Year: 2012

Matthew Alexander:

Stephen, much like Paul Miller, is attempting to explore the technological trajectory we’ve collectively chosen to follow from an intensely personal perspective. And yet, much unlike Paul Miller, Stephen has sustained his ties to the technology he relies upon for the sake of realism.
[…]
I suspect that, regardless of the negativity swirling around his experiment, Stephen’s findings will ultimately prove to be valuable to even the most staunch of his opponents. And, irrespective of how long the experiment lasts, I applaud Stephen for taking the bold step to challenge one of the most accepted and self-reliant elements of his day-to-day life.

I’ve gotten a metric crapton of feedback on my post from yesterday, and it’s been divided in to two categories.

Many people have been very supportive of this endeavor. I think there is a sizable percentage of nerds out there who realize the weight that technology has on our lives, and are uncomfortable with it at times.

Then there’s the other camp. The camp that has called me all sorts of names in emails, tweets and forum comments. Some have suggested I’m doing this just for the page views, or for some sort of self-important navel-gazing.

This group of people all point to this paragraph in my original post:

In addition to my self-imposed 12-month timeframe, I’ve got an LTE iPad mini in the mail, set to be delivered Friday. It’s my first iPad with cellular data, and coupled with the Mini’s form factor, I think it will be a decent iPhone-replacement for the times I need data when I’m not in the office or at home.

In hindsight, that paragraph really doesn’t convey what I wanted it to, so last night, I added this one:

To be clear, I’m only going to fall back on the LTE when I have to for work. Short of that, the iPad will be on Wi-Fi only.

I like how Matt put it in his post — I have to be realistic about this. The reality is that I frequently work in buildings without Wi-Fi, but where I need data to get my job done. My paycheck is more important than this experiment, so the LTE iPad is a concession to that reality. That said, I will only use the LTE when necessary; I’m not going to enable it the second I unbox the thing on Friday.

In my post yesterday, I wrote:

The iPad mini, of course, isn’t nearly as portable as the iPhone. It’ll be great for meetings and being out in the field for work, but too big to use in line at Starbucks or at a red light without looking like a douchebag. I’m counting on that factor to help this be a success.

I chose the iPad mini over the iPad for lots of reasons, but I think the size is still big enough where I will feel conspicuous using it in public, during a meal or while watching a movie with my kids. Part of my addiction to my iPhone is made possible due to the simple fact that it’s always in my pocket. The iPad won’t be. I will be leaving it in my office when I go out to lunch with people, and on my desk at home when I’m outside with the kids. The flip phone will keep me just connected enough to be able to be accessible, but not so connected that I lose touch with what’s going on around me. The iPad mini is simply a stop-gap for the times that my responsibilities require I be connected out and about.

In short, I’m not replacing my iPhone with an iPad mini that I’ll be carrying around with me everywhere I go. I’m not ditching my iPhone to simply use something with a bigger screen and a cheaper monthly bill — I am leaving mobile data behind, to every extent that I can and keep my job.

It’s been a wild 24 hours, and while I’m not going to keep up with the various threads going on around the Internet based on my post yesterday, I did want to address some of the feedback, and clarify the bit about why I will still use an iPad on LTE.

Ben Brooks:

There is no doubt in my mind that we, as a society, need to get our heads out of our phones, however getting rid of portable computing isn’t the solution. The solution is finding what is addicting you and limiting that.

Ben’s right, and his solution is what I’m doing. I’m addicted to my smartphone, and I need to set it aside for a bit. I could do this by getting rid of apps, or making the choice to not open, but I want to force the issue, so to speak.

That said, I laughed at Ben’s slug, and appreciate his thoughts on this. Go read his article.

Next week, I’m turning off my iPhone for a year.

Ok, that was a dramatic lede. Forgive me. In reality, I’m giving my almost-new iPhone 5 to my lovely wife — trading it in for a Motorola W385.

And no, that’s not another forgettable Android phone from Moto. It’s a flip phone. You know, the kind with physical buttons and stuff.

Longtime readers will know that I’ve done this once before. Here’s what I wrote back in 2010:

…I had a strong urge to simplify things in my life. This is the single biggest step I’ve taken in this direction. I also find myself with empty time sitting in traffic or waiting for an appointment, since I don’t have the option to check Twitter or Google Reader. It’s really freeing, actually.

That freedom is what’s driving this decision.

I — like most people I observe in waiting rooms and in line at Starbucks — kill little bits of time with my head down, the glow of my smartphone lighting up my face. Twitter, App.net, Google Reader, Instagram, Email, iMessage, Tumblr and more wedge their way in to my life in little two-minute increments throughout the day.

I’m tired of it. So I’m fighting back — by retreating. I’m giving up my iPhone — my daily life partner for almost five years.

In 2010, I said that the iPad is what made the move away from a smartphone possible. In reality, my Wi-Fi only original iPad wasn’t as useful as I had hoped while out and about, so I opted to return to the iPhone after just a few months.

I feel more confident this time that I will succeed at my experiment.

In addition to my self-imposed 12-month timeframe, I’ve got an LTE iPad mini in the mail, set to be delivered Friday. It’s my first iPad with cellular data, and coupled with the Mini’s form factor, I think it will be a decent iPhone-replacement for the times I need data when I’m not in the office or at home.

(To be clear, I’m only going to fall back on the LTE when I have to for work. Short of that, the iPad will be on Wi-Fi only.)

The iPad mini, of course, isn’t nearly as portable as the iPhone. It’ll be great for meetings and being out in the field for work, but too big to use in line at Starbucks or at a red light without looking like a douchebag. I’m counting on that factor to help this be a success.

I know what some of you are thinking. Seven months ago, Paul Miller left the Internet for the year. While his actions are far more insane than mine, I would be lying to say he’s not an inspiration for this experiment. I’ve heard him talk of life without the Internet, and have greatly enjoyed his writing on the subject. I hope to gain a sliver of what he has by cutting the Internet out of the little free moments I find myself with during the day.

Unlike Paul’s adventure, mine could be completed by imposing some will power when it comes to my iPhone. The problem is that five years of reaching in my front right pocket any time I’m free has created a strong habit, and I need to quit cold turkey.

I’m cutting the problem off at the source.

Time will tell if I come back to the iPhone. It’s way too early to call that now.

You can follow along with my experiment. I’ll be posting semi-regular updates and reflections here, posting them with the “iPhoneless” tag. I look forward to seeing what this change means, and I hope you’ll enjoy reading about it. Here’s to the future…

Update: Be sure to see this post, in which I clarify my iPad mini usage.