iPhone and me, an INTP

[J.L. des Alpins]

Fellows INTP:

I don't quite get it. A few points for context:

1. I need mobile communication for my business;
2. My current cell phone is broken, I need something new;
3. iPhone is available... I purchase an iPhone;
4. Thanks to my new purchase, I can be reached on the go;
5. Now listen to this: in a team meeting today, I was "the cool guy" and everyone wanted to be close to me because I had an iPhone.

What the hell...

I did not want anyone to pay any attention to me. (I am an INTP after all.) I don't get it (really, I mean it). A tool is a tool and a tool is only valuable if it is the tool you need to get some work done. That's was my situation: I needed to get a few emails and take a few e-notes.

I really did not feel comfortable with all this attention, yet I need the tool to do my work.

Your wise thoughts please.

 

[fullerene]

Welcome to the world of advertising in the West?

Seriously, I hate it too. Products are sold based on image and people actually associate the image with the product. I would wonder how this phenomenon happens, but upon seeing you my first reaction would be "yuck... I hate iPhones." I'm not sure if I would go so far as to associate the image to the person who bought it... but the fact that the image is there at all bothers me--even if its not the one that Apple was going for.

Thoughts? Um... I would have suggested getting something besides an iPhone with the same functions, because Apple built their products based on image, and it's an uphill struggle to change everyone's mind. Much easier just to get something no one's ever heard of that does the same thing. Now that you have it, though, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Like everything built on image, as soon as anything new comes out everyone'll forget about it. Even if nothing new comes out anytime soon, your personal iPhone won't be new in a week or two. Sucks for now, I know... but I think the interest will die off pretty quickly.

Alternatively, you could just go around from room to room or cubicle to cubicle or whatever going "hey! Guess what guys! I just got an iPhone! Isn't it cool!?" I bet that'd piss people off pretty quickly .

 

[Jordan~]

Yeah, show it off like hell. Whenever anyone has a problem, try to fix it with your iPhone. You'll go from being "Hey, the iPhone guy!" to "Ugh, the iPhone guy..."

 

[Eagle]

Write programs for it. Make people look at the source code and try to explain it when they ask about your iphone. It will get rid of their attention very quickly. Sort of like what Jordan said.

 

[Jules]

Precisely... customize the heck out of it... and refuse to explain how you do that to all the followers who will get an IPhone too.
Or give them instructions for customizing their IPhone that are way too incomprehensible for them. And when they ask for some more explanation always refer to your instruction.

Or just sell the thing to the highest bidder and get a new phone that doesn't attract that much attention. Might even make some extra money on that, too.

 

[Decaf]

You are perfectly justified for feeling the way you do as I'm sure everyone who's posted agrees. INTPs are notoriously uncomfortable with praise from people who have a less than thorough understanding of even the things we feel proud of. In the instance of the iPhone, an STP would likely think the device was so cool they could understand the admiration. An SJ would welcome the added comraderie afforded by the admiration even if they were uncomfortable with its expression. An EN would likely use the opportunity to express why or why not to buy one for themselves based on their view of commercialization, or whatever concept they most apply to the situation.

An INTP thinks, what the hell are you yahoos so excited about? Its just a tool for goodness sake! There's nothing interesting about a tool that's already been built. I agree with the above posters. Customize it and show everyone how much an iPhone is an "INTP project" in disguise. You could single handedly destroy Apple's marketing scheme. And lots of terms like "open-source" and then explain what that means Then take pictures of their faces when you're done and post 'em here! I'd love to see that

 

[Eagle]

Yeah, every time I show someone source code for a cool program I wrote they completely lose interest, especially girls. I catch myself doing it a lot. Very few people appreciate that side of technology.

 

[Jordan~]

I dislike practical programs, unless they're practical in a very sort of personal way. I'd like to be able to program for the sole purpose of being able to make tools for myself.

 

[shiftwalker]

Fellows INTP:

I don't quite get it. A few points for context:

1. I need mobile communication for my business;
2. My current cell phone is broken, I need something new;
3. iPhone is available... I purchase an iPhone;
4. Thanks to my new purchase, I can be reached on the go;
5. Now listen to this: in a team meeting today, I was "the cool guy" and everyone wanted to be close to me because I had an iPhone.

What the hell...

I did not want anyone to pay any attention to me. (I am an INTP after all.) I don't get it (really, I mean it). A tool is a tool and a tool is only valuable if it is the tool you need to get some work done. That's was my situation: I needed to get a few emails and take a few e-notes.

I really did not feel comfortable with all this attention, yet I need the tool to do my work.

Your wise thoughts please.

LOL! you said so many wise thoughts the I am left with almost nothing to say. But since you asked so nicely... I would try to see it from their side while considering their personalities. Joke about use your Intp sense of humor to get your point across
"If all the same, we are different from all."

 

[Kuu]

A tool is a tool and a tool is only valuable if it is the tool you need to get some work done.

An INTP thinks, what the hell are you yahoos so excited about? Its just a tool for goodness sake! There's nothing interesting about a tool that's already been built.

Oh really? How terribly narrow minded...


The hype will die shortly. Is it so unbearable that you cannot wait it out?

 

[Decaf]

Oh really? How terribly narrow minded...

What I should have said is there's nothing INHERENTLY interesting TO ME about a tool that's already been built. Obviously if you can apply it to something new, then the interest picks right up, but cool functions are thrilling for about as long as it takes to describe what they do.