Word of the day: Fatuous - Stupid; foolishly self-satisfied.
For more than 20 years (and that's saying something since I'm in my early 20's) I've been in love with Apple. I learned how to type on a Mac, hell I came leaps and bounds with my ability to read by playing Reader Rabbit. My first personal computer was a mac. I remember when my parents got their first laptop. And now I am on my second lap top. I'm on my 4th ipod; my first was the first generation. But I have yet to own an Apple touch product. My current ipod has a clickwheel, my phone isn't even an Apple product. *gasp*
In fact, I don't have a data plan at all. It's only in the past 3 years that I've jumped on the texting bandwagon. Mostly I didn't feel the need for a data plan because I was in college until spring of '09 and everywhere I went my laptop came with me. But now that isn't the case. And sometimes I even have a social life and I go places for hours or even days without bringing my computer.
My semi-hatred of consumerism has managed to win out against my love of Apple in the case of the ipad. I don't need an ipad. I am not a photographer or a lawyer, I don't take the train or the bus in to work every day, and I don't play many games. Not that I wouldn't love someone to gift me one... That was an especially intense battle because while other people might have taken their first look at the ipad and saw a flat netbook or a small tablet or even a color ereader, I saw a freaking Star Trek TNG prop in Apple clothing and available for real usage. It couldn't get much better if it was made out of lattes and milk chocolate.
But back to the iphone. I don't need a smart phone. I don't need a touch screen. I don't need apps. I don't need a data plan. And even if I needed all those things, I don't need an Apple version of all that. It's not even like when I first got a cell or my GPS and I could justify it as solving a safety issue. It isn't very often that I'm going to have to wikipedia poisonous berries or something. It's a luxury purchase. It's like my fancy big girl apartment tv and it's cable package. It's a giant upfront cost and a seemingly ridiculous monthly bill.
I don't know how much it will really cost me because I do get a discount on Verizon through work. But I feel like it will be something like a good day of outlet shopping and a sale pair of jeans a month. I could also think of it like buying my boyfriend, roommate, and her boyfriend a really nice dinner in the city once and then buying all of them pizza every month. Do I love being able to check gmail, facebook, and wikipedia as much or more than I love pizza or jeans? I don't know. That's quite the three way tie.
I'm going to feel somewhat embarrassed and fatuous if I end up owning an iphone 4. But I will love it like it's my own child.
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