How I Learned to Love my iPhone (Or Fake It!)

For years, my Blackberry was my constant companion. It was provided to me by Rogers radio and I loved it. I was lightning-quick on the physical buttons on the keyboard and rarely made mistakes. It went with me to Europe and turned out photos that were plenty good enough. It’s not like I was entering them in a contest. 

Then Derek switched to an iPhone and I reluctantly followed along. iPhone and I never really bonded. I like the apps. I enjoy its versatility and all that but I longed for the familiarity of the Blackberry. All these years later and I’m still not comfortable with the on-screen keyboard.

Derek recently changed to an Android while I stuck with Apple. He had a terrible experience with LG phones and now owns a Galaxy which seems marginally better. I’ve been researching and asking for input as the weeks counted down to my no-charge hardware upgrade date. Finally, it arrived and we went to see our pal Travis. That’s where my iPhone escape plan all fell apart.

Oh sure, I can get a shiny new Google Pixel 2 or a Hauwei (pronounced way-way) for no cost. But I can’t avoid doubling my monthly fee. New smartphone, new contract. My old deal “no longer exists”. This is how the big tech bastards get ya.

So, I’m going to stick with my iPhone for now. I’ll take advantage of Apple’s free battery replacement and carry on as long as I can. It has a hairline fracture in the middle of the screen and a blacked-out spot where I spilled nail polish remover on it. Or in it. But it will have to do. Spending almost double the money to get the same unlimited talk and text plan I’ve had for two years seems awfully wasteful. I simply don’t care whether my phone will look like a relic. Heck, I’ll go back to a flip phone if I have to. The whole system is gross. The big companies won’t feel my absence but refusing to play their game will make a difference to little ol’ me.