By Marnita Coleman
Special to the AFRO
In 2007, I was recuperating from major surgery when I experienced love at first sight. I remember it well. My husband, an avid sports fan, was watching his favorite channel, ESPN. I, his ride or die, was right there with him, watching “Pardon the Interruption” with hosts Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon. They were such an odd couple, with great chemistry and I enjoyed their hugely popular segment, Around the Horn. During a break, the first smartphone designed by Apple was introduced. I was mesmerized, coming to full attention as the commercial played on. With my eyes wide open, I began singing, “I found my thrill.”
The iPhone was the most groundbreaking technology I had witnessed in my adult life. I turned to my husband and declared, “I’m getting that phone!” He did not say a mumbling word, just continued to look straight ahead. His blank stir meant he was not interested in what I proposed. But, as soon as the iPhone went on sale, we were in line at the Towsontown Apple Store making the purchase.
My Nokia phone had seen the last of me. I was moving on up. When we returned home, the kids ran to see what the hype was all about. It was packaged to impress or maybe, I was simply impressed with the package. Nevertheless, as I ripped into the box to remove the phone, the “oohs” and “ahhs” dominated the airwaves. All eyes were on my new handheld-computer phone. It was the sexiest, most intriguing thing I owned.
The iPhone was silver and black with a rounded back, a little bigger than a BlackBerry. The phone was pre-loaded with a handful of apps. My favorites were the iPod, Safari, YouTube, maps, camera, email, notes and weather. But what “must have put a spell on my mind,” as Blue Magic would sing, was the touchscreen keyboard. When I asked my in-house techie daughter for instructions on how the phone worked, she said, “Mom, it doesn’t come with instructions, you have to play with it.”
Every evening, I’d play on my iPhone learning new features. I no longer paid attention to ESPN. My body was next to his, but my mind was on the other side of town. My husband quickly grew tired of the infidelity with my phone. But, that did not stop him from taking the iPhone to a meeting where he dazzled everyone when he pulled out my status-symbol phone. It was indeed a cutting-edge, game changer, that helped him close his deal. Even when I used the phone publicly, onlookers would give me the “who are you?” look.
When the 3G iPhones were released, I immediately traded up a level and continue to be a loyal user to this day. The iPhone has sharpened its point with evolutionary technology, the latest offerings are iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Mini.
Just 14 years ago, the iPhone was recognized as a breakthrough device and Time crowned it 2007s invention of the year. It paved the way for other touchscreen devices and forever changed the manner in which information is accessed and disseminated throughout the world. Like a stretched rubber band, there is no going back to the way things used to be.
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