In 1977, at age 10 (!) my stepbrother and I waited for hours in line at the one theater in Seattle that was showing Star Wars. I’m still a little shocked to realize my mom let me go downtown by myself on the bus to hang out in a marginal neighborhood and watch a silly space opera. But she did, and we did. I came home and told her all about it. “It sounds kind of violent,” she said to me. “Besides, who would want to wait in line to watch a movie? In a few weeks, the lines will die down and you’ll be able to walk right in!”
Right, I thought. The lines will die down, there will be no one there, no one will cheer when the Death Star blows up, and the experience will be ruined. Old people just don’t understand.
Fast-forward 31 years. People are standing in line as I write this, hoping against hope that the iPhone of their choice will still be around. Already, hundreds, perhaps thousands of hopeful iFans have been sent home disappointed, the store in their area sold out of the most popular models, or even sold out of every model.
My reaction: It’s the same as my mom’s, 31 years ago. I simply can’t understand why there’s all this excitement over a phone. What’s more, most of these die-hard fans already have an iPhone, which is capable of an upgrade and nearly all of the same features as the new phone. Just like my mom, I wonder why these people can’t wait a few days, or a week or two at most, for Apple to get the kinks out of the distribution system and get iPhones to everyone who wants one.
You’ll have your phone for at least a year or two. What’s a few days, more or less?
I must be old.
Don’t feel that way… I’m also kinda surprised that a friend of mine is begging me to buy an iPhone for him, even though I have no urge for any iPhone.
>”Older people have often lost the capacity to feel enthusiastic for what happens to them.”
ooo, nasty comment. I think it really means that older people are capable of patience, and are happy to wait (till the price comes down) for something that will give them a sense of pleasure & gratification for much more than a day or two!!!
Older people appreciate the value if things and when they choose to buy something new, tend to enjoy and value it for a much longer period of time.