I’m blessed in that I have a sister who is overly generous, so this past Christmas I found myself the proud owner of the coveted and stylish device.

Considering that prior to receiving my iPhone I was the owner of perhaps the most outdated, ugly and useless phones, moving up to arguably the most advanced phone around was quite a leap.

The sad part was that it actually did change my daily life. Suddenly my phone could do all these wonderful things that I’d never had available. I was scheduling events, surfing the Web between classes and using it as my daily music player, among other things. Even the headphones with the built-in microphone became a godsend when I was trying to participate in conference calls.

I’ll even freely admit that I did occasionally get a sense of glee when people would notice and demand to play with it.

However, my ride at the top is over with the announcement of the new iPhone 3G. As of July 11, my phone will suddenly be the slower and overpriced older brother to the sleek new smartphone.

In the wake of the announcement, my sister called me up and, after breathlessly explaining how she was planning on upgrading, asked if I was going to take the plunge in order to stay on top of the world of technology.

Despite the fact that I hadn’t sought out the phone in the first place, I actually was tempted by the new phone. I started putting plans together in my head as to how to make the whole thing financially feasible.

And then I passed a gas station and reality smacked me in the head. Suddenly, the idea that a company is unveiling this grand new phone that, at the cheapest, costs $200, but requires an expensive data plan on top of a person’s no-doubt expensive regular plan became that much more ridiculous.

We are living in a world in which 6 percent of a person’s income is being devoted solely to filling up their car’s gas tank.

Gas prices are spiking and anyone who has their eyes open can tell that the economy is tanking around us — especially in Michigan.

In this climate, what college student in their right mind would shell out the kind of money a new iPhone costs?

I suppose it’s feasible that I could have afforded the device if I really wanted it. The problem is that I probably would have ended up putting it on a credit card, or spent money that I’ll likely need in a couple of months considering the steady march of gas prices at the pump.

Americans have this intense need to constantly be at the top, to have the coolest devices.

It’s part of what led so many people to seek out mortgages they couldn’t afford for a house that they should have known was too big or fancy for their budget. It’s part of what led so many people to buy their SUVs when they were the hot car to have. It’s short-term thinking in the worst way.

Now, I’m not laying the entire troubles of the nation at the feet of Apple. Plenty of people who are definitely in a position to be able to afford the new iPhone and its service will likely be lining up for the new version.

I’m just asking for people to take a few minutes and really think about whether they really need the newest phone on the market, maybe consider why they’re buying it and whether they can really afford it in the face of rising gas prices — as well as the rising cost of food and other assorted items.

Is it really worth it simply to have people stop you on the street and admire your precious new toy?

On second thought, that is a pretty sweet feeling. What was that price, again?

James Harrison is a State News columnist. Reach him at harri310@msu.edu .