By Adrienne Roberts
May 29, 2012
There is one distinct benefit to being an owner of the (not so) enviable Pantech: it comes with a plethora of built-in excuses. For example, if someone complains I’m late, a simple reply, “Sorry, my phone doesn’t have a GPS like your iPhone,” easily suffices. And there’s no need to feel guilty when you miss an appointment, as the calendar function on a Pantech isn’t exactly all that usable.
In another time, (four years ago, to be exact) smartphones were a rare breed. And I was on the forefront of this trend, might I add. On my 17th birthday, I received the first edition iPhone. I thought it was great. I would play Floodit whenever I had the urge, and if you were lucky, I would even Google the answer to a nagging question for you. The iPhone quickly became more popular, and my five minutes of fame ended just like that. And problems with my iPhone began. After having it for four years, all the new updates were a little too much for it to handle, and we grew apart. So when it came time to get a new phone, I went with something much, much simpler. I chose a Pantech, which bears an uncanny resemblance to a child’s toy and has the unique ability to be thrown against walls without a single crack. At first, I loved it. There’s no attachment, no luxury and it’s definitely no fun. If you try to do anything more than call or text, it may just explode.
But then th
ere came a time when I had to live tweet an event for The Michigan Daily. I had to tap my friends’ shoulders every few seconds to borrow their iPhones as they silently shook their heads in pity. At that moment I realized, A. I look a little pathetic and B. It’s getting more and more difficult to live my daily life without the help of a smartphone.
I thought the Pantech would allow me to disconnect from the world. It does, but it’s more of an inconvenience than I ever thought imaginable. Forty-two percent of all mobile phone users in the U.S. now use smartphones, and the world has adapted to fit their needs as well. You can now adopt a tree by scanning a QR code found on most trees in Washington D.C. Siri is now man’s best friend, and is the go to problem solver for a variety of situations.
Point being, we now live in a world where the newest digital devices aren’t just a luxury. They quickly become an integral part of our society within a few months of their release. While it’s difficult to keep up completely (and way too expensive), buying an outdated cell phone out of nostalgia for the 90s is not a smart decision as a newer, faster and more capable phone will probably come out within a year. Smartphones have become a necessity whether we like it or not, especially in the world of public relations. So you can bet that when I get that coveted update in two years, I will be heading straight to the iPhone section and reintegrating myself into society.
