Would an entry about Apple’s latest mobile phone be out of place in this blog?

Everybody knows that most, if not all, of my ranting on this page are about computers. Even the cartoons that are occasionally posted here deal with the everyday goofs and frustrations that one might have had or is continuously having with his PC. So why feature something that has a different feather?

Not Just the Birds

Every electronic gadget wants to mirror the functions of a PC. As almost every human activity is assisted or dictated by Information Technology, it’s only natural for consumers to choose devices that would save them from being tied to their computer. Thus, mobile phones of today are not only made for placing and receiving calls. In fact, those two functions seem to be last things that cellular phone makers have in mind whenever they are revising or coming up with new designs.

An excellent example would be the iPhone. The only thing that makes it primarily a mobile phone instead of a miniature PC is its name. Nomenclature aside, one might need a few guesses before he realizes that it’s a cell phone. While Apple is billing it as such, 85% of its manual deals with its computer-like features. Nothing much has been documented about its call functions.

Consumer Demand

The evolution of the mobile phone to a mini PC is the result of the growing demand to be always connected to the Internet. While many saw laptops as the solution or answer for such desire, its bulky architecture has turned off a sizeable number of users who wants their e-mails to be accessible at just a touch of a button. You can’t do that even with an 11-inch notebook. The boot up process just takes too much time. On the other hand, handheld devices, such as smart phones and PDAs, can conveniently connect the user to the Internet in just a few seconds without impeding mobility.

It’s Still What It Is

Despite the fact that many of the mobile phones in the market today pack PC-like functions, its limitations as a miniature computer makes its bid to be an alternative computing device quite ambitious. iPhone’s graphics may be stunning, but it certainly cannot process heavy multimedia tasks that requires extensive video power. Its size also prevents it from using today’s latest processors which are needed in various computing activities. If you’ll analyze it closely, what you actually have is a mobile phone-cum-Web browser. It’s quite erroneous to claim that it’s a computer in the strictest sense of the word.

Foreboding

While I may not agree with the N95’s slogan: “It’s what computers have become,” I do agree that the mobile phones of today will shape the ultimate form of the PC in the next 10 years. Time will come when you’ll be buying anti-spyware programs or registry cleaners not just for your desktop, but for your mobile phone as well. It’s what computers will become.

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