Are You Going Back to a Dumbphone?
The first half of 2016 was filled with articles about people going retro. I’m not talking about reviving old clothing or hair styles. I’m talking about basic phones. Do you remember them?
Sometimes referred to as “flip-phones” or “clamshells”, they did little more than voice calls and texting. Some had limited email, maybe a game or two, and those are called feature phones. But on the small screens, anything besides talking or texting was too painful.
Unplugged and In Control
And that’s the point. With those phones, you didn’t want to do anything else. The reports about dumbphones say that people are getting fed up with their lives being dominated by their smartphone. They long for the days when they were in control of their time, so they get an old retro flip phone.
Actor Eddie Redmayne abandoned his smartphone early this year. In an interview in Financial Times he explained his reasoning, “It was a reaction against being glued permanently to my iPhone during waking hours”.
A slew of other celebrities preceded him. Here’s a quote from an article on NBC.com in February 2016:
“Celebrities who want to unplug — and many who have already been hacked — are big fans of the ‘retro’ device. Rihanna, Scarlett Johansson, and Iggy Pop have all been spotted clutching clamshells — and the fashion world almost self-imploded when Anna Wintour nonchalantly flipped open an old-school phone at the 2014 U.S. Open”.
I understand the sentiment. For me, watches had the same effect. I haven’t worn one since I was a teenager. Back then, I found I spent all my time, well, checking the time. It felt great not to be shackled to a clock when I stopped wearing it.
The times I’ve forgotten my smartphone at home felt similar. Only that taste of freedom was mixed with inconvenience (the directions were in that email I don’t have without my phone!), or worry my kids couldn’t get a hold of me. But it was nice not constantly thinking “Where’s my phone?”
Back to Reality
Basic and feature phones can send and receive SMS messages, make voice calls, and have batteries that last for a week or more. That last point alone might make anyone tired of plugging in every night pine for the old days.
But they are the old days. While some manufacturers still make the phones, there’s fewer of them over time. In the NBC article, mobile industry analyst Tomi Ahonen said, “The dumb phone industry is in its last decade. The industry is in consensus that the smartphone will replace the dumbphone market, similar to how DVD players replaced VCRs. But it’s not like personal computers, where tablet and laptop PCs have not yet ended the life of desktop PCs.”
Anyone still own a VCR? Didn’t think so. Or maybe you’re one of the hold-outs hoping they will come back in vogue like vinyl did. It’s possible.
But mobile phones are technology. And technology rarely takes a step backward en masse. For most of us, there’s a future of smartphones that eventually cost less money (cheap ones are already on the market), have extended battery life, and don’t break so much when dropped. I have no predictions, at the moment, when that will happen though. Will those smartphones be filled with time-consuming and diverting apps? Of course they will. At some point we’ll have to realise self-restraint and awareness work just as well as dumbing ourselves down.
The good news is, that whether you opt to go retro or for the latest iPhone, you can still get SMS messages on your device. Now that’s technology for everyone.
Related Articles
5 SMS Myths You Shouldn’t Believe
SMS messaging is a popular topic. The growth of mobile has everyone jumping on board the SMS waggon and they all have something to say. I've compiled a list of five topics that I've seen written about that just aren't true, or at the very least are potentially misleading enough to be called myths. I'm going to try and offer some insight into why these myths exist and what the truth is, as I see it anyway!
SMS Marketing for Travel Agents – the Key to a Sold Out Summer Season
How SMS Marketing can help guarantee a sold out summer season for independent travel agents and tour operators. In this article we explore how small and medium-sized independent companies in the travel and tourism sector can take advantage of the opportunities offered by SMS marketing to ensure a sold out summer season.
SMS Messaging for Uncertain Economic Times
If there’s one thing most of us can agree on, it’s that our economic future is uncertain. The world economy reacted to the Brexit vote with unstable and falling stock markets. And no one knows exactly what the Leave vote means for the UK. But there are other uncertainties too. How can SMS help your business in these uncertain times, not just now but in the future.
5 Facts Your Business Should Know About A2P SMS Messaging
Is SMS messaging a good investment of your business’ time and money? A report from Mobile Ecosystem Forum shares some data on how SMS is being used, who is using it, and provides some evidence showing the answer to that question is most likely “Yes”!
How the mobile is changing our monetary transactions
SMS Remarketing: What It’s All About
You’ve seen or heard about remarketing online. But did you know you can use SMS to remarket to visitors who abandon their cart in your ecommerce store? According to one study, using it can double your conversion rates. Check out the blog to see the details.