I would pay a significant amount of money for a general computing device with the form factor and build quality of an iPhone.
Cell phones are amazing tech hamstrung by operating systems designed to drain wallets and collect data.
I do not have a phone number and I use a lower end Samsung basically as an ipod with wifi support. It constantly annoys me that apps that have no reason to require a phone number will not even let you register without one.
> I do not have a phone number and I use a lower end Samsung basically as an ipod with wifi support. It constantly annoys me that apps that have no reason to require a phone number will not even let you register without one.
This is interesting. I've never had a cellphone plan myself, however given that some apps (e.g., Telegram) and job applications require a phone number as you say, I've been using a TextNow [1] phone number with the caveat of needing wifi/cellular data. As of now, the only thing that worries me a bit is when I'm out and I need to contact someone but I don't have wifi access.
So how do you go about without a phone (mainly for calls)?
I live on a small island with poor cellular connection, so a phone number is pointless anyways.
People explored the entire planet without phones, I can get by without WiFi for a few hours.
When I visit more civilized societies where people have the expectation of immediacy in communication I just plan my days when I wake up. My friends and family all know that when you make plans with me it is usually more detailed than "I'm not sure where we will be, I'll text you later."
I use apps for all of my day to day communication. Email is also one of my main communication channels.
Some apps like PayPal are basically unusable without a phone number, so I don't use them.
I get asked why I don't just buy a sim card when I visit other countries, and it really just boils down to liking being disconnected and bored of seeing people staring at their phones every time they are confronted with a problem.
Cell phones are amazing tech hamstrung by operating systems designed to drain wallets and collect data.
I do not have a phone number and I use a lower end Samsung basically as an ipod with wifi support. It constantly annoys me that apps that have no reason to require a phone number will not even let you register without one.