So, let me start out by saying I’ve been a die-hard iPhone fan since they first came out.  I’ve muddled through some of the more serious bugs, the overheating, the battery issues, the antennae issues, the bad display issues in the sun, and more.  But, I’ve come to believe that I really have bought into the vision of Apple products as a whole – not just from an iPhone perspective.

Apple as a whole is a good company – but as a Product Manager in my current role, they remind me of what we all strive for in a successful product – selling the why.  Not just selling a product, but selling something you don’t need to a market that can buy into your vision.  Yes, Apple charges more.  But, to be honest, I’m happy to pay that price for a name I recognize and a brand I trust.  My MAC, my watch, my iPhone, my kids phones, iPods or iPads all sync up nicely to our family account.  We can track them all and find them when they are lost.  We can share purchases between family and I can chat with my littles via FaceTime when we are apart.

I love the simplicity of Apple’s UI/UX and how my children can find features I never knew existed because they simply ‘do what’s intuitive.’  It reminds me, as a product manager of software, that we often make software complicated and we design it from a development perspective, not from a ‘what-makes-sense’ perspective.  Just the other day, I was telling my daughter to open Pokemon Go on her phone and instead of going to the app (I started to take it away from her because she was swiping the wrong way), she ended up on the ‘search screen’ and clicked on the app from the Siri App Suggestions.  To which I said ‘Oh hey, that was easier.’  #kids

Anyway, I’ve been eyeing the iPhone 8 and X for a while. I struggle with the price, but Verizon has a nice little lease program where we can use a product and trade up pretty quickly – or just get a new one and pay the difference in the lease.  I also like Verizon because Sprint couldn’t get their act together in our neck of the woods.  #towerissues

I’m also a big Otterbox fan. Some of you folks love your pretty cases, but I’m telling you there is nothing worse than seeing these expensive pieces of technology all smashed up. Guys, get a case. Please. Broken phones make me cry. We’ve even run over our phone with a tractor and it was fine. In the otterbox case of course. I don’t recommend purchasing directly from otterbox though. Shop around. You can often find cheaper prices on Amazon.

The link here takes you to the one I use – know that if you click it, I may get a small commission, but never feel like you have to click these links! (Or, if you’d like to support my children’s stellar education, click and buy away!)

Sooooo, back to why I chose the X.  I love taking photos on my phone.  I’m like a digital baby book for my kids. I love the cloud and syncing photos – sharing via AirDrop – sharing albums with other family members, etc..  But, I L-O-V-E the new camera on the iPhoneX.  Prepare to be overwhelmed with photos.  And only one of these has been edited to change to sepia (and and the one in panorama, which I still love this feature of the iPhone, too).  The rest are as is from the iPhone in portrait mode.

I really can’t get past the simplicity of this camera and this new mode.  The lighting adjustments, the depth of field, it’s all a beautiful thing – and it’s. on. a. phone.

I’m sure some of you Android users will pipe in with your ‘But Android has had this for years – AND we were waterproof – AND we don’t charge a lot – AND it’s not tied to the iTunes store.  But, to a brand fan, none of that matters.  I enjoy the brand – and I enjoy something I can rave about.  And with this new iPhone, I’m pretty darn happy.