The blue iPhone 12. A special object of affection.
They call it one upgradeHowever?
When you fly, the word automatically fills you with joy because you get something better for free.
On the other hand, when you buy a phone, the price of an upgrade can be steep and the accompanying joy chart cannot be as steeply upward.
Still, Apple CFO Luca Maestri told an analyst call last week that demand for the 12 “exceeded our own internal expectations at the start of the quarter.”
It may be, but when I upgraded from iPhone XR to iPhone 12 six weeks ago, I didn’t have high internal expectations.
Apple’s phones have not sparked surprise in recent years. When the XR and XS emerged, I didn’t see the point in paying big bucks for the purely pleasant iPhone XS.
An easy relationship must end.
I chose an iPhone XR to replace my iPhone 6, which should tell you that I don’t need the supposed instant gratification of every new iPhone.
When I bought the XR, it was the first time I succumbed to Face ID. Leaving the iPhone 6 meant accepting larger size and weight. Somehow I still believed the XR felt like an iPhone. I was still wondering if I would keep it as long as I had the iPhone 6.
I told myself I loved the battery life of the XR. I told myself I loved how sturdy and reliable it was.
I often tell myself lies, especially in relationships.
Within a year I became aware that this was a convenience relationship.
The XR started to press on me. Apple helpfully tells me that I use my phone for an average of two and a half hours a day. Holding it in one hand became (first world) tiresome. Every once in a while I would reach my thumb to click on an app and start hurting the rest of my hand. This was an annoying imbalance.
Yes, the battery life was a huge improvement over previous iPhones. But as the XR got older, I started looking at it with a tinge of pity. And not such affectionate pity either.
It had never turned out lovable. It had become a kind of portable vacuum cleaner that you keep by your sofa to quickly vacuum up your carelessly fallen crumbs. Handy, but never remotely cute.
So saying goodbye was not sweet sorrow. It was more like a Hollywood actor divorcing a famous star at the end of their carefully worded marriage contract.
We shake hands. We said thank you, it’s time and goodbye.
Six weeks with iPhone 12. This is getting scary.
I was not at all convinced that iPhone 12 would make a huge difference.
Indeed, I went to an Apple store to check it out for myself before succumbing to an entirely surprising sales experience.
The saleswoman did not oversell the 12. Instead, she told me, “That’s probably the most similar to what you have. The difference between the 12 and the 12 Pro is the telephoto lens. So if you’re sort of a videographer, get the Pro.”
I am not (yet) a spy, so I chose the 12.
I admit that I found the blue color to be marginally attractive. The moment I bought the phone, I mumbled, “The 12 felt lighter and slightly slimmer than my XR, odd but not uncomfortably retro and, hey, now I have two cameras, something I never consciously wanted.”
You see? No absurd enthusiasm there. Just a sense that this thing is at least a little bit more personal to hand.
However, the past six weeks tended to be scary. I find myself enjoying the square edges of the phone. I find myself thinking back to the iPhone XR’s rounder edges and conclude that they looked cheap.
I also find myself believing the screen to have noticeably sharper resolution and a much better microphone. Obviously, it also produces significantly better photos. I actually love holding this phone. Someone seems to have spent a little more time adjusting the ergonomics to my handheld economy.
What worries me most is that I am beginning to feel a slight affection for this object. A phone, no less.
I pick it up with a touch of reverence, instead of a grip of impatience. I even look at it every now and then and think, “Oh, you look really nice.” (Thanks, Sauvignon Blanc.)
Yes, I may have Lockdown Delusional Syndrome. This could be a sad, bizarre throwback to the iPhone 5 – where the 12 took much of its inspiration – and how much more exciting life was at the time.
No, I am not in love. It may be a silly phase that I am going through. However, I still wonder if this particular iPhone, no matter how retro, can have a lasting impact in the warped annals of design.
This phone cost me less than the XR, but it feels so much classier.
Perhaps that’s why Apple claims it has seen the highest number of people upgrade in a quarter.
Most of them just did it for the infinitely improved cameras, right?