thefluteboy

Early in 2017 I attempted to follow the herd and become an iPhone user. This I did by purchasing a thoroughly prehistoric 3GS model for all of £22. After years of being an Android devotee I dipped my toe in the water, and found myself just not getting on with it. What did not help was being stuck on an old version of iOS which severely limited the choice of available apps for me.

On Wednesday my partner, who I care for, sent me a link to a site that offered discounts for carers or people who care for someone. I passed the grilling and was admitted to the site. One such offer that was thrown up at me was for the iPhone SE - the smallest of the current bunch but still being sold brand new. The offer was for a free handset, unlimited calls and texts, and 4GB of monthly data for £22 per month. Naturally I bit the worm!

The next day being Thursday, there is a knock at the door, and I am an iPhone user once again. While I may not have been impressed the first time around, a later and faster model with an up-to-date version if iOS is hard to beat. I am a sheep once again. Yes it is a shame to have to retire that Galaxy SIII Mini, but it really did start to hang at the most inopportune moments.

What amazes me about the iPhone is how it comes so immaculately packed in that box. Obviously for the money these things are worth you would expect some degree of opulence thrown in. And yes, I am fully aware that it was likely hand-assembled in China by poor sods who were deprived of sleep and paid a miserable pittance. But then, how can we determine which companies do or don't employ said practices? Do Samsung and Huawei also see their products assembled in similarly unethical circumstances? Sure you can boycott these Goliaths of the tech world, but who do you then turn to when you need a mobile phone? I would suggest that all of these companies are complicit in said tactics, so there's no escaping that - whoever makes your phone.

Another product that comes heavily discounted on that site is Cath Kidston, who just so happen to be adored by my partner! An over-the-shoulder satchel in your finest dotty material for only £30? Of course I don't mind!