Apple announces the iPhone 8 & 8+

The keynote for the 8 and 8+ was the first keynote in the Steve Jobs Theater. The iPhone 8+ was a big transition for me. I had a great deal on an unlimited plan with Sprint, but by 2014, I still wasn't able to be on a phone call and use cellular data at the same time with Sprint. That was unacceptable to me. I was able to do that with my first iPhone on ATT in 2010. I was also a bit put off by the fact that my 6+ seemed really sluggish. I didn't know that it was due to Apple releasing an iOS update that throttled the CPU for older batteries. When I had a new battery installed on my 6+, it ran like new and I kept it as a backup phone for a few years.

I didn't want to go back to ATT, and I wasn't interested in Verizon. T-Mobile had just opened a store in my city, so I decided to give them a try. Who knew that one day T-Mobile would buy Sprint? I spent more money to get an unlimited data plan with T-Mobile, but I got better coverage and faster speed. When I bought the 8+ from that T-Mobile store in November of 2017, I went with a black model. This was the first iPhone that had a haptic button instead of a real button that pressed down. It really impressed me how a little vibration can give the sensation of actually pressing a button. Apple also introduced augmented reality with the 8+, and I think it's a neat feature but I haven't used it very much. Wireless charging was something that I ignored as a gimmick until early 2022 when a friend let me try it with their charger. It wasn't until I saw it in action in person that I wanted a wireless charger.

During the same keynote, Apple introduced the iPhone X (Ten). I was so put off by the notch and the lack of a home button that I didn't want to give it a try. I wanted to stick with an iPhone form factor that I was familiar with, so I used my 8+ for almost 5 years. Having TouchID instead of FaceID during the China Virus mask mandate was nice.