An iPod, a phone, an internet mobile communicator... these are NOT three separate devices! And we are calling it iPhone! Today Apple is going to reinvent the phone. And here it is.
STEVE JOBS
I asked myself a question. What cellphone did Steve Jobs use before the iPhone? I did some googling, and the best answer I got was a Motorola Razr V3 which was a sleek flip phone. Later, Apple would collaborate on the Motorola Rokr E1 device which left Jobs very dissatisfied and spurred the creation of the iPhone. Jobs's primary frustration was carrying around two devices in his pocket--a cellphone and an iPod. He wanted a single device that did both things. Was that a genius move? I don't think so because people now drop over a grand every couple of years for what amounts to a convenience. Ironically, few if any of those devices fit in your pocket at all now. All I see are people walking around with slabs of glass and metal in side holsters like some geeky version of Billy the Kid. An old school Razr and an iPod would be easier to carry around than these gigantic smartphones.
My flip phone rides in my front shirt pocket. I like shirts with two pockets when I can get them. This allows me the room to carry my folding reading glasses, my rosary beads, and other items. I don't own an iPod or carry around any personal music or gaming devices. I have an old Sony Walkman for listening to the radio that never leaves my nightstand. My gaming amounts to playing Freecell on the Chromebook. When I am in the world without distraction, I just look, listen, and observe what is around me. I realize that the prospect of enduring that kind of boredom fills the Gentle Reader with dread.
One of the trends you see online is the adoption of what is called an "analog bag." Women do this mostly as they carry around things like books, notebooks, knitting, puzzle books, and whatnot as items of distraction in the absence of a smartphone. I had to laugh at the smart aleck on the digital minimalism reddit who quipped that using a Gameboy in lieu of a smartphone isn't living without distractions. This is correct. A paperback book you carry around in your pocket takes you out of the world just as much as doom scrolling social media on your iPhone. I lived in a time when people regularly filled their waiting time reading newspapers and magazines. I even witnessed a guy in the 1990s reading the newspaper behind the steering wheel of his car while driving to work.
Distracted living didn't begin with the smartphone, but it definitely got a boost. Much of the addiction of these devices comes from the social media. I doubt people are driving distracted while reading the Google News page. Most people's smartphone addictions can be remedied by deleting the social media accounts and apps. People like me who use flip phones have an easier time with this. The problem with a dumbphone is that you are missing some useful tools that even the original iPhone didn't have.
If you look at EDCs of people on the digital minimalism and dumbphone reddits, you will see their dumbphone along with a collection of dedicated devices that fill those missing gaps. One of the most prominent ones will be an old school point-and-shoot digital camera like a Sony Cyber Shot or a Panasonic Lumix. The next device will be some sort of mp3 music player like an original iPod. Sometimes, you see a handheld gaming device like a paleolithic Nintendo Gameboy. Finally, everyone has some form of paper notebook for writing down things, but you see that in the EDCs of people who have smartphones. You can't beat paper.
For myself, I just carry a flip phone when I am out and about. I don't listen to music on a device. Sometimes, I carry a homemade notebook for writing down ideas, but I also use the notes tool on my flip phone to capture an idea or reminder. This is very helpful at night when an idea comes to me, and I don't want to turn on the bedside lamp. The flip phone has its own illumination, and I just type in a personal memo.
When I am traveling, I carry dedicated devices along with books in my analog bag which is a backpack. I travel rarely now, but I make sure to have my Kindle and my Walkman. I can download and play mp3 files on my flip phone, but I don't. The wife will bring her Chromebook for the trip which is our internet connected device. Finally, we navigate with a Garmin GPS. We are in suspended animation from the year 2007 when the iPhone came out. Recently, I broke down and bought her a Kodak Pixpro FZ45 digital camera which is the closest thing I could find to the point-and-shoot digital cameras from the 2000s era. The alternative was to gamble on some used equipment from fleaBay.
The argument from smartphone users is that carrying around all of these dedicated devices is a pain in the ass. I have already pointed out that the modern smartphone no longer fits in a standard pocket. I have seen some people jam it in the back pocket of a pair of jeans which lends itself to popping out or getting sat upon and broken. When the smartphone gets busted, you lose not just one device but also your camera, music player, GPS, and gaming device. This amounts to putting all of your tech eggs in one basket.
Another argument that smartphones users make is that having a single device is cheaper than owning multiple dedicated devices. Is this really the case? I broke down the math:
SMARTPHONE
Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max (Verizon): $1199.99
DEDICATED DEVICES
Kyocera DuraXV Extreme+ (Verizon): $250
Acer Chromebook (Walmart): $159
Kodak Pixpro FZ45 (Amazon): $120
C.Crane CC Pocket Radio (Amazon): $75
Garmin GPS Drive 53 Navigator (Amazon): $110
TOTAL: $714
Right out of the gate, you can see that the basket of dedicated devices is the cheaper way to go. Now, I picked the devices relative to my situation. Yours may differ. You may pick an mp3 player which can be had for less than a C.Crane Pocket Radio. I don't own a C.Crane, but it is the radio I selected to replace my Sony Walkman radio should that time ever come. Additionally, these dedicated devices last a long time. They don't get bricked in the forced obsolescence that Apple does when you update the software on your iPhone. People are hanging on to their iPhones for longer for obvious reasons, but the average time of replacement is 2 to 3 years. I also don't include the cost of insurance for the device, an iPhone case like the Otter Box for $30, and the Apple Airpods for $100.
If you amortize the cost of an iPhone over the expected course of 2 years, the device will cost you $600 annually. If you squeeze it for three years, it will be $400 per year. The dedicated devices have various lifespans, but I think it is reasonable to expect 10 years of service out of those devices on average collectively. This amounts to $71.40 annually. Dedicated devices are overwhelmingly the cheaper option.
What about Android smartphones? Flagship phones like the Google Pixel and the Samsung Galaxy have a similar price tag to the iPhone. Now, you can buy cheaper smartphones, and the Android universe has phones at more price points than Apple. But like the iPhone, the average lifespan for Android phones is 2-3 years because of the battery. The cool thing about my flip phone is that I can replace the battery when needed with little trouble. Smartphones require professional assistance on the battery replacement. The one thing I can say is that an Android smartphone is the cheaper option to the Apple iPhone but not by much.
Apple's Insidious Strategy
The genesis of this post came from watching Van Neistat wish that Apple still made the iPod. The iPod was an awesome device that brought back Apple from the dead. People still use them today along with various other models from competitors like SanDisk and Sony. Why did Apple stop making the iPod? The answer is obvious. They wanted to force their cult members to buy expensive iPhones, and it worked and still works today.
The great secret to Apple's success is they eliminate options. This began with deleting disc drives from their computers. It continued with getting rid of ports on their Macbooks for various peripherals. They got rid of the headphone jack to force people to buy Airpods. And this is why the iPod had to die. Meanwhile, Apple now offers new dedicated devices like the iPad and the Apple Watch. People have correctly pointed out that these devices are redundant because of the iPhone. If I was an Apple cult member, I would only have an iPhone and a Macbook. Instead, I use a flip phone and a Chromebook at a fraction of the price. I despise smartwatches and tablets.
The smartphone is a convenience, but 7-11 stores and fast food are also conveniences. The problem with convenience is that it is expensive. Eventually, it isn't even convenient anymore as brown bagging your lunch takes less time and hassle than waiting in line at these places to order and receive your food. Somewhere, people figure this out and make the adjustment back to common sense.
This adjustment is beginning to happen with the smartphone. The reason a dumbphone is so good at breaking smartphone addiction is because of the friction of using the dumb device. I could access the same social media stuff on my Chromebook or PC, but I have to let that go when I step away from my desk. That separation is liberation from a bad habit. The smartphone eliminates that separation as the internet becomes always available at your fingertips.
My advice to people is to dial it back to 2007 when people used flip phones and dedicated devices. Get yourself an analog bag with some physical books and a notebook. Escape from the smartphone prison and the Apple cult. Trust me, you will always have your distractions when you want them, but you will access them more intentionally and with greater deliberation. The rest of the time amounts to situational awareness and greater focus on the tasks at hand. This is very important when driving a car but is also great when you are sitting down with friends for coffee and a conversation. Sometimes, you need to come up for air.
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