William Petruzzo

That was me. I owned the iPhone for three weeks. Like so many who use Verizon, I was fed up with their crappy customer service, mediocre phones and restrictive hardware. I left for the golden shores of AT&T and their wonderful Apple iPhone. It cost a little more. But worth every penny.

In three weeks I nearly completely forgot the old ways of Verizon’s network. I could check my email any time. There were tons of free applications I could install on my phone. Some useful. Some just plain fun. But so many of them completely free.

So, you might be wondering why I’m speaking in past tense. The reason is, Verizon has won me back. Yeah, I know. It’s like going back to an abusive spouse. But, their offer was just too good to pass up. Free phone. Free two months service. Half off my bill. Not too bad, if you ask me.

So, this afternoon I said goodbye to the iPhone… with tears in my eyes. Now I’m holding a brand new phone from Verizon and in contrast to the iPhone, it honestly feels like something from the stone age. That’s right the iPhone really is that far ahead of the game.

But, while I’m at it, I will say just a few things.

If you were to purchase a brand new Lexus. Fresh off the lot, the works, heated seats, gps, voice recognition, tiny in-dash cupcake oven, and for some reason it didn’t have air conditioning, you’d probably be shocked.

Well, Apple really left the AC out on a few things and even now, I just don’t get it. So, Apple, I’m coming back. Give me a year or two for the iPhone hype to die down and the cellular market to evolve a little further and I’ll be back.

But in the meantime, here’s my wish list of things I’d like to see you have when I return:

1. Picture messaging. I don’t know who was snoozing during that developers meeting, but I hope they were severely reprimanded.

2. Turn-by-turn navigation. Even the stone-age Verizon phone I just bought has that.

3. A complete GUI that turns on it’s side. It’s great in Safari and all, but lets be honest, it’s pretty annoying to send text messages with the squished keyboard.

4. Longer battery life. You made such a sweet phone, I use it too much and it runs out of batteries needed to keep it running… as a phone.

5. How about a better camera? Really, the current one is a serious pain in the butt.

6. Video. Just, again, let me refer to my stone-aged Verizon thing.

I think that pretty sufficiently complete’s my list. Wait for me Apple. I’m coming back. In due time. I’m coming back.

Since I was about fifteen, I was building my own computers from self sought components. I’ve been the resident computer guy for my family and friends pretty much the whole time. I’ve always done my own upgrades and done a pretty good job of staying near the technology curve when it comes to computer parts.

In years past, Macintosh computers were only used by a weird niche crowd. The available software was slim at best and so their practical usefulness was very limited.

More recently, Apple entered the arena more openly as computers for professionals, and now, for home users who don’t know what they’re doing.

I’ve been an adamant defender of PC computers ever since Apple started to launch its attack on the average computer user. PC computers, toting similar specs, can be purchased for a fraction of the price of Apple computers. Their interface has long been more intuitive (the right mouse button? seriously, it’s a no brainer). And, with just a smidgen of education, they can stay clean and useful for a long time.

But today is the day. I am flipping my opinion. Mark it in your calendar.

Today, my PC computer failed. For the second time in six months. Not just failed. Died. Hardware, died. That doesn’t mean annoying software adjustments. It means shelling out actual money to repair the thing.

Now, let me make one thing abundantly clear: I know what I’m doing. I’m not the flippant savvy-less computer user that most often manage to blow up their computer. No, I’m a well experienced user and well educated in the realm of hardware and software issues.

My point? The problem is not the user.

You see, I’m a photographer and only half of my job happens behind the lens. The rest happens in front of a computer screen. So, I can’t afford to have equipment I can’t trust. That makes today an important day.

Today is the day I give up defending PC computers.

I used to equate Apple computers to Volkswagen cars. Vehicles that are over-priced and under-perform but look so cool. I used to consider PC computers more like Hondas. Not as cool, but affordable and practical. I realize now that I had it wrong. PC’s are really more like American cars. Practical, but the built in obsolescence will get you eventually.

So what now?

Mark my words, as soon as business finances are freed up, all PC equipment and software will be upgraded to Apple computers and I will say farewell to PC’s reign of terror forever.