Finally, A New Mobile Phone

I really beat up my mobile phone when I went backpacking back in July. I made sure to get a new one when I got back to civilization after spending only slightly less than a year in a state of indecision. There were a number of features I was using as criteria for the new phone:

1. Waterproof/Dustproof - There are a number of manufacturers making phones that are waterproof. Seeing as I spend a fair amount of time in snowstorms, having a waterproof phone was kind of important to me.
2. 4G LTE - It didn't make sense to have an unlimited smartphone data plan only to not have the fastest speed possible. Ideally, I would also like to have it usable as a mobile hotspot, but not having it was not a deal-breaker.
3. Size - While most people are looking for the largest screen possible, I wasn't. I prefer something that doesn't look like an aircraft carrier stuck to the side of my face.
4. Cost - Nobody wants to pay full price for anything, especially me. I wanted a deal and wasn't going to spend North of $400 for a piece of electronics that could easily fall into the toilet.
5. Android or IOS - In case you haven't figured it out over the past couple of posts, I really hate Windows and refused to buy a Windows phone. There is a huge ecosystem of applications available for both IOS and Android, most of which are not available on Windows phones.
6. Ease of Upgrade - Moving the data from by antique iPhone couldn't be a lengthy process.

Unfortunately I could not find a phone that had all of the features I wanted, as some of them (like waterproof and ease of upgrade) were mutually exclusive. In the end, I had to pick a phone that was a compromise of features. I decided on the iPhone5 after getting one for my wife when her old iPhone died. So far I am happy with my decision. Sure I had to lock myself into my current service provider for the next couple of years to get the price I wanted, but the ease of upgrade made up for that. The size was what I was used to and felt natural.

I'm sure I will find something to complain about in the near future. Until then, I am happy to have a somewhat newer phone that does everything I need it to. I was even able to load some new applications that wouldn't work on my other phone because it was so old.

Apple Going Downhill

Today I needed to update the operating system on my wife's Apple MacBook computer. The last time I needed to update the OS for another computer, I just bought a copy of Snow Leopard from the local store and loaded it onto the computer my kids use. It was a busy day being New Year's Eve, but my wife really wanted to get her computer fixed. So we braved the local Apple store on a holiday only to discover they don't carry it in the stores any more. The salesperson told me to order it online and they would send it to me. That wasn't going to help me today.

This is just one example of Apple not continuing to think about its customers. Another example is the iPhone 5. While some people love the phone, there are a number of unlucky customers that got a substandard product that doesn't work very well. My brother-in-law was one such user and is now trying to figure out how to unload his iPhone 5 for something that is usable. This has me holding onto my old iPhone a bit longer as I try to figure out what to replace it with. If only Google would polish the Android operating system so that it was at least close to the level of iOS.

Steve Jobs understood the importance of the customer and now it seems as if the new CEO is letting Apple start the downhill slide that eventually happens to all companies at the top of their industry. Sure that slide can be stopped, but Apple should wake up now before it is too late. As for me, I am starting to look at other options.