The iPhone Affair

Tim is a big fan of having the latest and greatest in technology. For the most part this doesn't bug me unless he is frivilously spending money on crap we don't need. Awhile ag he started an iPhone Fund and was set to buy one when they came out a few weeks ago.
For whatever reason the topic of the iPhone came up at work and his father and his uncle both railed Tim for wanting one. His dad went on and on about how ridiculous it was to have a phone like that,and that all he needs is a plain phone that he can make calls on. He doesn't need one of those "over priced pieces of garbage". His dad drove this point home over the next few days, reminding Tim that it was a foolish purchase, and that he didn't need one. This pretty much ruined the iPhone for Tim, but not enough to not want one anymore. Life, being what it is sometimes, caused the iPhone Fund to get sucked up into the Medical Bills From Nora's Stint in the Hospital fund. That, paired with Tim's dad's vocal disapproval, put the iPhone off the table for a while.
Do you see where this is going?
So today Tim comes home from work and tells me that his dad is upset because he went to buy an iPhone today, but can't get one because of his calling plan. He is now thinking about eliminating his corporate account (that is not really for corporate use, it is just so that he can have 4 phones at once, as well as one for his estranged wife, and get a break on the costs) so that he can get an iPhone because "it is an amazing piece of technology" (and his friend has one).
Why is this man such an asshole?
And why does Tim chose to make him a role model? (Actually, I can kind of answer that: I have always said about Tim that his greatest strength and his greatest weakness is his loyalty. It is truly one of his most endearing qualities, as well as the one that causes him the most aggravation.)
Tim is fairly good natured about the whole situation, and really it is not THAT big of a deal, but for anyone who has had to experience first hand how these people roll, you know how obnoxious this is.
I just hope the old guy can work the damn thing and isn't calling Tim at all hours for tech support (like he usually does).