I’m genuinely fascinated by the phenomenon of new iPhones. W..

I’m genuinely fascinated by the phenomenon of new iPhones. When I was in high school, I had a few friends who always had the latest models, and it was simply astonishing. I assumed these kids came from very wealthy families. It never occurred to me back then that when I visited their homes, I saw apartments without wallpaper, warped laminate floors, heaps of old garlic on windowsills, and stained plastic tablecloths on dining tables. To me, they were the rich kids of affluent parents because they had the latest iPhone.

When I got to university, I started noticing something strange. A medical university, especially in the post-Soviet space, is like a branch of hell on earth. So, I was amazed by classmates who managed to work on top of their studies, taking jobs as nursing assistants, janitors, or dishwashers. And yet, they all had the latest iPhones. My mind started to piece things together. It clicked even more when I learned that these same people would live on plain buckwheat cooked in water just to pay for their shiny new phone.

Maybe they were enthusiasts of cutting-edge features, or they adored the camera, or needed the phone’s speed for their very survival? No, most of them just watched TikTok. And here’s the thing—I completely get it. I’ve only ever owned two iPhones: a pink iPhone 7, which I used for six years, and then a purple iPhone 14, which I still have. Both work beautifully, feel great in my hand, and are lovely to look at. Yet when I see the newest iPhones on display in stores, I almost start to salivate.

What saves me is that I’ve always had plenty of other interests that sparked genuine excitement, not this peculiar, paradoxical one. So when I had the funds, I’d buy Lego sets, video games, figurines, albums from my favorite bands, or trips. It always seemed like there wasn’t quite enough left for an iPhone. But I still wanted one. Why? I can’t quite figure it out; I can’t find that rational core within me. I just do, and that’s that.

Maybe one day, if I ever have plenty of money, I’ll buy the latest iPhone every time it comes out. For now, though, my laziness and my true interests will have to save me. Besides, I really need to get a new computer, which I actually do need. But my brain covets an iPhone. Foolish brain.