Stuff of The Future

Yeah, I pre-ordered an iPhone 4S.

I kinda feel like I go into these product introductions each year resolved not to buy the new iPhone, for entirely sensible reasons. Do I need a new phone? Do I really want to renew my contract for another two years? (By now, I think mine must run through 2015.) When life seems so uncertain? It would have to be a significant improvement over the device I have (and love) now to make it worthwhile.

And then all of that reason will be completely discarded in the days after the new iPhone is introduced, as I'm dazzled — or blinded — by some amazing and exciting new feature that promises to change the way I use the device, just as the device has changed the way I live.

In is case, it was Siri, and the promise of natural voice interaction with a computer. For me, that's the stuff of the future. (It's the same stuff that enticed me to the iPhone 3GS — that pulsing blue dot of the GPS, the phone in my hand directly connected with a satellite. A satellite!)

But what made my mind up for me this time — again — was the surprising ease with which I could resell my current iPhone. I'd done that before, once or twice, usually via eBay. But that was real work, and no guarantees. A few months ago, though, we sold my wife's iPhone 3GS via Gazelle, and it more than covered the costs of the iPhone 4 that replaced it. And it couldn't have been easier.

Gazelle was offering to purchase my iPhone 4 for more than it would cost to purchase the new model. (There was an offer from eBay for a bit more, but I don't have all that much confidence in eBay, and part of it would have been reclaimed by PayPal, anyway.) To be honest, I don't know how this all works (what do they do with all of these phones?), and I couldn't tell you why it works. But it works for me, thanks.

Now comes the hardest part, the week of increasing anticipation. (I also have to be really, really careful not to drop my iPhone.)