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At the risk of getting into a completely different debate, the iPhone is not a computer. A computer allows the user to write and run any program of their choosi
by gnu8 9y ago
At the risk of getting into a completely different debate, the iPhone is not a computer. A computer allows the user to write and run any program of their choosing. An iPhone can only run programs approved by Apple, and the user cannot use the iPhone to generate new programs.
So while technically the iPhone is a computer, with a microprocessor that executes instructions, primary and secondary storage, and so on, the device has more in common with the traditional telephone and television, because it can be used for communicating and consuming content, but not general purpose computing.
- code_duck 9y agoTrue that it is limited by software to less functionality than a traditional computing device. In the grand scheme of things, though, that definition is rather specific and is less meaningful to people outside our field. The iPhone performs functions far more similar to a computer than to television or phone. For instance, I am writing this on an iPhone. 12 years ago, I would have been writing this on a desktop computer and certainly not a television. The other things i use this phone for - photography and music creation - are similarly not exclusively content consumption activities. So while the device is geared towards that, it can also be used for creation. I'm not an iPhone developer, but from what i understand you can write apps to do about anything and run them yourself - just not distribute them on the app store.