The Top 40

So the coffin of civilization has 400 million nails. (I hate those damn things, and would only use one if my job required it.)

A bit of ironic hyperbole eh.

You are on a computer connected to all those 400 million "damn things", reading a blog and making a negative comment about them.

Go figure.

From my iPhone.

Cheers.

Who knew? Followers of Ned Ludd use computers too! You do understand, Bill, that the iPhone (and the other smartphones before and after it) are just smaller, faster, and more capable versions of the Windows 95-running heat source you've got shoved under your desk? I'm pretty sure you could find some non-civilization-killing uses for those damn things if you tried.

Who knew?

Among the 400 million lemmings who are unable to survive without constant reinforcement of their hippitude are readers of this site.

"Windows 95-running heat source you've got shoved under your desk." The withering scorn of the adolescent; Ah! I bleed, I die.

Ancient Capitalist Maxim: "Find a need and fill it."

Does having 400 million of something still make it hip? And the "lemmings" taunt. Really? Talk about withering scorn, but this time of the pseudo-intellectual. Ooh, I'm going over a cliff with the other iPhone users. Yes, we all know and appreciate how above all of that material stuff you are.

What you fail to realize that not only did they sell 400m of these little doodads, but helped reinvent the music, TV, movie, and book industries, not to mention creating a new way of allowing indie devs to get their ideas out in the marketplace and get paid for it. Granted, the music distribution disruption was already started by the time the iPhone started shipping (thanks to iPods), but the fact that all of these things have changed in just 7 years is phenomenal.

Or what vanderleun said. Your choice.

Ancient Capitalist Maxim: "Find a need and fill it."

More apt capitalist maxim: "Create a need and fill it."

Oh yeah, Ferdie: look up "projection" on your iGadget, will you? If you're away from it (I know, but still,) ask the individualist next to you.

I know of at least 3 families in Florida that have had their homes foreclosed and now live in over priced rental units but they still have their $125/mth smartphones in their hands 24/7.

I doubt I'll ever have a smartphone as I don't see the benefit over a standard cellphone.

Apple maxim: create a trendy fad and fill it.

There was no need, there was no created need. I Phone wasn't even new. It was just really well marketed and targeted at hipster douchebags and trendoids. It became huge the same way Apple computers manage to cling to any market share at all; by targeting tredsetters and "cool" people so the product seems wonderful and then charge too much for it so it feels elite.

Its not that Apple stuff is bad, its just way too expensive and designed to be disposable like clothing fashions. He still has an I Phone 3, can you imagine?

There always seems to be a lot of grumbling whenever Apple is mentioned. Yes, there is a quick turnover of smartphones, that has been a rising technology with a lot of development, so product obsolescence happens faster on that part of the curve. Early iPods and their equivalents were like that until they settled down, but smart phones have much more room to grow.

I've had the same iMac for five and a half years, it works fine. Before that I had a succession of Wintel machines that drove me nuts with constant buggy software updates, security suites that clashed with all other programs, frequent crashes, and a miserable ownership experience. In frustration I reluctantly decided to try something Apple, the iMac just keeps chugging along doing what I want it to do, rarely any hassles whatsoever. Turned out to be a great value for money.

Smartphones aren't for everyone, but now that I finally have one, I can see that they are amazing devices. Jobs and Apple polished this emerging technology and made it better to use and maintain, and advanced the state of the art. Good for them, and good for their competitors. Everybody benefits. We live in amazing times.

I like having an iPhone, and I'm about as un-hip as they come (and couldn't care less how "trendy" my phone is). It enables me to access emails, the web, and a lot of useful apps for both my job and personal life when I'm away from my home or office. Could I live without it? Absolutely. But why should I? It makes my life a little easier, so I'd rather have it than not.

You're an angry little elf, aren't you, Rob?

You don't know me. But I'll give you folks a hint that I'm not a hipster. Pretty sure I'm more individual than you are. Especially since you seem to like the modern fad of taking a broad brush to anyone who does anything you don't agree with.

And some on the list aren't very grown up. Are there people who really say "He still has an iPhone 3, can you imagine?" Are there really people who are that obsessed with what model of phone you are using? Even among tech people it's more of a curiosity than anything. It's funny how the "trendy fad" has caused a variety of companies (Google - now with Motorola, Samsung, LG, HTC, Microsoft - now with Nokia, RIM) to completely remake their entire business models. Google has said the iPhone caused them to completely scrap Android and start over. Plus the other industries I mentioned earlier. You guys have no clue how the tech business works.

I have a PowerBook G4 that is almost 10 years old. My 12-year-old uses it daily. I had to replace the battery a couple years ago, and the AC charger (both with off-market brands instead of the Apple components). Disposable? And why would I use Windows over Mac OS (saying this as a MSFT alum) - the FreeBSD base of Mac OS (and by extension iOS) is far more sturdy in today's computing environments than Windows. True, Windows has gotten better, but it's still driven too much by committees, focus groups, and UX studies.

Is this what conservatism is nowadays? A bunch of Luddites who fear technology, and are angered by its' use, instead of using it properly and harnessing it?