By Josh Wolfe
Who remembers the year 1965 when Bob Dylan went electric? Me neither. On a more recent note, who remembers the last time they used a good ol’ fashioned flip-phone? I am proud to say that I have been one of the last holdouts for the new iPhone, but as of today, I have started making burial plans for my trusty, always reliable flip-phone.
I thought that I’d be able to make it another year, until the day comes when I (hopefully) find a job and my employer forces a phone on me with email and Internet capabilities. Sadly, it is not to be. I have made up my mind that an iPhone will be in my possession in the near future, probably before the end of the month.
To be honest, I have been toiling with this dilemma for a while, knowing that it’s time to wake up and realize that it is 2011 and that I am once again at the end of another era. I can just hear the people whispering to each other as I walk down the street, talking on my flip-phone, saying, “Look at that guy. He is sooo 2006.”
Ok, I get it. But I am old school. I still buy books that consist of paper, and pages that require flipping, because I like the way they smell and how they look on my bookshelf. I long for Wile. E. Coyote, Road Runner, Elmer Fudd, Bugs Bunny and all the other great Saturday morning cartoons that have gone the way of the dodo. I always pay for dinner whether she insists or not. As nostalgia creeps in, I must let go and get with the times.
I know that the iPhone is awesome not only because I’ve seen what they’re capable of, but also because EVERYBODY has one. When driving in an unfamiliar area, it’s nice to have a friend who has their iPhone handy (which they always do) to pull up directions only a little slower than the speed of light.
“I like my iPhone because of the GPS,” said second-year photo major Catherine Darby of Dallas, Texas. “It’s nice to have my phone and my iPod all in one since I tend to always lose things anyway.”
Point well made—I like music too.
When I am out of a Wi-Fi area, and need the Internet, I once again rely on the closest friend. Therein lies another problem—not having an iPhone has made me an unassuming nuisance to all who possess one. I am like the only Percival without a Holy Grail.
But on the flip side, it’s nice to be disconnected once in a while. When I need a break from it all, my phone gets cut off and my computer shut down. Sometimes I just don’t want all the capabilities of the iPhone to be readily available to me. And how about the flip-phone’s battery life? Even after two years at my service, the battery will still go for days without needing a charge.
My flip-phone and I have been through a lot together, and I guess you could say that it is a sentimental piece of my life. But right now I am thinking that as soon I have a brand new iPhone resting in my hands like a newborn baby, the old Samsung flip-phone will be nothing more than a smoky silhouette to my memory.
So, next time you’re out in public and see someone with a phone made prior to 2007, don’t be afraid to point them out to your friends, have a good laugh, and tell them to get with the times; but remember, like the lion prides of the Serengeti, you’re witnessing something well on its way to extinction.
Thank you, Mr. Jobs.
