He's on my side

10/17/09 Laptop, electronic organizer, and clock radio, recycled

Having just seen Capitalism: A Love Story, I shouldn't be in a mood to praise big corporations. But Apple gets a thumbs up from me today.

My iPhone had developed a recent problem with the headphone jack. Everything else was working great, but not the headphones. We decided to head to Portland today to see the new Michael Moore movie and swing into the Apple Store to see what they could do about the problem.

On the way, we stopped by an electronics recycling event that was being hosted by the Windham Hill United Church of Christ. I had an old laptop, my first-ever electronic address book, and a semi-broken clock radio to downsize.

The big fear about giving away your old laptop is that the information on it could be used for identify theft, right? I decided that I'd ward off such problems by getting God on my side. I gave it to the church; He's gotta stand by me now. To hedge our bets, I also tossed a few dollars into the church's donation can.

It's strange that we can pay so much for these electronic devices, and then the day comes when we're just happy to get rid of them, even paying to do so. Once they start misfiring, they are less than worthless; a security and environmental liability.

Which brings me back to my malfunctioning iPhone. I had worries that I was going to have to: A) fork over more than a few bucks to get it fixed, and B) live without it for a few days. I check the dang thing ten times an hour, and I'm not altogether sure I could survive more than half a day without it. What if someone posted a comment on my Facebook wall? How would I know? You just can't take chances like that.

At the Apple Store, I was helped at the "Genius Bar" (no modesty, there) by a friendly guy named Rafal, who quickly identified that I was right -- something was screwy with the headphone jack.

"Did you synchronize this with your computer, so I can take it?" he asked.

Ugh! I knew I was about to be sent to the e-Gulag, the Siberian outpost of those without smartphones. It's a cold, lonely place.

"Uh, yeah, I synced it," I replied, sheepishly.

"Okay, here's your new phone," he said, handing me a new iPhone, right out of the box.

"Is this a loaner, while you fix mine?" I asked.

"No, this is a new one to replace yours." Total bill: $0.00.

Here's the more remarkable thing. When I got home and plugged it into my computer, the new phone became the old phone. Eight gigabytes of pictures, video, songs, and settings were magically restored. Technology is amazing, as is Apple customer service.

See, I told you I'd get God on my side. Thanks, Big Guy. (And no, Michael Moore, I'm not referring to you.)