iPhone 17 is coming: A look back at how my iPhone obsession turned into a family affair

We’re an iPhone family. And no, I didn’t twist any arms — though I’ll admit, my obsession may have rubbed off on them. My wife, son, and daughter all eventually joined the Apple ecosystem. It started with me.

My obsession began with the iPhone 4. I had my eye on the original iPhone when it launched. I even got a chance to play around with one after our Business Editor, Scott Shuey, brought it to the office. That sleek, concave body and those elegant icons were hard to ignore.

But I didn’t bite. I knew there were phones with better specs at the time. I proudly carried a Samsung for a while, then a Sony. Then came the iPhone 4, and I couldn’t ignore it.

Two of my colleagues flaunted theirs like prized possessions. That was it. I was sold. The rounded edges, the design, the experience... it had me hooked. Since then, it’s been iPhone all the way.

I haven’t owned every model. After the 4, I moved on to the 5S. Then came either the 6 Plus or 7 Plus (honestly, I can’t remember which), before upgrading to the iPhone X. That one stayed with me for a long time. A reliable workhorse.

My wife, initially fine with my hand-me-downs, eventually became a convert. One birthday, I gifted her an iPhone SE. It lasted her well until a fall shattered the screen. She tried switching to Android. That experiment crashed and burned fast. I rescued her with an iPhone 16e. Peace was restored.

My daughter had long coveted my phones, but I held my ground. After she passed Grade 10, I gave her a sleek blue Honor. But when she left for university, I finally upgraded her to an iPhone 12. That was four years ago, and despite dents and scratches, it still runs well.

As for my trusty iPhone X, I kept it running far longer than most would, despite cracking its rear glass. Then I moved to the iPhone 14. It’s been solid. The camera! It’s a dream. Instagram’s never looked better.

My son’s the latest Apple convert in the family. He’d dabbled in HTC and BlackBerry, staunchly resisting iPhone for years. Then, last year, the iPhone 15 Pro landed in his hands. I still don’t know what swayed him, but he hasn’t looked back.

Now, the iPhone 17 is just around the corner, slated for a September launch. Will I upgrade? Probably not. Unless Apple delivers something revolutionary. The leaks so far haven’t wowed me.

Still, I’m keeping an eye on the Apple event. Maybe Tim Cook has something up his sleeve.