6. Technology as a possibility is amazing, but as an obligation it’s enslaving and oppressive.

Phones changed from cool gadgets to mandatory tools for modern banking, transportation, communication, etc.

I’ve found a cool way of keeping my CMF a half-dumb phone with maps, banks and messages only.

5. I used to dread loosing my phone or damaging it, the Genius Bar evolved from a friendly place to a stressful experience where every time I go I’m informed how the failing gadget in turn is no longer covered and repairs are more expensive than just buying a new one. With my $170 phone I don’t care

4. The CMF phone is a solid piece of tech, sturdy, functional, does everything you’d expect any flagship phone would, except for NFC and wireless charging (Nothing’s Phone 2 has this for $100 more). And it’s not just the phone, but the $25 accessories, $55 wireless headphones, the $65 smartwatch

3. Android and iOS are identical, to the rage and anger of all tech fundamentalist they have morphed into the same fucking thing. Same home, notifications, control center, app drawer. It’s like innovation stopped circa 2012 or something. And all phones are identical, black, shinny, glass bricks

2. We are not professional photographers. I’d love to, and I have my album of “masterpieces” I still believe will hang in galleries one day. If we are honest, we are just AI aided voyeurs and it only makes sense to have the latest smart camera if you buy into the social networks scam of microfame

1. We have reached peak compute power. But like a long time ago. Sure AI promises to be more compute intensive than anything we have ever seen (that is in its current trajectory) but it will be in datacenters. my iPhone XS from 2018 is just as capable as todays iPhone. All improvements are marginal

Here’s my experience so far.
In a nutshell not only am I now convinced that premium smartphones are a scam, I’m now convinced it had me captive to needs and behaviors I am better of without. But I’ll break it down into layers: