Biting the Apple: late to the party with my first iPhone
5/6/2023
Translation: Patrik Stainbrook
«I get it». A sentence that rarely enters my mind when dealing with technology. Especially when I recently became the owner of my first Apple device. Recounting my switch from Android to iOS and what I think of my new iPhone 14 Plus.
Hi there, pleased to meet you. I’m a tech noob – which is quickly becoming a problem in our digital world. Although I’m dependent on it, I can’t get excited about tech and think of it as a complicated, necessary evil. So far, I’ve mainly chosen my smartphones based on price and only ever used low-budget devices. An iPhone wasn’t among them – until now. And the switch to Apple cost me some time and especially nerves.
Source: Maike Jensen
Yellow, big and with the splendour of a still untouched device, the iPhone 14 Plus was on my desk four weeks ago. My work phone. If I'm going to be a new player in the iOS game, then I've got to go for the most unexpected colour Apple has to offer in the 14 series. And so the sun rose between my hands as I turned the device back and forth. By the way, our colleague Martin Jungfer asked our readers what the yellow iPhone reminds them of and which colours were particularly popular.
Regardless of the striking colour, the device is quite a clunker and weighs a good 30 grammes more than my previous Huawei. No wonder with all the features the iPhone 14 Plus throws at you: a 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR display with OLED technology for stark contrasts, shatterproof glass, a 12-megapixel main camera for better pictures in low light, a front camera with autofocus and a larger aperture for nicer selfies. Last but not least, my new phone is – drum roll, please – waterproof. The only feature that says what it does in one word.
First steps
So, as a smartphone, this yellow Apple is much more «adept» than my old model. And, of course, in a completely different price range than my previous refurbished Huawei device. Which, by the way, is full of photos and data spanning the last four years. I’m a little worried that these won’t make it onto the iPhone. As it turns out, however, my fear is unfounded. Apple closely guides me through setting up a new device, and the data transfer also works great. It takes about half an hour to transfer between both smartphones, my 4,000+ images arriving at their new yellow home. Access to old apps and accounts is also mostly uncomplicated despite the move. And this across the boundaries of two operating systems. I’m blown away.
Talk to me
This thing certainly wants to be noticed! At least, this is my first impression of the iPhone. Because unlike what I’m used to from my old Huawei, the screen lights up brightly as soon as I lift it just slightly or move it in any direction. It’s as if the phone is talking and permanently imposing an involuntary conversation on me. Pling, do you need anything? Pling, what do you want? Check your messages? Call someone? Pling, Facetime? Until I get used to my iPhone actively putting itself forward, I hardly dare move it unless I really need to.
Humdrum
It’s also quite intrusive the first night, keeping me awake. I just can’t figure out how to mute it. On my old device, there was only one volume control, which silenced the whole phone. This was accompanied by the «On», «Vibrate» and «Off» settings. When I wanted, my old phone went silent with a click. Not so on an iPhone. Despite the volume level all the way down, it buzzes and notifies happily whenever I receive a WhatsApp. Half asleep, I don’t feel like googling the solution to the problem. It’s not until the next day that I find out «Do not disturb» or «Sleep» in the settings can grant me a well-deserved night’s rest.
Source: Maike Jensen
I still haven’t been able to get the blaring alarm any quieter. Hey Apple, here’s a new snazzy marketing slogan for the iPhone, free of charge: «From asleep to wide awake in 0.1 seconds.» Since I’ve been under its spell, my neighbour probably gets up the same time as me – whether he wants to or not.
Knock, knock?
I also sorely missed some functions initially. For example, I work a lot with screenshots in everyday life. Whether it’s a route in Maps, bus connections, menus, price catalogues or whatever else I come across on the world wide web, a screenshot is worth a thousand words. On my Huawei, this was done with a short double tap of the finger against the screen. My iPhone doesn’t respond to this. No matter how desperately and wistfully I tap. This yellow Apple can be quite relentless. Don’t worry, I’ve since found the correct shortcut.
WhaaaaaatsApp
Ah yes, my daily communication tool and the app where I probably spend most of my day apart from Insta and Tinder: WhatsApp. Here, too, hurdles had to be overcome and gaps in knowledge filled. So I still can’t get along with the pretty persistent autocorrect, which likes to patronise me in both spelling and word choice. The cursor’s annoying too. If I made a typo or mistake in the middle of a word on my old phone, I could move the cursor to that spot with a targeted click and erase the blemish. The iPhone directly highlights the whole word. I can only get to a certain place within it if I hold down and move the cursor there. Quite impractical, in my mind.
It also takes me a while to figure out how to search for a keyword within a (group) chat. Where my Huawei had a clearly understandable, idiot-proof magnifying glass at the top right of the history for searches, my Apple-savvy colleague first has to point out that the search function only reveals itself when I click directly on the contact.
Source: Maike Jensen
Ageing with dignity
Another thing that really annoys me initially is that there’s apparently no way to enhance your own selfies without an additional app. On my old device, I liked to brighten my teeth a bit and possibly retouch pimples… Well, thanks to iPhone, I have to stand by my natural beauty bravely and involuntarily. With dark circles under my eyes and, sometimes, first incipient wrinkles. Still, humility is healthy. Thanks, Apple.
Verdict: still a tasty Apple
The initial chaos has now morphed into moderate iOS competency good enough for everyday use. I can now proudly say: I get it. My first Apple sampling went well, even if it had a bitter aftertaste initially. I’m now enjoying the much larger storage, an improved camera, a battery that’s worlds stronger, and other extras previously unknown to me. However, these, of course, aren’t selling points unique to Apple. I mean, most smartphones would probably come out looking fabulous compared to a cheap, four-year-old device.
Not in the mood for Apple and yellow isn’t your thing either? Jan Johannsen can tell you which smartphones are particularly popular in our tech editorial department.
Header image: Jan Johannsen
Cat lady and coffee lover from up north. Always on the lookout for «News and Trends».