You know what while I’m in a bitching mood, let me talk iPhones.

Don’t get me wrong I love the thing and use it all the time. It is literally my lifeline but yesterday was the announcement and just ugh, I have to vent a little.

Moany McMoan under the cut. I realised when I got to the end that I think I sound like a “get off my lawn” kinda person. Ooops.

Generally speaking I’m a fan. I didn’t use to be. I thought Apple was overpriced, paying for the name, not worth it etc. and so my first two ‘digital music players’ were a different brand. I think they each lasted maybe a year before the headphone jack gave up the ghost. The iPod classic I got next lasted 11 years of constant use and still works fine. Last November I technically replaced it but I still use it in the house, I just don’t carry it around anymore. I’d say that was much better value.

I have a similar story with the iPhones. I had a 3S, then a 4S and then a 5S. The 3S did four years, the 4S did six I think? and the 5S is still going. Could an android do that? Well possibly but back when I first got the 3S I don’t remember there being the kinda competition there is now and it is true once you get comfortable with a make it’s hard to move.

My mum’s husband has an Android (Samsung) and he’s the only one in the family that does. All my cousins, aunt, uncle, everyone, has iPhones. He’s a bit technically-challenged so he’s always handing it to me to fix. So I can confirm that model anyway is heavy and big and the interface is confusing (alright unfamiliar) and he also pays about twice as much as I do per month. Obviously one example does not a sample size make, and I should do research.

Still I’m kinda tied in with Apple and not just because of iTunes. I got an Apple Watch for christmas and I am in love with that thing. It stops me from getting stiff by sitting for too long. I don’t burn my dinner anymore as I can set timers. I can change the track of my music when my phone is in my bag (and I don’t have to hold the heavy phone!), I can see my appointments at a glance, I can pay for stuff without carrying around money. Once upon a time I thought the Apple watch was the most stupid and pointless (and overpriced!) bit of tech in the world but it has slipped so seamlessly into my life and helped so much.

Hang on? I said I was going to be bitching. Well … yeah. Last November I combined music + phone with the iPhone 8. I got it through the upgrade program as that was the most hassle-free/best deal around.

The problem is – it’s heavy, or at least noticeably heavier than my old iPhone 5S. Yesterday Apple announced the new phone lineup and yikes! They are ALL bigger and heavier than the 8 I have at the moment 🙁

Erm why? They are phones, not tablets! I want to be able to put it in my pocket and *cough* I do kinda play phone games and I don’t need to be weightlifting at the same time. Alright I know that’s an exaggeration but try holding it for an extended time.

Also – the price! I rather naively thought when I signed up for the upgrade program that those were the tiers. That the price I was agreeing to pay, would be the same when I upgraded. I went for the 8 rather than the X, so I was on the slightly older phone. I figured when it came to upgrade time there would be a new phone (the 11 or whatever they called it) and so the X would be the older one and therefore discounted to 8 level prices.

Yeah … no. The X has gone the same way as the Apple Watch Series 2 did – vanished. The replacement (kinda) is the XR, with the XS being the new model and the XS Max being as crazy as the Plus versions I never understood (it’s a phone, not a tablet!).

The XR is the heaviest, it’s larger than the XS, and the 128GB version is £4 more a month than the 256GB 8 I currently have. It’s also different (worse?) in some ways than the X, and obviously not as good as the XS as the XR is the ‘budget’ model (which is a laughable word on its own). I also can’t get the XR in Gold, although I guess the blue looks ok. To be honest I don’t even know why I’m bothered as the case hides the colour anyway.

There’s no way I can afford the XS so that’s a non-starter. 128GB is enough space (I’m currently using 85GB) but the XS doesn’t have a 128 model, it’s 64 or 256 and the 256 is a whopping £24 more a month *jaw drops* ???? So yeah it’s the XR or nothing.

I’m currently considering what is best to do. I haven’t been as kind to the battery on the 8 as I have been to my previous phones as I assumed it only had to last 11 months. However, I won’t have lost anything money-wise if I refuse to upgrade as the 20 month contract is still cheaper than I could have got the phone anywhere else, it’s just not as good a deal as upgrading at 11 months would have been.

The problem I guess is that I have no idea what 2019 will bring. If the trend continues with bigger + heavier then my hand will be forced at some point anyway. I have 6 weeks to decide as I can’t upgrade until 25/10 and the XR isn’t released until the next day. Plus there will probably be a waiting list and I have never been an early adopter. I do prefer to let other people find all the bugs first. So I could wait until January. The price isn’t going to change but if I do go for it hopefully it would be a smoother process.

I just wish they would release a phone which a) was lighter, b) was smaller (it’s a phone dammit!) and c) prioritised battery life. I couldn’t care less about cameras and my eyes probably aren’t good enough to appreciate the better screens. I just want it to load maps, webpages, social media, email, the calendar, a few games (ones that run on the 5S just fine so they aren’t demanding) and of course play music. Oh and I suppose make/receive phone calls heh.

That’s probably me just dreaming though.