As Abraham Simpson once said: “A fax machine is nothing but a waffle iron with a phone attached!” This seems to be the way nowadays. Fit as many different technologies into one item as possible for the users convenience. I’m sure putting a waffle iron and phone together isn’t far off in the horizon but for now we have to make-do with Apple’s newest fusion – the iPhone.
Its release has been heralded as another technological advancement. It’s an innovation in the world of science – a phone, that is also an iPod. How inspirational.
The Mirror describes it as “the most eagerly awaited gadget in history” – possibly a better invention than the wheel, at this stage we cannot tell - and implores you to get in line if you want one for a snip of a deal at just £269. The hype knows no bounds.
Once upon a time, phones were used to make phone calls…that was it. Unbelievable to some, but true. Next you could text, then there was internet capabilities and video messaging. Now you can store all your music on your phone. True, not a new concept but one which could spell the beginning of the end for the mp3 player in its pitiful mono-functional state.
The phone is, I have realised, the Swiss army knife for the youth of today. You can hear the question being posed at the meetings of phone companies across the globe - ”What else can we add to a phone to make it better?” A fork maybe, or a pair of miniature scissors. I await the day when a group of boy scouts in the woods remove their flints from their phones to light a fire or slide out a knife with which to open a can of beans.
The BBC Website performed a review of the iPhone checking out all of the phone’s functionalities. The phone, as Ian McKenzie tells us, “undoubtedly looks lovely”, but guess what? He couldn’t make any phone calls because that bit wasn’t working. Just incredible!
It makes you wonder what is next for the world of technology. Whatever happens, you can bet your bottom dollar that this is not the last technology to be stuffed into the packaging of another.
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http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/science-%26-technology/apple-forced-to-recall-iphone-after-toaster-fault-20070628245/
Comment by stevet58 — December 3, 2007 @ 11:52 pm
I think the mobile phone along with the Internet, flight, television and the wheel among other things is one of the most important inventions of all time. After all “necessity is the mother of invention”. An inventor is not going to make any money if there is no need for his product or it does fill a niche on the market. Clive Sinclair’s C5 car, which was widely panned by critics, is just one example of this. I have heard the mobile phone will one day be used like a credit card and I have no doubt this will one day be a reality. The consumer has the power to change technology and society because as Andy points out the manufacturers of mobile phones are constantly looking for ways to satisfy the consumer.
Comment by michaelguk — May 14, 2008 @ 1:03 pm
Technology is always a touchy issue, because of the vast amounts of money people spend on it, and therefore companies make from it.
As Andy rightly points out, mobile phones are almost limitless in their potential. For designers, it’s about assessing what the public want and need, rather than what they can conceivably add to a phone.
People will snap up iPhones fast, and most will be glad they did. And that’s what it’s all about.
Comment by gjclayton1 — May 14, 2008 @ 2:15 pm
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Comment by blazey22 — May 28, 2008 @ 9:00 pm