No smartphone
Life without a smartphone
I have no smartphone, in fact, I do not want a phone. At the same time, I love technology. I like it so much that I professionally develop apps for phones. Marketing and new technologies are not only my job, but they are also my passion.
Many people ask me: why? How can you survive without a phone?
Only wifi
I am satisfied with any device that has a wifi connection.
To browse the web, the phone has a decent response when it has a wifi connection. Out of wifi range, phones are good to have messages and notifications, but not much more.
I want to be disconnected
To always be connected is a temptation. We all have a lot of e-mails, messages, and notifications. Checking them is almost an addiction. So, I force myself to do that only twice a day at specific times. As a result, I notice that I am much more productive.
At work and at home, I have a fast internet connection. Between meetings, I can go to a Starbucks or a similar coffee shop.
If I am not in one of those places, I prefer to disconnect. I could be with friends, in the gym, shopping or even in business meetings. Without a phone, I am more present in the task I am doing. I have no distractions and I can concentrate on what I am doing.
Mini computers
There are times when it is useful to have a computer near. On the train, between meetings, in the waiting room of the hairdresser or the doctor. There, I can be productive in many ways. But I do not need a phone nor an internet connection.
In those cases, a laptop or a tablet works just as well. Sometimes, it would be good to have a computer in your pocket. It is when I take my iPod Touch. This is an iPhone without the phone. In other words, I could say it is an Apple without AT&T.
I love Apple, I like Android
I love Apple, and I hate carriers. As far as I know, this is a general feeling in many countries. They have confusing prices, complex conditions, and constant changes. I just do not trust them.
In fact, the phone is the less important feature in the smartphones. An iPod Touch or an iPad has all the things I like and use more in a smartphone and gets rid of the things that do not work well.
I want a mini computer in my pocket. I do not want a phone and inefficient carrier.
The iPad mini, the new iPod Touch
What I had explained has limitations. The iPod Touch updates its models less often than the iPhone. It has limited features, and the screen is small. It seems that it could disappear from the product line.
In many ways, we could consider the iPad mini as the new iPod Touch. It has a big screen and all the new features, but the iPad does not fit in my pocket. I use it on different occasions.
The phone is easy
There are many smartphones products and offers. It 's hard to find a computer with wifi that fits in your pocket. The iPod Touch is the only one. But Apple positioned it for another population and to serve a different need. It is a game device for kids.
No one has made a product to meet the need I have described. More importantly, no one has defined and explained that need. To sell a phone is easy; to sell that new concept is hard and requires education of the consumer.
The need of a minority?
A pocket computer with wifi and no phone. This has a lot of advantages:
- I live better if I have moments without an internet connection. At the same time, I am more productive If I have a computer in my pocket.
- I live better if I reduce contact with carriers. My bill is small, and I can avoid their bad business practices.
- A small computer that fits in the pocket and only has wifi is much cheaper than a smartphone.
I understand that many people want to have a phone. In some professions, it is a need. I am not sure if it is a general rule.
Marketing goes beyond what people say
Perhaps there is a need in the market for a "smartphone without a phone." No one did the product research and explained it.
Sometimes, it is not necessary to make what people demand. We must go one step ahead and make what people need. This could be before the consumer asks for it or even before they even know they need it. I know, this will not be for everybody. Perhaps that could be something for a particular segment of the population.
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