Apple announced its latest devices yesterday along with new functionality for their products. The iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, Pay, and Watch are all that anyone wants to talk about right now, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t at least intrigued. My iPhone 5 is now a couple of generations old and no longer available to purchase, and I have been without a wrist watch since elementary school. On top of that, it would be great if I could just leave the wallet at home, right?
In the past, I have looked forward to Apple announcements as if they were a new baby in the family. Every new update to their product line beckoned for my money so I could feel like I had the cutting edge at my fingertips. My phone always seemed to slow down to tortoise speed when the new chips were released, and I knew my friends would always have the latest and greatest.
Something was different this year. I didn’t even realize the iPhone 6 and Watch event was coming until someone asked me about it the day before. Sure, my phone and computer are starting to age and may be due for an upgrade according to the world’s standards, but I hadn’t even noticed. My phone may not have biometrics or the best camera, but it still does more than I need in a phone. Sometimes I just shut it off because I don’t need to be that accessible to everyone else. My computer just received a new hard drive, and it already has a solid state drive to boost its speed. The graphic design, web design, audio mixing, video editing, web surfing, purchase ordering, and communicating that I do with my computer all work great.
I sometimes wish I had something newer with the latest features, but not enough to take out a second mortgage to get it. Even if the newest gadgets fit into my budget, I don’t need them, and that is the key. There are a lot of good things that we don’t need, but we say yes to them because they are good and some would even say that they “add value” to our lives. How can a piece of glass covering a bunch of electronics that you can fit on your wrist add value to your life? It can’t. Neither can volunteering at a homeless shelter when your own family is falling apart at home. A promotion at work will not add value to your life when you are miserable with your new job description. There are a lot of things in this world that are even better than the new iPhone 6 that we just don’t need to say yes to. It’s ok to say no, and often times that is the wiser decision.
Would I like to have an iPhone 6 Plus and an Watch to go with it? Sure. Are they things that I need? Absolutely not. I am trying to simplify my life right now so that I am can more easily move where God wants to take me. Spending money that I do not need to spend on a device that will add more connections to my life makes that a lot more difficult. If you want a new gadget and have the means to get it, more power to you. I hope that it serves you well rather than vice versa.