So I'll admit in high school and college I had issues holding onto my phone. 

For the past 15 years, I have gotten a new phone just about every year, if I was lucky I made it 18 months. 

Sadly these upgrades were not a result of my desire to have the latest and greatest technology, they were mostly a factor of my clumsiness or irresponsible behavior. 

Whether it was

• watching my phone skid to a slow/painful death after dropping it while on a run, 
• displaying its last pixels on a bed of rice after jumping into the lake with it still in my pocket, 
• or just plain forgetting the device someplace

No matter the method of pre-mature death, I have been in the latest technology for quite sometime. 

While none of these incidents where done on purpose I am thankful for my youthful indiscretion. While literally, I did grow up with a cell/smartphone, I feel like the cell/smartphone grew up with me. 

Thanks to the Lifeproof Nuud and Spec Candyshell Card cases my iPhone 5 was able to survive long enough for it to die of natural causes (battery capacity decreased to 50%). At that point, I was able to make a decision to "pull the plug" or perform a life-saving operation to repair the battery. 

When I got to the Apple Store to evaluate my options, I was surprised to learn that a standard upgrade is no longer a thing. Sadly the upgrade where the carrier "sponsors" your new phone for the privilege of retaining your business with a two year contract extension is no more. 

Instead,  I was present with 3 options:

• Purchase the phone outright: for a crazy amount
• Sign up for a payment plan through Apple:  $/month for 2 years 
• Sign up for a payment plan through carrier: $-x/month for 2 years

I ended up purchasing the phone outright to avoid getting into a situation where I sign up for a $20 payment for the rest of my life.  

The accountant in me understands the shift to the subscription model but the consumer in me misses the old days where I promise my faithfulness in exchange for a discounted phone.  

But with that thinking I'd be typing this blog via T9 on my Motorolla RAZR. Not all change is good but thank whoever you pray to we have improved from the RAZR.