Why I Ditched My Apple iPhone

After much deliberation I decommissioned my Apple iPhone from use. My primary complaint: it was just too expensive to keep. Certainly there were a lot of nice features and conveniences that I enjoyed while using it - but for a number of reasons it was just too unrealistic to continue owning one.

1. My phone model is outdated - one thing maddening about buying the Apple iPhone was that only two months after I made the big purchase, Apple announced a surprise decrease in price and an upgrade in their model. I was stuck with the "Edge" data networking protocol which, while fast, pales in comparison to the upgraded "3G" version. Downloading data is noticeably slower (in comparison) like when watching streaming video or uploading photo attachments via email.


2. AT&T is robbing me blind - Before I registered my iPhone, I enjoyed a 15% discount in AT&T wireless services. After I was forced to give up the employer discount (some fine-print regulation) AND I had to adopt a more expensive service contract PLUS an add-on service fee for a "data plan" (what AT&T charges for phones that can upload and download data). At the current AT&T service contract rates, I could afford to buy a brand new iPhone every two to three months... it's that expensive to maintain!


3. I really need to unplug - Before the iPhone, I could enjoy some "downtime" when I wasn't near a computer. Now I've been checking emails and "plugging in" every 5-10 minutes. Likewise even when I'm not checking, my phone is constantly buzzing me when new emails arrive and other events take place. Sure, there are iPhone apps for "Twitter" and for "Facebook" but come on, who needs to update their status THAT frequently?
4. The iTunes Store can get expensive - If you've never owned an iPod music player before, or if your CD collection isn't that wide, the iPhone's music playing capability can get expensive. Albeit music downloads are as low as 99 cents each, filling 8 to 16 GB of capacity can add up... even for the most bare bones music collection. Roughly calculating: 1.2 MB per song at 1000 MB per GB adds up to thousands of songs to fulfill the player's capacity.
5. That touch keyboard is just too damn tiny - just as it's primary interface is so user intuitive and easy to use, the screen is just too small to accomodate for a full sized keyboard... making typing for large or clumsy fingers somewhat of a daunting task.

Complaining aside, one must also sing the praises of the iPhone's accomplishment. The new low price (compared to its original release price) is one such bittersweet reflection of its resounding success. It was received so well it seems, that Apple could afford a major price break in anticipation of future sales and market penetration. This sucks for early adopters, but for new buyers, it's a sweet time to get in on the product... there has been an explosion of new features, bug fixes and hardware enhancements that makes the heads of early adopters spin.

To be fair, I also feel compelled to call out a few points on how I'll miss my iPhone:

Ten Reasons Why I'll Miss My iPhone

1. Seeing so many people now carrying iPhones makes me feel like I'm being left behind the curve in the latest technology rage to hit the market.
2. The convenience of searching the Internet anywhere and everywhere I go (with or without wifi hotspots) was awesome.
3. I'll miss having a portable wi-fi hotspot finder.
4. Google Maps was a saving grace when on-the-go and the cell-phone signal triangulation made the iPhone one awesome GPS unit.
5. As much as I am strongly for "unplugging", I will sorely miss facebook, remote blogging and twittering at 2 minute intervals.
6. Tinkering with different iPhone Apps will be missed. These little application vignettes were priced affordably ( free to as much as 5 to 10 dollars an app) and packed a punch of usefulness both from a productivity and an entertainment standpoint.
7. iTunes movie downloads were fantastic. I'll miss "renting" movie downloads and uploading them to my phone for watching during a long commute.
8. Three words: Convenient E-Mail Access
9. The interface was just so downright intuitive and easy to use. I'll miss having an electronic device with such a convenient interface design.
10. Being a part of the critical mass in what seems to be a market phenom. Even with all the competitiveness of the cell phone market where the iPhone's competitors give away their models for virtually free, iPhone enjoys a premium sales price of upwards of $300 per unit. Plus the wireless provider (AT&T) enjoys its premiums in the form of expensive and long-term service contracts.

Needless to say, though it will be missed, I paid the early withdrawal fee just to cancel my 2 year AT&T service contract after only serving less than 1 year of it. The irony is that now I've traded in my iPhone for a pay-as-you-go prepaid cell phone and at the current rate of expense, I'll have earned back the money lost in early withdrawal penalties (for the iPhone) within the next four months.

Feeling confident about my cost savings, I also plunked down a couple of hundred dollars for a netbook computer. Smaller and more portable than a laptop and much larger than the restrictive screen resolution of the iPhone, I was able to resolve my issues of usability and portability at the same time. Now I hunt for wi-fi hotspots and Internet cafes with my ultra-portable, 2 pound netbook computer in tow. As for "everywhere" access to the Internet, I have not missed it and I feel that I'm not looking back on that sacrifice.

Apple managed to craft a popular, mainstream product for the electronics and computing enthusiast. I'll be the first to admit that. But the overall maintenance, associated costs and expenses of ownership will continue to be a dark, haunting responsibility that many iPhone adopters may not realize until its way too late. Cheers to the bittersweet success of the iPhone - good luck to new adopters and sympathies go out to other "ditchers" out there.