Leo Babauta on the iPhone

Today, Apple announces its newest device, and the press and tech bloggers swoon. We all have to get the latest device, or we’ll no longer be hip, we’ll no longer be part of the “in” crowd.

And yet, is it really that essential? I’ve wanted an iPhone for almost 5 years now, but haven’t bought one because I know I don’t need it. Will it make my life a bit more fun? Sure, possibly — but so will a walk in the park with my kids, or a hike with a friend, or a free book at the library. I don’t need to spend $199 plus thousands of dollars on a 2-year contract to make my life a bit more fun.

mnmlist: You don’t need the new iPhone

I'm not a smartphone owner. In fact, I am rocking on a Samsung dumbphone that is about five years old. I've already bought a new battery for it because the old one wouldn't hold a charge anymore. Verizon begs me to upgrade, but I won't do it.

I also own an iPod touch. Sometimes, I take it with me to play the apps, read an e-book, listen to music, or surf the web through a WiFi connection. It does just about everything the iPhone does that I would be interested in doing. If they ever came out with a significant upgrade to that device, I would probably buy it.

The reason I don't own a smartphone is simple. I don't want to pay all that extra cash for stuff I enjoy now. Babauta is correct. They are just enticing us to buy stuff that we don't need.

"Need" is a funny concept. I remember when cellphones were first coming out in the 1990s and seeing someone with a phone. I thought it was dumb. Who needs a cellphone when we are surrounded by payphones? Now, a cellphone is indispensable. That guy's neat phone in 1998 doesn't even compare with my old uncool phone. But I keep a phone because I don't have a choice anymore. Pay phones are gone. I don't even have a landline telephone anymore. That was a necessity back in those days.

Our needs remain relatively constant. The variety is in the means of delivery. We need music, reading material, and conversation. Thomas Jefferson needed those things in his day just as I need them now. The difference is that we get them today via the internet while he listened to live music, read books and newspapers, and talked to friends in person or by mail. Yet, even Jefferson lamented how little time he had to take it all in. The supply exceeded both demand and time.

I may or may not buy a smartphone in the future. I just don't feel the pressing need for one. But I did buy a Kindle. This is because I wanted to read e-books in my bed instead of hunched in front of this machine. I bought a Garmin GPS which I have started using at work. That thing is awesome. I will probably feel the same way when I get a smartphone.

Clearly, I am not a technophobe. So, I should be a natural for a smartphone. But that desire is balanced against my desire to not get raped on my phone bill every month paying extra for internet access that I already pay for at home or get for free on WiFi. It is the recurring charge that I abhor. This is the number one reason I don't buy one of those things. It is also why the financial illiterates have to have one. You have people who can't pay their rent walking around with iPhones. The number one feature is showing off to your friends how neat the damn phone is. It is the tech equivalent of bling.

I'm not into showing off. I am a tightwad. For me to buy, it has to be cheap and give great value for the dollar. Right now, the smartphone does not meet this criteria for me. Amen to Babauta.

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