What Technology Has Been Eliminated with Smartphones?
We’re coming up on the 10th birthday of the iPhone, launched June 29th, 2007.
Like any convincing psychopath, smartphones are able to put on a likable front. They are friendly, helpful and seem like they wouldn’t hurt a fly. All the while they are sadistic killers who smother alarm clocks in their sleep and make sure your GPS system is never found again. James Pelton
It’s only fitting that Mobile Text Alerts launch this killer infographic: Cell Phone Serial Killer – The Gadgets being Killed off by Smartphones to celebrate the demise of so many technologies that have been provided an amazing platform in the palm of our hands. Here are 10 technologies that have been killed off thanks to our amazing smartphones
- Alarm Clock – 61% of smartphone users say their phone has replaced their alarm clock.
- Watch – Smartwatch shipments eclipsed swiss watch shipments for the first time in the 4th quarter of 2015.
- Fitness Trackers – 58% of smartphone users have downloaded at least one fitness app.
- MP3 Players – cheap data plans and streaming services on smartphones have taken over.
- Point and Shoot Camera – smartphones accounted for more than 50% of images shared since 2011, simultaneous to a huge drop in fixed lens camera sales.
- Camcorder – Along with cameras, camcorder sales continue to plunge as well.
- GPS and Maps – TomTom revenues dropped by 2/3rds in 2 years, and Google Maps now has 1 billion users (although I’d opt for Waze).
- Landline Phones – 41% of homes no longer have a landline phone and there are only 100 pay phones left in Hong Kong.
- Newspapers – Smartphones have replaced newspapers as a choice of reading material for men on the toilet.
- Gameboys – Mobile game revenues are 3 times that of dedicated handheld consoles.
- Flashlights – The smartphone users’ favorite app!
- Address Book – Killed by contact books that synchronize with our contacts and all of our online services.
- Personal Video Players – Along with music, the smartphone is now our portable television. And cable companies are responding, with streaming services.
- Voice Recorders – Remember the dictaphone? Me either.
- Calculator – You know you’ve used it to calculate a tip or two.
- Notepad – Jot down reminders and notes.
- Photo Album – Have you seen a picture of my dog, Gambino? I probably have 100 of them on my iPhone.
- Weather – No need to turn on the news, the Weather Channel is available in the palm of our hand.
- Dumb Phones – You’re not dumb if you use a flip phone, I promise… but you are out of touch.
- More – We may find out in the future that the electromagnetic radiation (EMR) emitted by cell phone masts are causing additional issues to the environment… stay tuned.