the next latest and greatest tech toy? A lot.
To be quite honest, I didn’t even know something big was happening at Apple until I signed onto Safari at work last week. Our homepage is the generic Apple page and it showed a countdown to something.
Hmmm. Countdown to what? I literally had no clue.
Don’t get me wrong, I am, technically an Apple girl. In 2009 I got the Macbook that I’m still using today. Final selling point that got me to buy it? I was going through laptops about every 2 years. Half a dozen friends swore my Macbook would last at least twice as long, despite the fact that I drop things regularly.
I’ve gotta say – 5 years and going (moderately – she’s starting to slow down a bit) strong… and yes, I’ve dropped her more time than I can count. I used to be super careful transporting her in one of those insulated sleeve cases. The last two years or so, I tend to just toss her in my book bag and see where the chips fall. So far, so good.
So I do trust Apple a little. And I love iMovie.
Also, when I said I’m not generally razzle-dazzled, I will totally admit I thought iPhones were super cool when they came out.
It took me a few years to finally get one though. I was not keen on the cost of data plans. I’m still not, but what are you gonna do? Stefanie wrote an excellent post over on Vosa about the cost of missed opportunities by skipping items like smartphones that I was starting to notice as well.
Well, my handy, dandy circa 2011 iPhone is on its last legs. It does this lovely freezing and crashing thing. It eats voicemails sometimes (which cost me a job I was kind of excited about).
All I can think about is how much a new iPhone would cost and it makes me think… I’m probably not getting another one. Unless I can go back a few generations and pick up a new (or refurbished – does Apple do that with phones?) iPhone4 or even 3. Who cares as long as it works and lets me read my email?
And play Candy Crush.
The shame…
So the point of all that rambling is that I work with two totally crazy gadget lovers. To such an extent that my boss cut out mockups of the iPhone 6 and and iPhone 6 Plus out of foam core.
(Insert picture I really should’ve taken of them yesterday. Dang it. Missed opportunity.)
He went around all day asking people which size they liked best and which one they were going to buy. He was trying to decide which size he likes better before the release date so he can be sure to get one of the first.
Without a doubt – his current phone works fine.
Also, don’t get me wrong; spend your money however you wish. I mean, he’s my boss. I have no idea what his financial situation is, but I’m guessing very secure. If you like toys, buy toys.
But Apple fever is pretty weird. And it is super weird to me to watch otherwise totally rational people talk about how they have to decide which one they like better so they can buy it as soon as it comes out.
It was even weirder to me that he just assumed that everyone was deciding which one they wanted and that he thought he was helping us all out by creating these mock-ups so we could check out how the sizes felt.
We are theater technicians. We’re generally a pretty geeky bunch. All the same, foam core mock ups were a bit much for me. Apparently the personal finance blogger in me won out, because when he handed them to be and asked which one I planned on getting, my first response was:
“Oh, is your phone broken?”
Oh yeah. I have a few Apple junkie co-workers. I love technology, but I follow the if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it model. I’m not running out for the new phone anytime soon.
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I agree. My phone is actually starting to freeze and shut itself off regularly so it’s almost time for a new one. But I’m pretty excited this will make the 5 reasonable and, hopefully, a new 4 or 4S dirt cheap.
I really don’t get the obsession with the new technology, especially considering how often it comes out. I, like you, prefer to be a later adopter, once the price has gone down and the kinks have been worked out.
I can never understand the people camped out outside Apple stores when they release the latest technology. Even if you are a Task Rabbit, why does someone care this much? New technology is rarely mind blowing, it usually has kinks that need to be worked out and you can get it cheaper once the kinks are worked out. I like to stay many steps behind those in line at Apple and I don’t feel bad about it in the least.
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I agree – let other people be the guinea pigs. If it’s really as good as it seems, we’ll wind up with it eventually. It took a few years, but smart phones are pretty standard now.
I definitely do not have Apply fever, and I will never understand the need to camp out to get the latest phone. People say I’m weird but I think everyone else is weird!
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Zero Apple fever, even though we own a MacBook for DH’s line of work, which we didn’t buy it brand new either. I just use what I have until it dies and then I’ll buy something else that gets the job done at a fair price and will last a few years. I don’t do line-ups and I dislike camping in general let alone sleeping overnight in front of a store, so I am not the ideal target for new technology releases or Black Friday sales.
Apple fanatics are crazy, but also fun to watch at the same time. In regards to updating your phone, it is very likely that you will be able to find refurbished older models. The best places to looks for these is straight from your cell phone service provider’s or another provider’s websites. This is especially true if you are not too tech savvy. You can buy refurbished phones from Apple, eBay, or Amazon, but it’ll be hard to determine if that phone works with your current service provider. If you want to do the research on how an iPhone 5 from AT&T differs from an iPhone 5 from Verizon (there is a huge difference), then you should go right ahead. However, if you do not want to spend time on it, then buying from the service provider’s site is so much easier and their rates are pretty good as well.
I’ll definitely have to look into it. I didn’t know there were websites specifically for refurbished phones, but it makes sense.
My iPhone 4 loses every call now so I need to get a new phone. I think I should be able to get an iPhone5 cheap now that the 6 is available.
I’m hoping the same thing.
I am a big Apple fan, but I’m a big Apple fan because their products last a long time. My iPhones have averaged about 3.5 years – much longer than any other cell phone I owned. I have no desire to upgrade to the newest toy just because they release a new product. I do have a cousin-in-law (is that a thing?) who starts whining about her iPhone acting up about a week before the new ones are released so she can justify being first in line for a new phone. But hey, whatever makes her happy.
It’s true, if people have the money to spend, who are we to judge them on how they spend it (lol, except clearly I am a bit based on this whole post). But honestly, buying the newest technology is just as silly as buying 1,325,352 tubes of chapstick… and I’m definitely guilty of one of those things.
Oh yeah, my office has be nuts about it! People all discussing which size phone and what color watch band they’ll get. It’s a software company, so there is a certain amount of tech fetishization that comes with the territory, but it was a little much 🙂
New phones are cool. I’ll have to wait and see how good the new camera is. I basically use my phone for email and photos. I don’t think they can change how email works… so hopefully the make the camera much better!
Yeah, my camera is a piece of junk now on my phone, which stinks since it’s the main camera I use. I’m a little excited for this thing to finally up and die so I can justify getting a newer one – because there’s even a massive difference between the 4 and the 4S and 5 cameras. They’re both much better.
I haven’t noticed Apple fever a whole lot – two of my coworkers JUST got the ‘new’ (I guess not new anymore) iPhone 5S, and my coworkers are pretty frugal (we do work in finance, after all)… they don’t upgrade unless it’s ‘time’ to upgrade.
For me… I don’t know! I think I am ‘due’ for an upgrade really soon, like November, and since I want to stick with Verizon (for better or worse, I know!), I might upgrade. It depends on how much the 6 will cost me out-of-pocket though. If the 5S is cheaper, I’ll be getting that.
Extra bonus? My bf gets my hand-me-down phones, so at least we don’t spend any extra money on his phone! 🙂 He’s okay with it, btw. He’s not a smartphone guy at all – if I didn’t make him have a phone, he wouldn’t have one at all!
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I wish my co-workers would chill about it. I feel sort of left out of all the conversations, but I’m also just not all that interested. Oh well, the fever will eventually pass… for a few months… till the next new tech toy comes along.
I have a Macbook as well but have zero Apple/iPhone fever. It’s JUST a phone. Imagine if people got that excited about their partners, or kids, or jobs! Holy heck we’d live in a different world. It kinda sickens me actually people are willing to spend $600 on a phone and then just keep buying and buying. It’s the consumerism trap!
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It really is. I can’t believe how much one of those costs new and that people line up to pay it. The capitalist in my applauds Apple, but I wonder about the sanity of the consumers.
I have an iPod but no iPhone – my current phone is an embarrassment and I know I will need to upgrade to something better. I don’t get the obsession with iPhones myself but probably because I don’t have one and it is probably for the best. Ignorance is bliss and $ in this case.
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Honestly, there are a lot of decent smart phones from companies other than Apple that don’t charge and arm and a leg.
I used to have an iPhone before, but my hubs bought me a Samsung S3. I love the Apple brand, but I’m not totally a gadget addict who would buy their new release gadgets.
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I am one of those hard-core freaks still using a flip-phone with a prepaid $0.25 a minute plan where I pay $100 a year and still don’t use all of the minutes. It is the subject of mockery around me but I don’t care. We do have an I-POD at home used to check email real quick or stream content to the TV. I don’t pay attention to new roll-outs of Apple, Android, whatever. I guess if there was a business need for this stuff I would have to start getting more tuned-in. Its just a tool not a lifestyle like they pitch it and apparently accepted as such by the masses.
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There’s nothing wrong with flip phones! When the robots start to take over the world, you might actually survive.
I have a small case of Apple Fever, but mine is different than most. My iPhone 4s drank a can of Dr Pepper on July 4 and has been struggling hard (but still mostly fuctioning) since. I am soundless and it glitches and freezes regularly. I’m excited for these Applers to buy their new phones so I can pick up one of the forgotten 5 or 5s phones!
That’s not a bad reason to be excited!
I got an iPod in 2005. That’s about as far as my relationship with Apple goes. My old roomie had a Mac since he worked with photos. But didn’t update every time something new came out. My sibling got a new iPhone 5, but it was their first one, and they really did need a new phone. I guess I run with a frugal crew to be as yet untouched by this ailment? Lol
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I finally jumped on the smart phone bandwagon back in April. Why? My uncle gave me his old iPhone 3GS. All I had to do was unlock it (to use with my provider) and replace the near dead battery. It works great now and does what I need it to do, make phone calls. It is handy to have for YNAB and checking the internet when there’s wifi.
For a computer I have a mid 2007 24″ iMac. Best computer monitor I’ve ever owned. Recently it has been getting sluggish so I decided it was time to upgrade. Instead of buying a whole new machine I purchased a new solid state drive to replace the aging hard drive and a new hard drive to replace the seldom used optical drive. I forget the exact total of the hardware I bought, came to something like $380. Much cheaper than a new rig. The only real drawback of upgrading an iMac is it’ll take some time, especially with this older model. Apple makes their hardware daunting to upgrade to the average user. Taking it slow, I say I spent a few hours swapping out the parts and getting the Mac screwed back together. Then I install OS X and the easy part was done. Installing Windows without the internal optical drive was a whole other can of worms. I must have a good twelve hours working on that. Delving into the depths of the internet to find an obscure forum post on the topic was required.
The upgrade was worth it in the end, this iMac now runs better than it was new. Installing an SSD in an old computer is likely one of the best cost to performance upgrades a person can do. Something anyone with an aging computer should look into, especially if you are willing to do the upgrade your self.
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I have to say I love my ipad and ipod but I really do not understand people queuing up for 2 days for a mobile telephone!! That said, I expect it is because i’m not a techno lover.
True. It definitely makes it easier to resist temptation when you’re not a techno freak.
As a computer nerd I do tend to change phones / laptops / toys more often than I should, but I try to mitigate it by staying at least one rev back to keep the prices down. Will I get an iPhone 6? Eventually, yes, but not until something newer comes out.
Heads up, Apple always does a big product announcement in June and September of every year. (Maybe it’s just September now? They used to announce iPhone news in June).
I looove my iTouch completely. But I’ve never been an Apple fan outside of ipods/iphones. I have zero interest in a macbook – I don’t get it. They are WAY overpriced and honestly are not better than a pc. I’m not even biased here. You can get laptops with completely equal specs and the Windows version will always be cheaper. Plus upgradable components if you’re into that type of thing.
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I honestly have to say I’m not sure about that based on the fact that I never had a PC laptop that held up for 5 years. They averaged 2 years before this Macbook, which is still going strong a little over 5. So financially, for me anyway, it’s definitely balanced out. Maybe there are tougher PC laptops these days though.