Life After My iPhone

May 12, 2011 | Posted by

I got my first iPhone in the summer of 2008, and I knew my life would never be the same. I was obsessed with it. It was my gateway to all things internet, email, and social networking. I swapped out my iPod for the iPhone every time I went for a run or headed to the gym. I slept with it under my pillow. I loved it, worshipped it, needed it.

But in the fall of 2010 my love affair with my iPhone hit a huge roadblock. When my husband and I relocated to Canada, my iPhone wasn't exactly invited to the party. Thanks to a locked contract with AT&T, my phone wouldn't work with any Canadian carrier and was basically useless. I tried in vain to unlock it using a variety of questionable websites that promised great results, but I was without success. Eventually, I gave in and bought a basic LG phone from Fido. Still, I continued to carry around my iPhone wherever I went, scouring the city for free wireless hotspots so I could keep up with my email and apps. I continued to load new music onto it and refused to revert back to my iPod when I went to the gym. Whenever I saw iPhone commercials on TV, I would bury my head into the sofa and sob.

Then something strange happened. I can't recall exactly when it took place, but after awhile I just lost interest. I stopped caring. I stopped compulsively checking for wireless hotspots. I stopped bringing it everywhere with me. I stopped putting new music onto it. I even stopped charging it, until it eventually died while sitting on our console table at home, where it remains to this day collecting dust. RIP iPhone.

Not only have I forgotten about my iPhone, I've also forgotten how to miss it. Now that I don't have my head down, eyes glued to its screen, I'm able to look around and see just how many people are as obsessed with theirs as I was with mine. Heads ducked down, eyes squinting in concentration, fingers flying. In line at Starbucks, in the waiting room at the doctor's office, at dinner when their spouse has gone to the washroom, at dinner when their spouse is sitting right in front of them, in the car, on the bus, on vacation... we can't stop looking at our phones. How many times has there been a dull moment at a social function, and you've instinctively reached for your phone to busy yourself?

In all honesty, I'm sure I'll have another iPhone someday - they're a great little piece of technology. But I no longer feel like I need one. How many of you can say that? Are you addicted to your iPhone or smartphone as much as I was to mine? Do you think you could handle reverting back?