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TIME Names iPhone Most Influential Gadget of All Time
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Well they chose the Commodore 64 instead of the Sinclair. And the 64 sold more than 10x the number of units of the Sinclair. Just like how they picked the Palm Pilot over the Apple Newton.
Yes agree and this list is to sell copies of Time. Look at the interest it's caused - 5 pages in this thread already.
I agree mobile phone is perhaps more influential full stop or phone even ??
Standing on the shoulders of giants- didn't Newton say that?
It's still an all around horrible picture. Not sure who did it but they shouldn't have.
Well, if the first TV had never been invented, I seriously doubt that we would even have an iPhone today. All modern displays are a descendant from the first television. TV should have been #1, IMO.
I agree with Time. So far it's definitely the most influential gadget of all time. Who knows what comes next. Yes television and other devices that commenters have named here have definitely made an impact but I cannot think of any other gadget that has had such an impact on pretty much all aspects of daily life other than the iPhone. Yes, there were smartphones before the iPhone but the way Jobs and Co. packaged it and sold it to the masses cannot be compared. Once the app store was up and running, the iPhone broke down communication barriers, provided jobs and even simplified commerce. The two biggest examples I can think of that were fascilitaed by the iPhone are 1)Uber which has completely disrupted transportation in major cities and 2) Square credit card readers. Before Square came along the barrier to entry to accept credit cards was pretty steep. Now you can pay with your credit card at your local farmers market which really speeds up the and motivates the economy. You want money to freely flow. The iPhone by itself was amazing but once combined with the App Store, it was a game changer and we've only scratched the surface. Think big folks.
As I said in the comments on FaceBook, the iPhone certainly changed the computing landscape. I believe iPhone is actually the device that broke Microsoft's strangle hold on the industry. It made users feel less fearful to use other platforms. It certainly became the gateway drug to other platforms and services. I am sure the satisfaction rate with the iPhone help Apple to sell MacBook Pro's to iPhone users because it brought them also in the stores. OS X in itself probably led those same users to eventually try other platforms and services maybe Linux and Google Services. It certainly changed the industry.
Absolutely Agree.
The world changed after the iPhone was released. It's affected so many industries and changed the way the world does business. How many companies have been born and died because of the iPhone and all other smartphones/apps that have been released because of the iPhone?
The world changed after the iPhone was released. It's affected so many industries and changed the way the world does business. How many companies have been born and died because of the iPhone and all other smartphones/apps that have been released because of the iPhone?
Not in my home and that of a lot of others (most?) I know. Cable cutting is common here (Singapore) and even when people are still watching TV, very rarely would it be the only screen being looked at at the time.
I can't remember the last time I've turned on a TV. I've walked into a room with the TV on, but that was when my parents were watching it. Maybe I'll turn it on once in a while to watch the Yankees play, but they suck now.
Kinda like that analogy Steve Jobs said. TVs are like trucks.
I think this is memorable time for Apple, being this article relies heavily on Steve Job's foundation. The amazing thing is, the first Gen iPhone, new in the box, goes for an absurd amount of money on eBay. Its a piece of history Apple users want to be a part of.
Not saying that the TV isn't a great device, but it is still just a way to view video content. So if you took it away, you could still watch it on ... Wait for it ... Your iPhone. ;-)
Looked at the list. Time is kissing apples butt big time. They just needed to add the Apple Watch.
Google glass and rift etc don't belong in the top 50, from an editorial point of view it's a poor list . Fitbit, Segway .... Is this editor in his 20s?
Just like to point out that the editor completely missed out on the digital revoultion of photography??? Hello what is social media all about?
Heck the Amiga deserves to replace many of the computers there.
Radio/TV would have been the most influential , though a journalist would not bother trying to research which brand of radio/tv Changed the world the most
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Now to back before there are personal computers , and TV was the only source of entertainment, how influential does it make it globally?
Google glass and rift etc don't belong in the top 50, from an editorial point of view it's a poor list . Fitbit, Segway .... Is this editor in his 20s?
Just like to point out that the editor completely missed out on the digital revoultion of photography??? Hello what is social media all about?
Heck the Amiga deserves to replace many of the computers there.
Radio/TV would have been the most influential , though a journalist would not bother trying to research which brand of radio/tv Changed the world the most
[doublepost=1462311197][/doublepost]
Now to back before there are personal computers , and TV was the only source of entertainment, how influential does it make it globally?
It is the most influential product IMO in recent times - the modern smartphone category that the iPhone basically defined (and Android copied) replaces the so many different functions and combines all of them into a single device you carry around with you all the time now. Its easy to take it for granted now, but if you can imagine all the things made outdated and combined into a single iPhone today.
Cameras, computers, televisions, VCRs, pagers, typewriters, gameboys, pencil/notepad, credit cards, etc etc etc. People truly forget and take for granted what they can do now with a smartphone that has replaced tons of other things and combined them into a singular device.
I doubt if Apple will ever have a new product that's as profoundly game changing as the iPhone. Even the hottest tech stock today ie. Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg wouldn't be doing nearly as well today if the iPhone had not existed. Its mobile that's driving Facebook today - being stuck on a PC/Web platform only would have really killed their growth.
The Apple Watch unfortunately is just a smaller portal/device and aside from something like the heart rate monitor, you can do it all with a smartphone which is a better overall device, so smart watches and the Apple Watch not being game changing? To be expected, totally.
I think you're extending the iPhone's impact to be the impact of smart phones in general, and even with that exaggerating. For example, what communication barrier was really toppled with the iPhone versus an older blackberry, or even that Nokia phone from 1999 (which I had and in someways miss)? Also, it wasn't Apple leading the way idea of an App Store. Remember how the early iPhone was heavily criticized for not supporting 3rd party apps? There were 3rd party apps on smart devices since the 90's.
When I think about this list and how influential a product really is, I am thinking about how life would compare with the closest competitor of the time. When you really step back and look at the history of smart phones, the iPhone was very incremental. Its success had as much or more to do with style and marketing, as it did with real technological advancement.
And yet, though we've had them for years, you probably don't carry a pocket TV with you wherever you go.
The TV allowed one opinion to be disseminated to very many people on a rigid schedule and in a single format.
The iPhone allowed any number of opinions to be disseminated to any number of people, completely asynchronously and in whatever format the producer, and the app developer, can dream up.
In my opinion, one the most important devices is the 'aglet'.
Life would be a PITA without them.
Life would be a PITA without them.
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