Strangely not on board - yet.

After a prolonged wait for the new iPhone 5, I see it, I get the new features, but I'm not bowled over. Maybe it will take an in-person demo or experience for me to leap in? It's great that the screen is larger, the LTE service will make the data as fast as cable or DSL, plus this new one has faster camera processing and better low light performance. Wonderful. The body is slimmer and lighter. That means iPhone 5 would fit (slide!) better in my back pocket. The larger screen conforms more to the 16:9 widescreen standard for videos, which are more commonly being taken on smartphones than ever before. The A6 onboard processor is the fastest one yet. And it sips battery power, iPhone 5 is slated to last for 8 hours of talk time and 10 hours of video playback time.  The ear buds have been redesigned, and iPhone 5 has 3 microphones - front, rear and bottom. Very nifty tech upgrades I admit.

So all this and I'm not excited? I think I'm more excited about iOS6. New features, most of which my iPhone 4s can do, will be the benefit. Siri will improve, but most of all, tell me autocorrect will snap out of it's mentally warped state. I am anxious to see the new Apple maps, USA specific, they say it now includes buildings and structures in the options for viewing! These features are good and I'd use them.

Maybe the real reason why I'm less likely to queue up at the Apple store September 21st is because regardless of what this phone or any other phone were to evolve to include, I have changed. I am not as "phone centric" as I was back in say, April or May. Example - I don't have a Facebook app on my phone. I seldom tweet and upload the pictures like I once did. Evidence is no more glaring than my Klout scores, once very high, now settle in to the "normal user" range since I don't publish social content as often. I am more engaged in real life with real people. I have made more forward strides since May than I did the first five months of the year. I found my smartphone to be a tremendous distraction every day. A great tool, but unchecked, a big distraction for me.

Will I get an iPhone 5? Maybe. I won't rush over and buy one instantly even though I don't have any AT&T restrictions hanging over me with regards to contracts, etc. I have found some balance from the craziness of the "smartphone euphoria" I was experiencing. I take advantage of the brilliance that is an iPhone and the apps I own. I sometimes leave my phone in my car, at my desk, every once in awhile even at my home! And everything is ok if I don't parse my text messages or social media every 10 minutes. Really, I'm good with less iPhone in my life. So to the good folks in Cupertino - nice job on iPhone 5. I like what you've done and I may join you in your latest venture, but only when I am sure it won't lead me to the recursive land of unproductivity.

The power of a secret.

"Yes Virginia... There is a Santa Claus."

Be honest, since learning the truth about childhood "heros" that bring gifts in December, furry critters that deliver eggs and sweets each spring and still more that delve beneath your pillow for ejected deciduous teeth, we haven't had many surprises as adults. Too many people (in my opinion) find out the sex of their babies before birth, the last true mystery we as grown-ups can experience. Unless you're a techie. Unless we visit the mall often and shop in those stores decorated in predominately white. If we look west, to the Northern California suburb of Cupertino, there's still a magical place where secrets are kept. Adult-grade secrets. They are kept so well not even our best guesses turn up the truth. So well that rumors swirl through the Internet as published by our most trusted sources alleging to know what will happen, when it will happen, and what it might entail. Really?

This churn, usually twice a year, eminates from Apple. It comes through their labs, their leader(s) and their product offerings. The level at which Apple goes to in keeping secrets about its product line and features is amazing.  It captivates not just techies, but millions of worldwide users - all waiting and watching to see what their future will be like a year or two from now. We clamor to see what's coming, but inside, we yearn for the surprise. The secrets make for good press, good standup comedy, good speculation and criticism from competitors, it is a wonderful thing we are experiencing. And it's happening now, when we think we know everything, when "google" is a noun and a verb, ten years into the new millenium. How can they seemingly do what so few other entities anywhere else can accomplish? Foreign governments are pressed to keep good secrets from our intelligence agencies. Our government can't readily keep good secrets from the public, but Apple can clamp down in so many ways to keep their gems hidden until they're ready to show them off. It's fantastic, I LOVE THE HYPE!

Here's where we stand... If the media needs to find a prototype in a bar or have a former Vice President blurt out a launch date in a speech to get its info, Apple is masterfully dominating the secret-keeping. I can wait until the next release, I'm anxious to upgrade my iPhone 3Gs to the iPhone 5. I am an adult, and they have me excited like a child. I'm thankful that someone has put together all the pieces necessary to cloak research, muffle the facts about production, disguise delivery and specifics until the launch day arrives. Heck, even the store employees are in the dark until the products are in the back room ready to be displayed. In this age of Twitter, blogs, text messaging and everyone having a camera nearby, kudos to Apple for being smarter that the experts. Thanks to the folks in Cupertino for giving us ideas to follow, products to long for, and a cottage industry of people that can't unlock the secrets, which makes this adult laugh.

I'm excited!

So much happening so quickly, I had better write this stuff down.  This list consists of things I hear about or read about that capture my interest and imagination. You may not know what each item on the list pertains to, but I do. If you have a question, ask. I'm not shy, I'll elaborate and it may make for a future post that is interesting to many!

• iPhone 5 or whatever gets released next month from Apple.
• Paper.li feeds for franchisee's blogs.
• Running my first 50 mi race in October.
• Changes are still being made to EMeBOSS.
• Australasian Expo in Melbourne.
• New features and profile changes on Linkedin.
• Klout.
• Legs of Las Vegas relay running team.
• Microsoft Windows 8 and Metro.
• Getting new mentor shirts for every mentor in the world for 2011.
• Being registered for Boston marathon early.
• Lululemon Athletica.
• Plan Ahead Events.
• IMEX America.
• Nathan sports endurance packs.
• Using iPads in our training center.
• Social Media Primer classes with new franchisees.

I'll have more, it's a list that is always changing...  Comment or reply with questions about any of the above topics and I'll make sesne of it.

-dm