3 ms·

Much more like the iPod than iPhone, IMHO. An accessory, a fashion object, very cool but totally optional and not life-changing in the way the smartphone has be

• gdubs 12y ago
  Ah, but the iPod paved the way for the iPhone. Where Apple succeeds is in creating products that people covet. White earbuds were a status symbol for some time until the knockoffs came. They signaled that you had enough disposable income for an expensive MP3 player. Now they've made something you wear -- so there's no missing the signal. And yes, I totally fall for it every time -- but as a developer I have a convenient alibi :)
• AJ007 12y ago
  This could well end up in quite the opposite direction. Whether its Apple, Google, or both, we have a device that acts as a payment tool, light switch, id card, all at once seamlessly. Right now that device is the phone. We are still in the novelty phase. It is as seamless as reaching in to your pocket and navigating to the needed app. It is still optional. You can still get printed boarding passes, and most people do. There will be a transition point where this digital "key" (I think this is the best term) becomes mandatory. Retail stores could eliminate shoplifting along with the checkout line. Airports, employers, government facilities, could exercise more precise control of who is on the premises. May be there are already places like this. Certainly you aren't calling an Uber anonymously.