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Smartphones have Destroyed More Than Just Camera Sales.
- Thread starter mandm
- Start date
SoCalWill
Veteran Member
But if you offered me the choice of a digital camera + MP3 player + standalone GPS + camcorder from 2007 or a modern smartphone, I'd rather have the phone.
I find it charming that so many millions of willing and unknowing humans spend hours each day in opiate-like bliss providing the big mega tech corporations with femtobytes of human behavioural data which they can analyze and use to enhance their AI capabilities to design even more 'benign' and oh-so-fascinating gadgets...which we dutifully buy after lining up an entire weekend to be seen on Monday with the item in our hands. Yes, I'm talking about the all-singing, all-dancing smart phone. Oh, and all those benign apps that haven't a lick of interest in monitoring what you do with them...………..either. No, really!!
007peter
Forum Pro
also Alarm Clock, Tivo, Radio, Calculator, Egg Timer, Stop Watch
I remember in high school, I would save up $70 for a fancy Casio Sci-Fi calculator with graph. Later in college, I need to buy a fancy $160 HP financial calculator. Today, its all FREE, just 1 download away.
I remember in high school, I would save up $70 for a fancy Casio Sci-Fi calculator with graph. Later in college, I need to buy a fancy $160 HP financial calculator. Today, its all FREE, just 1 download away.
CMCM
Veteran Member
Somewhat sad, but true. Five years ago I lent daughter a little P&S for taking photos in her classroom. Two years ago I gave something similar to my granddaughter to take with her for a 3-month teaching job in Tanzania.
My daughter returned the P&S awhile back because she's not into photography and is much happier taking phone snaps of whatever she wants to shoot, and my granddaughter (age 22) may or may not still have the P&S I gave her, but she appears to only take snaps with her phone. For both of them, it all goes to facebook and photos are stored in the phone to look at and show others, or forward to someone via the phone messages or email. It's all too convenient now, and they are quite happy with the quality as they only look at photos on their phones or sometimes their computer screens.
Well, "back in the day" when the only option was a camera, not everyone was interested in photography either. Remember the instant photos that popped out of the camera? Horrendous quality, yet that camera was very popular. I had one, and that was 1969.
Yet on the bright side, some young kids ARE still interested in real cameras and learning to use them, they clearly aren't satisfied with just a phone camera. I recently talked to a 20-something fellow behind the camera counter at a nearby PX, and he had bought himself a nice Canon DSLR (FF no less) and was deep into night sky photography and doing very well with it from what he showed me. In my local Best Buy (which has a big camera section) they've hired a nunber of very enthusiastic and young sales people who love cameras and will for sure keep buying them. So maybe there's still hope...
And a confession....I do really appreciate my iPhone and always having a camera (of sorts) available to shoot whatever I want to shoot.....sometimes I photograph things to remember them instead of writing stuff down...like an item I want to buy later, a label, etc. I have some stupid photos on my phone.
My daughter returned the P&S awhile back because she's not into photography and is much happier taking phone snaps of whatever she wants to shoot, and my granddaughter (age 22) may or may not still have the P&S I gave her, but she appears to only take snaps with her phone. For both of them, it all goes to facebook and photos are stored in the phone to look at and show others, or forward to someone via the phone messages or email. It's all too convenient now, and they are quite happy with the quality as they only look at photos on their phones or sometimes their computer screens.
Well, "back in the day" when the only option was a camera, not everyone was interested in photography either. Remember the instant photos that popped out of the camera? Horrendous quality, yet that camera was very popular. I had one, and that was 1969.
Yet on the bright side, some young kids ARE still interested in real cameras and learning to use them, they clearly aren't satisfied with just a phone camera. I recently talked to a 20-something fellow behind the camera counter at a nearby PX, and he had bought himself a nice Canon DSLR (FF no less) and was deep into night sky photography and doing very well with it from what he showed me. In my local Best Buy (which has a big camera section) they've hired a nunber of very enthusiastic and young sales people who love cameras and will for sure keep buying them. So maybe there's still hope...
And a confession....I do really appreciate my iPhone and always having a camera (of sorts) available to shoot whatever I want to shoot.....sometimes I photograph things to remember them instead of writing stuff down...like an item I want to buy later, a label, etc. I have some stupid photos on my phone.
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CanonSharpShooter
Forum Enthusiast
It has to be one of mankind's greatest invention. Just upgrade your phone and you'll be upgrading all you need.
SoCalWill
Veteran Member
The Fuji Instax instant camera has been the bestselling non-phone, non-action camera for several years; I have an Instax printer, the kids love it.
There were no calculators when I went to school and college. We used slide rules.
Not only did we have to drink out of puddles we had to use a book of log tables plus the other trigonometric functions (late 60s). The first calculator I came across was a HP 35 which was fearfully expensive in 1973. I still use RPN
paul_kew
Senior Member
I still occasionally use a 37 year old HP11c but also downloaded an emulator for my phone (HP41). RPN was fun, the look of bafflement that appeared on someone's face a couple of minutes after they asked to borrow my calculator.Not only did we have to drink out of puddles we had to use a book of log tables plus the other trigonometric functions (late 60s). The first calculator I came across was a HP 35 which was fearfully expensive in 1973. I still use RPN
Slaginfected
Leading Member
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Calculators got killed by PCs already, because in the end they are way more powerful in all regards to do whatever you need calculated, and more importantly, displayed in terms of graphs and so on.
That is assuming we are talking about the more technical/scientific type of calculator. Because the very simple ones with large buttons, small solar panel, and big LCD displays are rocking parts of this world relentlessly: They are used in many shops across this globe.
Ron Poelman
Veteran Member
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DiffractionLtd
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Phones are like the Swiss Army Knives of these areas. Only difference, Swiss knives are good quality and produce good results.
davidedric
Veteran Member
Trouble was, you couldn't add things up with log tables or a slide rule. I still have my old Aristo slide rule somewhere - a thing of beauty and now an historical curiosity.I still occasionally use a 37 year old HP11c but also downloaded an emulator for my phone (HP41). RPN was fun, the look of bafflement that appeared on someone's face a couple of minutes after they asked to borrow my calculator.Not only did we have to drink out of puddles we had to use a book of log tables plus the other trigonometric functions (late 60s). The first calculator I came across was a HP 35 which was fearfully expensive in 1973. I still use RPN
Dave
rochester21
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For most users a phone can now replace a walkman and a video camera. Is it the same though? No!
Example: my top of the line sony digital walkman from 10 years ago still blows away my brand new sony l1 smartphone. No comparison sound wise what so ever.
Same with video cameras, gps systems etc. A phone can do a lot, but not that well. A phone will never replace my camera or my audio system.
But i am glad people buy a new phone every couple of years instead of 5 different cheap gizmos because it simply means less waste, less garbage around. And most people can't tell the difference anyway.
If it's good for the environment, i'm fine with it.
The only problem remains the way constantly being connected to the internet affects our minds and brain cells(selfie explosion, fake facebook profiles, depression etc) . I have no solution for that other than... Switch it off and read a book! Airplane mode is your friend.
Your move, NSA/Google/Facebook.
Example: my top of the line sony digital walkman from 10 years ago still blows away my brand new sony l1 smartphone. No comparison sound wise what so ever.
Same with video cameras, gps systems etc. A phone can do a lot, but not that well. A phone will never replace my camera or my audio system.
But i am glad people buy a new phone every couple of years instead of 5 different cheap gizmos because it simply means less waste, less garbage around. And most people can't tell the difference anyway.
If it's good for the environment, i'm fine with it.
The only problem remains the way constantly being connected to the internet affects our minds and brain cells(selfie explosion, fake facebook profiles, depression etc) . I have no solution for that other than... Switch it off and read a book! Airplane mode is your friend.
Your move, NSA/Google/Facebook.
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M
Mark B.
Guest
Nah, neither desktop PCs nor laptops had the portability to displace scientific calculators. It was smartphones and tablets.
The term game changer is often used but it is true in this case. The smartphone is a game changer. The way people interact with their environment has changed. Instead of calling someone, a text-message is often sent. You can reach anyone from anywhere.
There are far more pictures available of any event because everyone has a camera in their pockets. Google maps have changed travelling. Getting lost isn't an issue anymore.
When I hitchhiked in the 80's all over France, I was more or less lost to the world. My parents were worried sick because they had no idea where I was and whether I lived or not. I was a bit adventorous in those times so their worry was warranted.
It made lots of other equipment redundant. Lots of people don't own computers, cameras, music players and fixed land lines anymore. The smartphone has replaced all.
--
No life without a camera.
One of the greatest inventions ever!
Just today's usage:
- used it to navigate to an unknown address
- listened to a podcast through my car's stereo
- checked emails on the move
- calendar reminded me when to be where
- read news being early to a meeting
Back in the good old days it would have meant:
- wrangling a map waiting at a stop light
- take a cassete tape with me
- take stuff from my post box with me
- take Filofax with me
- buy a newspaper....and also take with me
Just today's usage:
- used it to navigate to an unknown address
- listened to a podcast through my car's stereo
- checked emails on the move
- calendar reminded me when to be where
- read news being early to a meeting
Back in the good old days it would have meant:
- wrangling a map waiting at a stop light
- take a cassete tape with me
- take stuff from my post box with me
- take Filofax with me
- buy a newspaper....and also take with me
GPS units destroyed sales of maps
MP3 players destroyed sales of CD players, which destroyed sales of tape players
Calculators destroyed the sales of the abacus
Cars destroyed sales of horses and carriages
Digital cameras destroyed sales of disposable cameras
If we kept using the same stuff as decades/centuries ago society probably wouldn't progress anywhere near as far/fast
MP3 players destroyed sales of CD players, which destroyed sales of tape players
Calculators destroyed the sales of the abacus
Cars destroyed sales of horses and carriages
Digital cameras destroyed sales of disposable cameras
If we kept using the same stuff as decades/centuries ago society probably wouldn't progress anywhere near as far/fast
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