Little did I know when I saw it’s launch on TV in my office canteen, that this device was going to change the world. My jaw dropped, as Steve Jobs revealed the iPhone. It was a marvel. I’ll get it one day, I thought. It took another 4 years to get one. But, it was love at first sight and the affair continued for the next 9 years. I was an Apple loyalist.
In these 9 years, I upgraded my phone thrice. From 4 I went to 5, then to 6 Plus and then to 8. Over these transitions, one other aspect also changed – the price of the phone. From 32K to 45K to 61K to 78K. And, if today you want to get the latest and greatest iPhone, it’ll set you back by 1.4 Lakhs in India.
I could no more afford nor justify the cost of a new iPhone. So, I decided to move away from Apple.
It started last year when I bought a Windows laptop instead of a MacBook because of, you guessed it right, the cost. I couldn’t replace my iMac/Watch/iPad again, because of the cost. If the ever increasing exorbitant pricing of Apple products in India was one reason, the second one was – my workflow.
At work, we used a Windows laptop. Which meant most of my day, I would not use an Apple product. So, subconsciously over the years I gravitated towards apps and services that were available for all platforms including the web because it was easy to manage my workflow that way. Capturing a todo in Todoist web/Windows was easier than opening Omnifocus on the iPhone all the time. Capturing notes in Evernote was easier than say, in Bear. So, when I purchased a Windows laptop last year, I didn’t miss much.
True, I had invested in lot of apps in the Apple ecosystem, but after the novelty faded, I always came back to a few apps that were platform agnostic. I now did not have any reason to stay back with Apple other than for sunken costs. But, continuing with Apple was not tenable. Spending so much on them was out of question. So, I started looking for options. Then, a new Android phone got my attention the OnePlus 8 Pro.
It boasted the best specs and a price tag that I could still digest. It’s design and build were eye catching. Oxygen OS seemed very clean. And, it had the one factor that I had been looking forward to on my mobile for a long time – AMOLED display. I could get all this here without spending a bomb. Strangely, I was not feeling guilty or afraid of leaving the Apple ecosystem or ditching the iPhone. I purchased the OnePlus 8 Pro.
When I received the phone, I was spellbound. Oxygen OS was beautiful and minimal, which ran contrary to the opinion I had held till then – that Android was ugly to look at. The build quality of the phone, especially the AMOLED display was jaw dropping. Moving from the LCD display of the iPhone 8 to OnePlus 8 Pro felt like moving from a black & white TV to a colour one. I had not expected such a big difference. I thought after I see the phone in person, I’ll go back crawling to the iPhone. Because, seriously could anyone beat an iPhone? But, I was wrong.
After downloading the apps I use regularly, I didn’t actually miss my iPhone. I actually found iOS constricting in comparison. What I could do here through widgets, long presses needed multiple apps on iOS.
So, ten days into now, I can say, I got over Apple.
Smartphones when they were released were a novelty. Soon, the entire world moved onto it. There was an app for everything. So, we think smartphone can do everything. But, it cannot. Atleast not as effectively say as a computer. So, when the dust settled, for me a smartphone morphed into a device I use to read, listen to music, connect, shop, stay top on utilities and game. My workflow – how I manage my life, what I value – reading, aesthetics, music, operational ease in terms of apps and OS are what I consider now when I look for a smartphone. And, ofcourse the appropriate price. Not because I am an penny pincher. But, because I value, value. A realisation too late? Maybe. But, better now than never.
How do you make decisions when you pick a smartphone? What role does is play in your life? Think about these. And, most of the times, we don’t need the best. Most of the times, a ‘good enough’ smartphone is good enough for us.
P.S.: Privacy is a concern on my mind. I’m still researching on how best to protect privacy on Android. I periodically review the permissions I’ve extended to various apps. Given, that now I’m using big brother’s software, it may be difficult. But, I intend to protect as much as possible.
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