Iphone and The “I Want It Now” Society
There was a time, not so long ago, when if you wanted something you saved your spare cash up until you could afford it. This was, of course, before the days of creditcards. Those days seem to be a distant memory to most people these days. We live in the “I Want It Now” era.
I have been browsing ebay.com looking at the new Apple Iphone . I was intrigued to read that people had been queuing up all night to get one when they were released on sale in the US the other day. I don’t know how many have been sold but a heck of a lot of them seem to be for sale on ebay.com I used to be a techno junkie myself a few years back. Always upgrading computers with the latest add ons and improvements. These days I view the computer as a tool rather than a hobby in itself. I don’t care if it has the latest widgets and features just so long as it works and does what I need to do and I am the same with mobile phones.
The Iphone looks pretty good and has a lot of features, facilities and benefits. It manages to combine music playing with a phone which will save you carrying around several items. If you like the sound of it great. Go ahead and buy one and enjoy it. For myself I will just be patient. No doubt there will be improved versions to come. Other companies will produce similar phones in the future and the prices will fall.
I don’t feel this urgent need to have the latest gadget which will only be the latest gadget until the next one comes along. I don’t feel the need to spend a lot of money on a new phone because it has extra facilities which I may never even use. I have a phone. In fact I have a couple of old ones in a drawer somewhere that are still perfectly usable.
Modern society has developed this idea that we must consume goods at an incredible rate and borrow the money to do so. Frankly I am tired of hearing about yet another new gadget being released. People all over the world will probably be adding the cost of their Iphones to their credit card bills. They may be very happy with their phones and consider it worth every penny. They may well find it has cost them an arm and a leg to get it by the time they have finished paying the interest charges and the phone itself will be gathering dust somewhere by then.
In time I will, no doubt, have a phone with some of the facilities of the Iphone. It may or may not be the genuine article but for now I am quite happy to stick with the phone I have. Call me old fashioned if you like. I think I might just take that as a compliment.
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Comments
Amen. I sometimes feel like a freak in that I actually save my money and make the occasional splurge – WHEN I CAN AFFORD IT. And you know what, I actually -gasp- pay off my credit card every month! 
Thanks for your comments Moneymonk and Ken. It’s reassuring to know I’m not the only one who feels this way. 
Carnival Monday…
So I really appreciated The Money Well’s take on our need for “instant gratification,” with the iPhone being his springboard. Interesting….
[...] Money Well wrote The Iphone and the ‘I Want It Now’ Society. I am glad that I am not the only one that thinks the the way people are drooling over a cell [...]
I definitely agree with you; our society is all about “me, me, me”. It’s pretty sad that for the first time since the Great Depression that we are spending more than we are making – and our economy isn’t nearly as bad now as it was back then. Oh well, someday they’ll learn. Great post!!
Without credit cards, the iPhone would not have soldout in two hours. It’s easier to spend money without seeing it leave your hands