To iPhone or not to iPhone
Manhattan has become a city of iPhone users. No longer do digital cameras rule, but housewives use their iPhones to post pictures of their family on Facebook. Businessmen monitor the markets on their Bloomberg apps, and the digerati is constantly checking in on Foursquare, letting the world know where they are, and not mutually exclusive, how cool they are. Iphones are ubiquitous in the city, everyone seems to have one, and everyone who does seems to love it. Sure there are gripes about Att and 3G and battery life, but for the most part - they’re in love.
In love with what though. I myself am not an iPhone user, so while I see the appeal and emphathize with the functionality of a computer roaming around on a touch screen iPod - I don’t truly understand it. I do, but in recognition of what is quickly becoming a lifestyle choice (to iPhone or not to iPhone) - I don’t. Is it the convenience? My blackberry gets the mobile web, I have hundreds of apps on my phone, many of which are comparable to iPhone apps, my camera is excellent and I can post to Twitpic or Facebook with ease. I can upload music onto my expandable 8GB SD card, I can sync my calendar, I have great email functionality and make really clear phone calls.
I completely understand what people are so in love with, and its becoming more than love. As smartphones become more ubiquitous in society, the functionality of these devices is becoming more of a necessity than a bonus feature. Do I really *need* to access my boarding pass on my phone and check in with that? Do I really *need* to look up driving directions on the fly? No I don’t, but if I have grown into reliance upon my smartphone, then I don’t take necessary steps to be prepared for life sans smartphone. Smartphones have become integrated into NYC society, our social habits and even our basic needs; smartphones make our lives easier and more quickly. Quickness is of course a longstanding tradition in NY.
But here I write this from Wilmington, NC on my grandmothers porch. She a cellphone for emergencies when she leaves the house, but doesn’t ever use it. I have not seen a single Blackberry or iPhone in the 5 days I have been here (I’ve seen a few sidekicks and Droids). So what is it these people don’t *need* in a smartphone? My initial thought is that this observation is simply an effect of the adoption curve. We are in a remote corner of North Carolina, a place where foreign cars are few and far between. But these people live there lives just fine - even more relaxed one might say. If someone took every iPhone and BB out of New York City overnight, people would be in chaotic states of panic. What would we do, I can’t event Twitter about my problem!
Smartphones have changed the way we live. We are reliant on them for so many of our basic needs these days and the iPhone is clearly the best in class device. As I grapple with how to pay my current bills, I really want an iPhone. You could even say I *need* one from a business perspective. (My post a few days ago about Stickybits - yeah, you need an iPhone to use the app). I’m in a conundrum, although I am facing bigger issues than should I buy and iPhone or not, this one is a doozy.
