I’ve noticed a growing trend in articles lately. When people refer to phones they are now more commonly discussing apps, email and texts. Rarely does the fact that there could be missed calls or voicemails come up.
The 2000’s brought us the rise of text messaging but it never replaced the functionality of the speed dial. Calling someone was almost always faster than any other method of communicating. Now this is no longer the case. Some may respond quickest to emails, others to WhatsApp, still others to Facebook. But rarely is the easiest communication method actually voice.
In fact, most smartphones actually make terrible phones. They are too big for the face, they have poor audio quality or they just have poor dialing interfaces. My Android devices have never been the best phone books – primarily because they can store a contact’s myriad of contact details which could include multiple numbers.
Maybe it’s time to think about the death of the mighty phone. Voice is just another type of data after all. What is a phone number these days other than a complicated username? Why do we pay $2 per minute to call the UK when we can Skype or Hangout for free?
They’re still called “phones” because they’re provided and sold and regulated by …… “phone companies.” In fact they’re portable computers with limited voice capabilities. Look at glowing online reviews of phones, and you’ll find statements at the end that say “oh – and the voice function doesn’t work particularly well.” Fax machines (or fax functionality) persist for similar reasons.
It’ll be interesting to see the effect of differential data pricing (a clear future consequence of the end of Net Neutrality) on new product offerings. “Pocketable computer with limited, optional voice capability” may emerge. An iPod Touch isn’t an iPhone with no phone – instead an iPhone is just an iPod Touch – Plus Voice! When users have the option of ubiquitous, phoneless computing, a certain group will go for it, in the same way that one third of households have decided that land lines are unnecessary.