Q: How an iPhone can save you from being killed in Mexico

Hi! Not sure if this goes here...

I’m 25, Mexican, and me and my boyfriend had iPhones until last night when we were robbed. It’s not a complaint or something like a petition for a refund… this is the story of how those iPhones saved our lives.

If you’re an outsider, you may believe the “urban legends” about Mexicans drinking Tequila and Margaritas everyday at every single hour, besides the fact that we’re incredibly uneducated. Well, as racist as this may sound… for some people that’s true. For some, everyday consists of a 24-hour epiphany about being drunk and robbing people instead of facing the though face of life: hard work.

About a year ago, after a lot of debate with ourselves, my boyfriend and I bought each one an iPhone 6, as soon as the lady in the store handed them to us it felt better than a brand new car. I was so worried about this being an “impulsive purchase” that I almost gave it back the next day; but as days went by… I realized that it truly worth what I payed for it. We were beyond amazed with what we could achieve with a little and, truthfully…, very capitalistic device. Oh well… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

We moved 8 months ago to a new city called Monterrey for my boyfriend’s new job. On my side: I had no job, was is the looking, and pretty scared and sad because we were leaving everything that was “safe” and “well known” to go on and achieve our dreams while working our ***** off to build a small home: a new bed, a new washing machine, a coffee maker, etc. The iPhones were our handiest tool. From notifications about discounts to UBER’s, job mails, app’s for looking Jobs, instructions on how to use everything we were buying, FaceTime with our loved ones, they made the transition so much easier.

We had them for a bit more than one year. Just as an informative fact for the rest of the story: when I don’t want to carry a purse, I give my boyfriend my pone so he can store it in his pocket. Last night, as we were walking back home with our grocery bags (the supermarket is 4 blocks away from our apartment) a taxi with 3 men inside it, gets next to us… and ask about an address: “Do you know where’s Patzcuaro street?”.

If I’m too tired or in a bad mood, I pretty much send everyone around me to **** off, buy not my man, he’s determined to see the good in everyone and always wants to help those in need. He told the 3 men in the taxi that he wasn’t sure, but he could look for it in the “Maps app”. I kept walking, since I hoped that matter didn’t take to long so we can cook dinner and probably watch a movie on Netflix. I walked a few steps ahead of them and sat in the entrance of the building.

I saw that my boyfriend was still talking to them, it took way longer than I thought, but couldn’t hear anything weird. After about 10 minutes… he approaches, me pale and sweating. “Finally!” I tell…. and he says “They took the iPhones… and my ID. … they had a gun… and they pointed it at me”. Didn’t see that coming … “They told me if I do something… they would come back for me… since they have my address… and they asked for all my passwords “… and we could do nothing but hug each other while the groceries were still in the floor.

This is not a complaint… this is not a letter to join us in manifestations about the violence we live in my country. It’s a thank you note to Apple … because I live in a country where an iPhone and every Apple product is more valuable than our lives, so if I have an iPhone… or a MacBook, an iPad or anything that yells “expensive” … I can use it as a “token” for my life… for my safety.

Those men in the cab almost shot the man I’ve spent nights, days, years, making plans with, for a family, my future husband, my best friend… a hardworking man. He exchanged our safety for the iPhones. I’m glad we had them, I’m glad we bought them, I’m not saying this is fair… but thanks to that “capitalistic tool” … we are alive, and I’m writing you this.

Thank you so much, Apple team. Trust me when I tell you… eventually we will get another iPhone, you have two customers for life.