I saw a television commercial the other day for the Apple iPhone. [Update: Apple apparently removed the ad, but here is a German version]. The commercial attempted to convey the message that having the Internet in your pocket (via the iPhone) is wonderful. However, the points of the ad just reinforce my belief that having a very expensive cell phone is unnecessary.
The ad made the following points:
- You can use the iPhone to get ski trail maps when you’re at the ski resort. So what? I’ve never been to a ski resort that did not give out free pocket-sized ski trail maps.
- You can use the iPhone to research local restaurants. So what? Most people will eat at the ski resort anyway and if you really want to know of another restaurant in the area, then why not just ask an employee working at the resort what he or she recommends? The Low-Tech Times recommends talking face-to-face with a real person for local recommendations.
- You can use the iPhone to change your flight home. Well, they have a point here that the iPhone might come in handy to do that. However, changing your flight will likely result in extra charges so the Low-Tech Times recommends that travelers stick to their original itinerary.
Conclusion: the expensive iPhone is simply unnecessary. The Low-Tech Times instead recommends a basic pay-as-you-go phone for use in the event of emergencies.