I was having a conversation with a person who doesn’t have a smartphone the other day and this person’s biggest reason for not having one is that it challenges their desire to be a financially responsible Christian.
Huh.
The point that he was trying to make (and I really do respect him and his opinion) is that the smartphone is a serious burn on our wallets and that it really isn’t necessary when we can simply wait to get home or in front of a computer to check that email (or update our FB status).
I get it, I really do, and no, he wasn’t being “super spiritual” either.
So, what I did was showed him what a truly shameless smartphone could really cost with the Vertu Constellation Ayxta, a whopping $7,000 dollar handset to make my iPhone purchase look like Toys’R’Us Kids cheap…
But, he does bring up a good point. I spend easily over a few thousand dollars a year on handsets and service costs.
Wow. That’s shocking actually.
What do you think?
Ian Beyer says
Just a few hours ago, I was looking at upgrading my current smartphone for Sprint’s new EVO – and because I’m trying to be fiscally responsible, It’s not likely going to happen. Because of the way Sprint is marketing their new superphone, they are forcing me into a plan that is way more than I need (my existing smartphone plan is just fine, TYVM, and I don’t even use 1/4 of my minutes). Net result is that I’d end up paying about $70 more a month. Doesn’t take Sprint long to make up the $250 subsidy at that rate.
JayCaruso says
I think it depends. I spent time last Saturday with Stephen Hunton. We were talking phones and he talked and even showed me all of the uses he has for his iPhone beyond merely checking email and updating Twitter. He uses it as a voice recorder when he gets some ideas that he puts into Evernote. Instead spending the money for a GPS, he uses Google Apps to find the places where he has a shoot scheduled. He had his schedule of the wedding along with a checklist of shots to make sure he got along with other notes.
He relies on his iPhone as part of his business so for him, it is a necessity.
Now I would agree that a lot of people have smart phones simply so they don’t have to wait to check email or update their Facebook accounts but I don’t agree with the blanket statement that they are unnecessary.
JayCaruso says
I’ve got Google Apps on the brain. I meant “Google Maps.”
dannyjbixby says
Not trying to judge you here, because I think we all do it…but sometimes we can inappropriately label financial irresponsibility as necessary or business expenses and go about our lives.
But the same kind of thing can be said for living in a house, owning furniture, multiple changes of clothes, appliances, and all kinds of other things that we use every day…ya know, if the idea presented is taken to the extreme of course.
There’s a balance somewhere. And the nerdier we are, the more we try to put it on this side of technological gadgetry.
Jathaniel says
My wife and I were just talking about this very topic. We both have smart phones. We were discussing ways to tighten the old family financial belt and this came up. It was kind of alarming when we added up how much we spend annually for our phones. But If i were to bundle separately the things i can do with my phone (maps, email, social media, tethering when the interweb service goes out) then I would easily double what we spend.
Tim Smith says
I think the 80/20 rule probably applies – 80% of people use 20% of the features of their phones.
I suppose the responsibility part is making sure we don’t waste our money. It’s amazing what you can find if you shop around
For example, I spend a lot of time commuting on the train (around 40 min each way) and having the web can make the time go faster and catch up on my email/facebook etc.
Thing is, my mobile contract charges me by the day for web access or I can pay somewhere between £5 and £7 a month for ‘unlimited’.
In the end I found an old smartphone and use that for internet with a pay as you go SIM instead. The smartphone is better for the web and the way the payg deal works is that I get 150Mb for a £5 top up, and that lasts for three months. As I’m not streaming music or photos (or youtube) I actually struggle to use that 150MB, especially with the bandwidth saving (and speed boosting) from using Opera Mini.
So by digging around I get the same sort of service at a third of the cost.
The other part of my savings is that I make do with an older phone and get a significant discount from contract provider.
The funny thing is that I review a lot of mobile phones for my day job, and companies normally send in the best they have. After a while you do start to lose that thrill of new features; I really want any of them any more. Well apart from the LG inTouch Max, I was very sad to see that one go.
Tim Owens says
Who needs to pay for an internet connection when you can just go to the library? Who needs to have a house when you can live in an apartment? Honestly to each their own but I paid $20 for my smartphone (Motorola Droid sold through Amazon, killer deal) and I pay an extra $30/mo for the extra internet access. Is it a luxury? I don’t know. Is your home internet service a luxury? How about cable? Netflix? Air conditioning?
There’s a moving target for everyone and I think like many things it’s not a one size fits all thing. We don’t live in grass huts and wear burlap bags, but I’m also not driving a jag and sipping cris at my mansion either.
austinklee says
Ask your friend if he ever goes out to eat, rents a movie, reads a book other than the Bible, goes on vacation, and on and on and on.
From your friend’s position on wasteful an unneeded spending I would have to assume that he never buys clothes unless they come from a thrift shop, he doesn’t have cable television, he doesn’t go on vacation unless he can stay in a friend’s home or has free lodging.
My first reaction wouldn’t have been to point him to the really expensive phone. I would have asked him if he needed help getting the plank out of his eye.
Ben Miller says
I certainly wouldn’t judge anyone else for what they spend their money on, but for me, I decided that a smartphone was financially irresponsible. I carry a very simple prepaid mobile phone that I use as much as I want (I don’t talk a lot), which ends up costing me about $9 a month. In addition, I have an iPod Touch which works many places on WiFi for $0 a month.
For me, as tempting as a smartphone is, I can’t justify paying $60-$100 a month that some people pay.
Taryn Saunders says
I feel it is not about what we choose to spend our money on, but whether or not those choices preclude us from showing the kind of generosity Jesus would have us show! And that goes for both our money & our time! Do you tithe 10% of your income as a matter of course? Do you respond to needs when God places them on your heart, even if it means giving over & above that 10%? Do you make time to serve in ways God puts on your heart? Or does work take up too much of your time & energy in order to pay for the house, cars, vacations, smart phones, etc?
The biggest thing I feel smart phone users should ask themselves is: does my smart phone use glorify God & help me grow in my relationship with Him? Or does it stop you from interacting with other people & sharing the gospel message?