Resisting Temptation

On January 9, I wrote about getting the Apple iPhone right after Steve Jobs announced the product hours beforehand. Of course, I didn't stupidly proclaim that I will get the iPhone no matter what. I set some minimum standards, and waited patiently.

Then on June 29, I visited the Apple store in Chicago and played with the iPhone. At $599 for the 8 GB version, along with many shortcomings that simply pissed me off, I decided not spend any money on it for what I would be getting.

Basically, it boiled down to the mere fact that although the iPhone has a coveted usability feature that is leaps and bounds beyond the competition, its features are weak at best. To me, it's like buying a $30,000 car that has heated seats made from premium grade Italian leather, nice Momo steering wheels, huge sunroof, and a craptastic puny engine that is easily outperformed by a rusty Honda Civic from the late 80's. Oh, and it doesn't even have independent double wishbone suspensions!

Would you want to buy such a car? Sure, it certainly has some nice things, but overall, for what it is, I wouldn't even touch it. But what if the price of such a car suddenly drops to $20,000, a 33% price drop?

That is exactly what happened to the iPhone 19 days ago, on September 5. Steve Jobs made an unprecedented announcement that the price of the iPhone will be dropped 33%. My Apple fanatic friend, who initially said he wouldn't buy the iPhone, bought the iPhone on the day of its launch, quickly followed by a prompt return. His reason wasn't because of the product itself, but rather the level of service AT&T provided him. Then he bought the iPhone again, after two major factors: 1) the aforementioned price drop, and 2) the recent successful hack that unlocked the iPhone.

Ever since September 5, especially with the announcement of the unlocking hack immediately following, I've been contemplating whether or not I should just join in on the popularity bandwagon in owning an iPhone. Sure, the glorious 3.5 inch screen coupled with a sensational touch human interface is aimed to please the crowd. Hell, it can even serve as an icebreaker when I sit next to a hot chick on the plane while on a business trip!

Temptations, temptations, temptations. I for one have never been the show-off kind of a guy. But gee whiz louise! I don't know how much longer I can resist the dark force of such a temptation...