Storytime With Kal
My Gateway Apple
Why trying something you hate is not always bad.
2020 is going to hold a special place in my heart — and for the world. Record unemployment. Unprecedented national lockdowns. Most significantly, the year I finally bought an Apple product. Zoom University got to my head. I needed sweet sweet retail therapy. Sue me.
I did it. I really did give Apple my money. They win.
Five years of being ostracized by friends, classmates, and colleagues with their little iMessage group chats. Five years of miss opportunities to connect. Five years of looking in from the outside.
Why did I participate in this, now, fruitless war?
Because of my pride.
Every Apple User Ever:
C’mon Kal. Why don’t you just get one? Is it too expensive? You don’t have iMessage? Sorry, I don’t talk to broke.
I was annoyed. I was peeved. The cult following and superiority complex that captivated many Apple users turned me off. I was upset I needed to explain my nonApple status as if it was an ailment I suffered from.
So, naturally, I began to think of those Apple users as sheep that bought Apple products as a status symbol.
I was no sheep. I was not going to pay the infamous ‘Apple Tax’ just so people would think I’m cool. I was already cool (that's beside the point).
Although, I did cave. I could come up with a bazillion reasons not to buy Apple products: discrimination of anything not Apple, pretentious fanboys, disregard for charger-ettique, Butterfly Switches, etc. However, there was one aspect of Apple that was still in good graces with me: they made pretty things that just worked. Pretty and simple was precisely what I needed in a time like this to prop me up for 20 more hours of Zoom.
Boy oh Boy. I fell in love. I got an iPad Pro 10.5 inch refurb from Apple (still gotta save that dough), and it was incredible. I became the productive, artistically challenged, couch potato of my dreams. I was writing on Goodnotes, binging on Netflix, and “drawing” on Procreate 9 hours-a-day.
Oh and yea, I suddenly got into a bunch of group chats — I wonder why?
My iPad Pro has cemented its place in my daily lineup. I literally bring it everywhere I go.
Honestly, I’m happy.
Moral of the story. Preconceived notions sometimes suck pretty bad. I fruitlessly denied myself the Apple just because of pride. It might just be worth taking the first bite… to just “try it out”.
P.S I kinda have a problem now. I’m listening to my new Airpods while writing this, and I’ve racked up at least 50 hours on Apple product reviews in a week. Next time you find me, I might’ve ‘invest’ all of my money. Hopefully and not hopefully, the iPad is the first of many.
Cheers until next time!
