The earliest cell phones were horribly expensive while also being huge, heavy (think briefcase with a cord; succeeded by holding a large, thick book against you

The earliest cell phones were horribly expensive while also being huge, heavy (think briefcase with a cord; succeeded by holding a large, thick book against your ear) and laughably unreliable. But, those early purchases paid for the R&D to put tiny, cheap, reliable cell phones in the pockets of half the population of earth today. That's the way tech works, but people still feel the need to complain every time someone new comes around.