Technological convergence — Friend or Foe?
Can a device ever have too much functionality? That is the question I’m asking after reading an article in the Toronto Star about the new Apple iPhone.
On January 9, 2007, Steve Jobs unveiled the much anticipated iPhone at the MacWorld conference in San Francisco. On word of the unveiling, stocks of the maker of the Blackberry, RIM, lost 7.68 per cent.
The iPhone promises to be the all-in-one device that you’ll ever need to carry around — the Swiss Army knife of electronics and communications.
Well, I love Apple products and currently own an iPod video and I’m even considering buying a MacBook laptop.
However, unless Apple wants to change my mind by giving me an iPhone to try, I’ll stick with my Blackberry for my communications needs.
Here’s the issue that I have. I currently own a Palm T3, RIM Blackberry, and an Apple iPod video.
Each product has its advantages, and I use each one for particular tasks.
My T3 can play music and ebooks, take pictures, play games, retrieve email wirelessly, browse the internet, etc…
However, my Blackberry is superior when it comes to retrieving email and making calls. In fact, I occasionally use the web browser to get the latest hockey scores or use our software, MediaMiser Enterprise, to get the latest news.
The T3 does not have a phone, but the Palm Treo series does. My feeling on this is the same as the iPhone – sometimes there is something to be said for simplicity and doing a couple things well instead of a lot of things OK. That being said, Palm can also send me the latest Treo to try to change my mind.
The advantage I have when I use my T3, is that it keeps my life intact. It’s great for organizing my life and making sure I’m getting things done and I’m where I’m supposed to be. Anymore than that and I’m working for the device instead of the other way around, and I have a dead battery. That’s why I’m skeptical about the iPhone.
I love my iPod video. I even have kata videos saved on it so I can use it to help me with practicing Karate. In my opinion, it’s the best device for music, work related podcasts, e-books for on the go, and the odd video that I don’t have time to see.
However, from what I understand, if I invest in an iPhone, in some cases, I have to stick with one telecommunications carrier for the life of the product.
Also, if I want to use the device for everything, battery life will become a major problem. I can go the entire weekend without charging my Blackberry, and with that I’m receiving e-mail in real-time, answering phone calls, and getting information off the web. Plus, I’m not obsessing over what else the Blackberry can do for me.
The bottom line is, I have limited time to do what I need to do during the day and I also want quality of life. These devices need to work for me and not the other way around.
But if Apple wants to try to change my mind, I’ll be happy to test it for them.
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