I remember when one of my training supervisors got a car phone.  He told me, “You wouldn’t believe how much time it saves me, Mike.  I return all my calls while I’m driving home!”  I was pretty stoked about the technology.  How amazing it would be not to have to hunt for a slimy public phone when I needed to return a page.  “When I get a real job, the first thing I’m going to do is have a car phone installed,”  I said to myself. 

That opportunity came during my first year as an attending physician. A Christmas bonus from my boss covered the high $2000 price, not for a car phone but for an even more fantastic phone I could carry.  

I recall the excitement that I felt when I purchased it in 1988.  It was a Panasonic and roughly the size of a box of cigars.  The phone had a separate handset and was powered by a lead acid camcorder battery.  It was so heavy that its strap would hurt my shoulder if I had to carry it more than a block, and its only abilities were making and receiving phone calls.  Yet, people would stop me on the street and ask, “Is that a phone?”  When I nodded, they sometimes gasped and uttered, “Wow,” under their breath.  It was incredible, and I felt cool having it.

After a few years of breaking my back, it was time to upgrade, but I can’t remember to what. I’m sure it was one of those candy bar-style phones, as they were much smaller and lighter. Sometime during the mid-1990s, I got a Motorola StarTec flip phone, one of the skinny ones that easily could slip into my pants pocket. I felt that I was riding on the cutting edge of technology.

I had a few other phones in the 2000s, but their memory has faded. 

During that same period, I used electronic organizers called PDAs (Pocket Digital Assistants) and went through a series of them, including several from Sharp. I eventually landed on a Handspring Visor that used the Palm operating system. That device was terrific, as it easily synced to my computer and could run useful programs, many of which were free. What would it be like to combine the features of my PDA with a phone in one little box? I pondered. Others obviously thought the same thing, and a few years later, smartphones hit the market. 

You may think Apple invented the smartphone, but that is untrue. Apple was late to the game, introducing its first iPhone in 2007. Before that time, most smartphones had physical keyboards, and Apple’s keyboardless design was so unique that then-CEO of Microsoft Steve Ballmer ridiculed it, saying, “There’s no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share.” He was obviously wrong.

I had a primitive and clunky Windows CE smartphone and then an early Android phone from HTC. The latter would spontaneously reboot itself right during a phone call. The HTC was so terrible that I started to refer to it as a dumbphone. 

Patients would come into my office and show me their new iPhones.  They were as proud as if they were telling me about a fabulous trip abroad or their new Mercedes.  Even the early iterations of the iPhone were spectacular.  Where my dumbphone took grainy photos, their iPhones did a decent job.  Things we now take for granted, like watching a YouTube video on a phone, were utterly unique and impressive. During that time, Apple had an ad campaign emphasizing what an iPhone could do.  For every problem, there’s an app for that, the commercials said.  Many other smartphones of the day seemed to be works in progress, but the iPhone had its act together.  It was a next-generation device. 

I eventually gave up on my dumbphone and bought an iPhone.  I can’t remember which version, possibly an iPhone 3 or 4.  I was already using a Mac, and purchasing an iPhone solidly transformed me into an Apple fanboy. I followed iPhone news and rumors the way that some follow sports teams. I was not alone, as people would wait overnight in line to get their hands on the latest model.  It seemed like every version was more impressive than the last.

I joined with the others, buying a new phone every 2-4 years, and each time, I was amazed at the model’s meaningful advances. I’m a photographer, and the cameras got better and better.  Newer phones worked on updated cell frequencies, allowing me to call from more remote places. The phones seamlessly integrated with my Mac, permitting me to start a project on one device and finish it on another.  The phones had ever-improving GPS to get me to my destination despite my poor sense of direction.  Video calling was available on other devices, but it was pretty awful.  Apple’s FaceTime worked well. An iPhone could record excellent video, so I could leave my camcorder behind when attending my kids’ events. The advantages continued; I felt like I was carrying a miracle in my pocket. 

Although many of the advances were software-based, they were fueled by ever more powerful and sophisticated hardware.

I traded in my iPhone 10 for an iPhone 12 Pro Max. The new phone had three rear cameras, giving me regular, wide-angle, and telephoto lenses. That flexibility allowed me to leave my pro camera behind, even when traveling. It was a significant advancement.  However, there was something concerning about that phone. It was of a lower build quality than my previous iPhones. At one point, the battery swelled for no reason and cracked the screen. Then, the lightning connector failed, causing me to upgrade to an iPhone 14 Pro Max. A phone that I have used until last week. The iPhone 14 also had significant improvements over previous versions.  Notably, It could connect to satellite emergency services if it was out of cell coverage range.  I travel to remote places that lack cell coverage, making that feature highly desirable. 

I did not intend to replace my iPhone 14 Pro Max; however, I noticed its lightning connector was starting to fail. I was also aware that my battery was degrading faster than the batteries on previous models. I pondered if Apple was practicing a little planned obsolescence. 

My 14 Pro Max had an excellent trade-in value, so I decided to upgrade my phone before the port worsened or other things started to break, as they would lessen the amount of trade-in cash I would get. I now have an iPhone 16 Pro Max. Is it the game-changer that previous generations were? I would say no.  This phone is two generations beyond my last phone; it is more advanced on paper. It has better hardware, a bigger screen, extra buttons, and Apple Intelligence.  The camera is also different, and the faster processor allows for a few more software tricks.  However, with this iteration, the advancements don’t translate into performance differences that impact me in any way.  Additionally, the software changes, like Apple Intelligence, seem more like novelties I had already used via other AI outlets. I’m sure that at some point in the future, Apple Intelligence will be the bomb, but by then, my 16 Pro Max will be outdated. 

In the US, around 60% of phone users have an iPhone.  Yes, new iPhones continue to offer new capabilities, but for most, they are unnecessary or unwanted. We generally text, call, FaceTime, use GPS, take photos, and do other things that have been available for generations of phones.  

I don’t need AI to summarize a three-sentence text message or make a more adorable emoji, and having an extra camera button won’t improve my life.  I don’t think I’m alone in my apathy.  When was the last time you saw a news report of people waiting all night for the Apple store to open so they could be the first to get a new iPhone?  

I’m sure Apple knows this reality, so they have moved towards subscription services. Now, you can rent your news, music, health app, TV shows, and cloud storage by paying Apple’s never-ending monthly subscriptions.  

I wonder if they are cheaping on their parts, as my last two phones had major failures within a few years.  That would be a shame, as one of Apple’s hallmarks is the quality of its products. Android phones are now very sophisticated, and decent Android phones can be bought at reasonable prices.  Switching to Android would be inconvenient, but it would hardly be impossible.

With all of the above, you have probably guessed that my opinion of my upgrade is “Meh.”  I’m sure that there are things that I will eventually appreciate, like changing the Lightning port to USB C, and I may even like Apple Intelligence if it can subsequently improve Siri’s responses. However, it offered nothing that my old phone couldn’t deliver. 

Should you update your old iPhone for a new one?  If you are happy with the functionality of your old phone, no.  If it isn’t holding a charge, you may want to consider replacing the battery to give it new life.  Phones are expensive, and now that they have become commonplace, there is no longer any status to have the latest one on the block. Will all of this impact Apple’s market share?  I don’t know, and I’m not too concerned. I’m sure Tim Cook is working on options for Apple. Monthly subscription to rent your iPhone?  Oh wait, that is already being done; it is called a cell phone plan.

Peace

Mike

Images from various websites are being used for educational purposes only.  The above post is my personal opinion.