Welcome to our Apple Breakfast column, which includes all the Apple news you missed last week in one handy roundup. We call it Apple Breakfast because we think it goes great with a cup of coffee or tea in the morning, but it’s cool if you want to read it during lunch or dinner hours as well.
Agree or not agree?
I would have thought the last person you should ask for money advice is a billionaire. Sure, they have a proven track record of acquiring and holding a lot of money, but I have my doubts about their ability to capture its value for the rest of us. I’m not convinced they understand challenges.
Those were my thoughts this week, reading the news that Warren Buffett (at one time, would have been the richest man on the planet, but now languishes around fifth place) believes that the average user of iPhone would refuse to switch to Android even if offered $10,000. A vantage point that grows so large that it can be seen from space.
“If you’re an Apple user,” he told Becky Quick on CNBC’s Squawk Box this week, “and someone offers you $10,000, and the only condition is that they take your iPhone away and you can never buy another, you’re not going to take it.
Warren Buffett, of course, doesn’t need the $10,000 and may have a hard time putting himself in the shoes of someone who does. I would say there are probably quite a few people still clinging to a battered iPhone 6s who would jump at the chance to cash in on it for that kind of money, and happily spend the first morsel on one of the many high-end Android handsets. But the money isn’t exactly Buffet’s goal. On the contrary, as a technology user, are you ready to venture outside your comfort zone? And when does loyalty become a flaw?
Full disclosure time, and prepare for a shock: I’m an iPhone user. I’m currently using an iPhone 14 Pro which igamesnews had overhauled last fall, and I had a 13 Pro and a 12 Pro before that. I don’t always get the flagship models (I had a very happy year with the 8 Plus after the iPhone X came out) but it’s fair to say I’m an exceptionally privileged Apple user who almost always gets access to extremely recent information and high-end iPhone models. If anyone should have a rosy view of the iPhone ecosystem, it’s me.
And you know what? I would totally accept this deal. I would negotiate, of course: I think I could squeeze Buffett for six figures. But if he was playing hardball, I would still walk out of the room with the $10,000 and a smile on my face.
Here’s the thing. iPhones are well-designed smartphones, generally well-designed and exceptionally user-friendly, but that’s all they are. It’s not a way of life, it’s not a religion, it’s not your “team”. This is a specific flavor of a product that didn’t even exist 30 years ago, and could very well fade and become commoditized in the next 15 years.
Now, I’m not here to pretend that we don’t need smartphones at all, as obviously true as I suspect. I reluctantly accept that most of us have learned to rely on their convenience and alluring distractions. But even if you need a smartphone, you don’t need an iPhone, which is simply the version of this device that I (and many others) like to use the most. Of course, there is an emotional component to these choices, as in all human activities, but we must be guided by our feelings, not constrained by loyalty to a society that doesn’t know we exist. Put X dollar value on the degree of convenience and happiness that owning a high-end iPhone adds to your life. If Warren Buffett offers you an amount of money greater than X, you should take the deal.
Would I like to learn how to use Android, a platform that I seriously approached the last part ten years ago? Probably not. But between Warren Buffett’s money and igamesnews’s advice on the best Android phone for iPhone users, I think I’d be fine.
Foundry
Trending: Top Stories
Roman Loyola explains why the 15-inch MacBook Air will be the perfect laptop from Apple.
Forget iPhone 15 ButtonsApple’s entire rumor mill has to hit the reset button.
Declining software quality is just one of the many issues that concern Apple users.
Tim Cook confirmed everything and nothing on Apple’s next big thing.
THE Apple Store went from a blessing to a black eye, believes the Macalope.
Are you looking forward to WWDC? Here are 5 reasons we can’t wait to see iOS17.
Apple PR legend Kate Cottonwho worked closely with Steve Jobs, has passed away.
The rumor mill
THE 15-inch MacBook Air would be ready to launch.
“Technical problems” forced Apple to scrap one of the iPhone 15 Pro main characteristicsaccording to the analyst who first touted the change.
THE iPhone SE 4 who came back to life is now dead again.
‘Code backend’ suggests the Apple Card Savings account is about to be launched.
A new report claims that the M3 MacBook Air and iPad Pro will use a “enhanced” chip process.
Renders will not give us a full picture of the iPhone 15 Pro until we can see it.
Podcast of the week
With WWDC just weeks away, discussions about the company’s headset are getting louder. But the reality is that Apple has other products in preparation– more exciting products. We talk about these products in this episode of the igamesnews Podcast!
You can watch every igamesnews podcast episode on Spotify, Soundcloud, Podcasts app or our own site.
Software updates, bugs and issues
A huge iOS 17 leak has revealed many, albeit somewhat vague, details about the next iPhone operating system.
watchOS 10 could be WWDC’s biggest update this year, with Apple apparently planning’notable changes to the user interface.’
Oh oh ! Two major security warnings from Apple affect a decade from Mac, iPad and iPhone.
The FBIs public charging station warning is scary, but your iPhone has your back.
If iOS 16.4.1 is originally CarPlay problemshere’s how to fix it.
iOS 16.4 and macOS Ventura 13.3 broke a lot of things. We’re rounding up everything fixed in Apple’s emergency iOS 16.4.1 and macOS 13.3.1 updates.
And with that, we’re done for this week. If you want to receive regular roundups, sign up for our newsletters. You can also follow us on Twitter or on Facebook to discuss the latest news from Apple. See you next Saturday, enjoy the rest of your weekend and stay Appley.
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