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Two days without an iPhone

by Mel Martin Jun 22nd 2010 at 7:00PM

Last week I went and did it. I reserved the new iPhone. I'll pick it up Thursday morning. To keep the purchase price cheap, I sold my old one to Nextworth, one of a few firms that gives good deals on used electronics. I sent it in yesterday to make sure it got there in time, because they want it postmarked within a week of the price quote.

Two days, I thought. I can get along without my iPhone for 2 days, right? Silly me.

I hadn't realized how dependent I'd become on that little fella. I grabbed a bite out for lunch and realized that I had no New York Times to read while I dined. No emails. No using iCam to check the household parrot. I felt utterly and absolutely naked. Worse, I kept reaching up to my pocket to grab my non-existent phone. Yikes!

I've had cell phones for years, back to the days where you carried a brick with a big battery and threw it in the car. I've had Sony Ericcson phones, the Razr, even a Motorola Q. They've come and gone, and every so often I would leave for work or play and forget them. No big deal.

Times have changed. We're deluged with text messages, emails, news we have to keep up with. Somehow, the iPhone 'lifestyle' had burrowed into my daily routine to an extent I hadn't realized.

It may be that we are too involved with our electronic devices. I now have a chance to live life for another day without the digital tentacles grabbing at my free moments. Maybe I can reflect more, smell the proverbial roses, have a few electronic-free hours.

I have to admit, it has been tough so far. Thursday, I'll be in line with many of you, happily awaiting the next big advancement in communications. I'll be easy to recognize; I'll be the guy not checking his email, taking pictures, or getting my GPS location just because I can.

How about you? Have you had to go without your iPhone for an extended time? And how did you do?

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Last week I went and did it. I reserved the new iPhone. I'll pick it up Thursday morning. To keep the purchase price cheap, I sold my old...
 

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51 Comments

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St.McDuck

I've gone without an iphone for the entirety of the iphone's life.
I'll continue to do so until I don't have to deal with AT&suck.

June 23 2010 at 5:14 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Chris

I sold mine too on bay and have been using a go phone cheapy for the last two days. It seems like at every turn I discover yet another thing I would use my iPhone for if it were in my pocket. I'm very much looking forward to getting the new phone.

June 23 2010 at 10:00 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Andy Shannon

Yea just wait until Nextworth gets your iphone and says, naahhhh, that price we quoted you, it aint worth that, now we will give you $70 less, take it or leave it, and most chumps take it, they got quite a scam going over at that site. I sold my 32 gig 3GS on ebay for a cool $350 without any shennigans.

June 23 2010 at 9:24 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
marty

2 days, how about since June 7th. tomorrow can't come any faster!

June 23 2010 at 9:04 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Simon

I sold my iphone 3g 16gb on the day of the WWDC keynote to get the most money i could and reverted back to a phone which does exactly two thing, it calls people and it (barely) text messages.

Ironically, in my rush to sell and upgrade I've pretty much completely rid myself of my iPhone addition, and it was VERY similar to the time i gave up coffee!

That said last week i did set off on a 400 mile drive, and as i know the first part of the route didnt even think about a map until i realised i didn't have the navigon app and didnt know where i was. That was fun.

June 23 2010 at 8:21 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Chris Lawrence

That's nothing, I've been without my iPhone for two months waiting for the new one to come out! I wish they would get off their duff and release it here in Australia.

June 23 2010 at 2:04 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
matt

Has anyone used Nextworth or Gazelle and recieved an unfair final price after sending in your iPhone? I figure "excellent" condition is difficult to achieve, but has a very good condition ever been denied unfairly?

June 23 2010 at 12:36 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to matt's comment
Andy Shannon

Yes, I have tried Gazelle twice before, and the price they quote you before you ship the item is never the same as the final price they offer you after you ship it to them, and they give you a take it or leave it offer, which has been way lower than the quoted price they showed on the website in my experience. I took it the first time thinking to myself, hmmm, maybe it wasn't in that great of condition, but the second time i sent them a perfect condition device and they did the same thing. It's quite a scam they got going there.

June 23 2010 at 9:30 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
matthew

Well I have a story too,
I worked for at&t for 4 years, had an iPhone since day one, and then march of this year they canned me, even took my old iPhone that was no good to anyone. So I knew I had two choices: 1 buy a new iPhone with a contract, or 2, wait till the new one came out because we all knew one would come out. So I bought a HTC G1 for $100 and had to use that till the day before the WWDC this year (C'mon you think I was going to wait till after the new iPhone was announced to sell it) Now I have been going since then without a smartPhone but even worse, It's been since March without my iPhone and I have spent every day since the 2007 launch with one so I think I may need rehab if I don't get mine in the mail tomorrow. Did I mention I sold the G1 on Craigslist for $175?

June 23 2010 at 12:01 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Gianpaolo Macerola

I had mine stolen at a bar (really... no prototype) and had to get another one the next morning for fear of being without one.

June 22 2010 at 11:29 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Dimwit

I've been without my iPhone for 3 months. My beautiful bride broke hers, so being the sap... Err nice guy I am, I took the Nokia 2610. Go ahead, look it up. I'll wait. Scoreboard ME! Thursday can't come fast enough.

June 22 2010 at 11:28 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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