Yesterday, as you probably heard on more than a few occasions, was the tenth anniversary of the iPhone. Way back in 2007 Apple officially launched its first smartphone, and the industry, and a lot of facets of culture itself, changed forever. We've come a long way since the iPhone arrived on the scene. We've seen some companies come and go, other giants fade out entirely, and smaller companies rise up from out of nowhere to offer competitive handsets at even more competitive price points.
The smartphone market continues to advance in strides, due in part because people appear to be holding onto their phones for longer periods of time, so trying to convince people to upgrade year after year is a tougher sell. For fans of smartphones, and especially those who like to try out everything they can get their hands on, that's a winning strategy.
Yesterday night I decided to watch a brief snippet of Steve Jobs announcing the original iPhone.
First, it was just awesome to watch Jobs on stage again. He was such a great presenter. And watching him drop "subtle" hints back then, which are now so obvious, was kind of hilarious. I had forgotten that he had initially teased three different products, with a widescreen iPod with touch controls, a revolutionized phone, and a more powerful tool to browse the internet. The audience clapped each time, obviously excited to see more products, and then lost it when Jobs made it obvious he was talking about one product.
What we'd all know as the iPhone.
One thing that caught my attention while rewatching that keynote was just how adamant Jobs was on changing the phone itself. Revolutionizing the phone, making it better. But all I can remember from that time period was how pesky text messages were, and the fact they weren't unlimited. But talking on the phone was still happening, especially since Bluetooth was getting off the ground and people in suits could rock those awesome on-ear microphones.
It stood out to me because of all the things Apple has done over the years, especially with the introduction of the iPhone, I think they actually killed the phone, at least on a broad spectrum. Speaking personally, I loathe talking on the phone -- and it's something I used to do all the time without a second thought. But now? Anyone that I actively talk to on a regular basis knows that if they call me, it better be an emergency. I ignore 90% of the phone calls I get. The only time I ever call my mom is on Mother's Day and on her birthday. Otherwise: Texting.
Jobs wanted to make the phone better, but I think he actually ushered in its death knell. Phones have become supercomputers, with an endless array of apps and services, many of which make the phone part of our smartphones obsolete.
I can't say that the phone, or talking on the phone, is completely dead, though. I still see people talking on their device, whatever it might be, all the time when I go out. I still have to sit on conference calls from time-to-time. The phone call will probably never completely die out, even as companies try to get video calling into the spotlight. But it has definitely been repositioned into the backseat.
What about you? How often do you make phone calls, and is it your preferred way of communicating? Or, like me, do you hate talking on the phone? If you don't talk on the phone, what's your primary way of getting in touch with people? Let me know!
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