What’s the big f?!#8! deal ?

I may catch some heat from all those devotees, but I just don’t get it. I can’t understand why people would wait in line for such a thing. The generation of baby boomers and there’s a wide range of us, never waited in line for inanimate objects. We only stood in line to get tickets for concerts,  sporting events or the greatest music festivals ever.  Let’s try Woodstock for example… No one can top that.  No, I wasn’t there. I wish I was. But we would never stand in line for something metal and cold that could easily malfunction without any explanation at all.

We never had much of a relationship with non-communicative items. We only related to people. There were times we may have idolized them for their greatness, but they were people, like us. We could recognize brilliance in another person, because we either knew what it was like not to have it or how hard it was to strive for it.

Unless you were among the chosen few that were born with greatness.  And I mean chosen, because there are only a handful of those.  We were shown a lot of it when we growing up.  Something I think this generation is missing out on and it’s too bad. There was incredible music and unity in those days. We had a voice. We had a mission and we had a cause.  We did it together.

We weren’t so insular, but we never had the technology that’s available today. No computers or cell phones. Can the younger generation,  raised in this era of time, ever imagine life without these ?

So, this brings me to the question I wrote this blog about. Why are there lines and camp-outs for the new iphone ? 5G ? Really.  Most of what I’ve been hearing from experts is that it’s not really much different from the old one. It’s a bit faster and thinner, but otherwise, much the same.  And guess what ? You have to buy all new chargers and accessories, so they will make even more money.  And you will have less.

I’m probably the wrong person to be looking at the wonderment of any iphone. I HATE them and think they are drastically over-rated. I’m on my second one in 3 and a half months and guess what ?  This one sucks too. Loses its charge after 3 or 4 hours at most, even when I’m not on it much.

When I brought the first one back, the Apple people said it was corrupt. They supposedly fixed it.  No they didn’t.  It worked better and kept a charge longer for a while, but when a friend went to download an app, it took forever.  I went back and demanded a new one. They gave me it to me. This has the same issue and in addition, it sometimes gets stuck when I  press an app, number or try to end a call.

And that Siri, she’s not so bright.  Yes, sometimes she surprises me, but most of the time, she says she’s going to search the web.  I don’t need her for that.  I can do that myself.  I asked her for a joke awhile ago. She said, “Two iphones walk into a bar. I forget the rest.” That was the extent of it.

If I didn’t need this phone, I’d throw it in the trash, where it belongs. So, back to the Apple store.  I’m going to start charging them for my time. I’m not interested in another iphone, although I’ll probably be forced to get one.  I’d rather turn it in. It’s too frustrating to keep dealing with a phone that doesn’t work.

I heard a poll was taken and Droids outsell iphones, 2 to 1. There is also the Samsung Galaxy.  These are all referred to as smart phones. I don’t think so. I don’t get it.  I don’t think there’s anything smart about them.  People are smart, because they invented them. Phones are not.

I just want a phone to answer my calls, take messages, get emails and text. Uncomplicated. Life is complicated enough, who needs to add to the confusion ? Who needs all those apps ?  For what ?  You want to listen to music ? Ipod.  Notice their branding. You want to know the weather ? Watch the news or step outside. Time ? look at your watch. You want to play games ?  Get  a video.

I have an idea. Get away from technology for a few hours. Take a walk in the woods with someone you want so spend time with. Go for a bike ride. Have coffee with friends with the agreement that you all shut your phones off for that period. Read a book. Drive to the ocean.

Sit at a table in a busy spot and people watch. With your phone shut off.  But relate to the world, nature and other people.  Find the beauty.  The calm. The peace. The connection. I guarantee it will make you much happier than your phone will.

Cell phones, laptops, Ipads are fairly recent. Does anyone ever wonder what we did without all this technology ? For one, we weren’t obsessed with an information or talking piece of metal.

Instead, we talked to friends. We went out together. All of us were present and none of us trailed off during a conversation to answer a phone or text. Believe me, you’re not that important. Whatever it is can wait, but friendships can’t. Your health can’t. Time can’t. Think of all those wasted hours really doing nothing.

I think a lot of kids coming from this generation live in more isolation than ever before, although I think this issue goes beyond phones and computers. Too many kids end up communicating with the wrong people out of loneliness, or get bullied in front of a mass audience on-line and today too much information is available for the wrong things, like making bombs or getting an address they shouldn’t have.

I’m not saying technology doesn’t have a purpose and isn’t a great tool that often makes our lives easier. It does and it is. There are so many benefits, but there has to be some balance and awareness that there’s more. We know there’s more, because we’ve lived it. But do they ?

So I suggest that all those people in line and I bet most are 25 or under,  get out of it. Walk away. Use your time more productively.  If you want a new iphone that badly, they’ll be there.  In a few months, you’ll be able to walk into any Apple or other store representing the iphone and buy it.  No lines.

Try putting your phone down and computer away. Just try it. Go Live. Being on an iphone isn’t living and God knows, waiting in line for a new one is just a waste of time.  It only makes the higher echelon of Apple people happier and richer.

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