After making the switch, iPhone resistance remains

A couple years ago I signed my soul over to Apple and switched to an iPhone. Fortunately, I can easily resist the annual trick the company plays on its customers: “Wouldn’t it be great to upgrade to the latest and greatest model?”

I’ve never been big on smartphones. Fancy apps and features just aren’t my style. If I can make calls and send texts, I’m happy.

The only reason I ditched my old-school cellphone for an early-generation Samsung touch-screen model was because everyone else was doing it. I’m a tactile person, so navigating a smooth, flat digital screen was maddening.

Life became good again when I discovered the BlackBerry, which provided my eager fingers with a real keyboard. During a pilgrimage to Rome in 2012 to witness the canonization of Mother Marianne Cope, I even pecked out a special report on my trusty phone from the pews of Roman Catholic basilicas across the city.

Not long afterward, word came that BlackBerry would no longer offer support to my carrier’s non-business customers. I was forced back to touch-screen land and chose another Samsung, purposely avoiding the iPhone despite its promise of simplicity and technological superiority.

The struggle was real. I had never had a satisfying relationship with smartphones, and the trend continued with this Samsung phone. My brain was in crisis mode: I preferred PCs over Apple’s Mac computers, so why was this non-Apple device such a pain to use? Was it time to reconsider my disdain for the iPhone?

Then an iPhone more or less fell into my lap. My then-boyfriend, now-fiance’s sister was upgrading and had no use for her old model; it was mine if I wanted it.

I recognize the headaches that can come from switching between PC and Apple platforms, but I was promised the transition would go well. (I covered my bases with a mobile security/online backup program.)

Lo and behold, I was able to make the leap. But as newer-generation iPhones came out, my device fell behind and, annoyingly, older models lose Apple’s support as it churns out upgraded versions.

So last year I made a huge tech decision and purchased an iPhone for the first time. I can’t remember which model it is, but I know it has the power of an iPhone 6 tucked into the previous generation’s smaller body.

Of course, Apple is now well into its iPhone 7 era and buzz is building about an iPhone 8 to come later this year. I’m going to stick with my iPhone whatever for as long as I can until the company makes it impossible for me to use it.

“She Speaks” is a weekly column by the women writers of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Reach Celia Downes at cdownes@staradvertiser.com.