Is the iPhone JUST and Phone

physguyphysguy
Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
Many times in this forums the statement is made, in some variation or other, that Its just a phone. So, I started looking at my usage pattern with the iPhone and of the time I spend using the iPhone I would estimate that I use it as a phone is less that 10% of that time. This usage pattern is critical when comparing devices so I thought it would be interesting to see what the overall usage pattern of the iPhone is like.



So of the total time you use your iphone - for call, browsing, e-mail, maps, calendar, etc., etc., what percentage of that time is used as a phone?

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 11
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Whether or not you can watch videos and listen to music it's a phone. It's a very cool phone, and my favorite phone, but it's a phone. It will never be able to give you a hug, a real one!
  • Reply 2 of 11
    ivan.rnn01ivan.rnn01 Posts: 1,822member
    Not that I care a lot whether my calls are issued over SIP/WiFi. It's just a phone which is fortunately capable of showing me maps.
  • Reply 3 of 11
    physguyphysguy Posts: 920member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post


    Whether or not you can watch videos and listen to music it's a phone. It's a very cool phone, and my favorite phone, but it's a phone. It will never be able to give you a hug, a real one!



    To me, that makes no sense (other than the hug part ). I hardly use it as a phone. To me its the proverbial MID which happens to have a phone function. This is true for most of the people I know with the iPhone. Other than the marketing/sales aspect of getting it into people's hands the phone is a secondary function. I believe this position is support by the tremendous sales of the iPod Touch.



    By they way I would like to see the results of the poll so please vote
  • Reply 4 of 11
    aizmovaizmov Posts: 989member
    Less than 10% but only because I spend a lot of time listening to music, watching videos, browsing the interwebs, checking e-mail, playing games and reading comics.
  • Reply 5 of 11
    nofeernofeer Posts: 2,427member
    my phone calls are short make several a day

    my time with internet is large

    my time with youtube is moderate (evenings)

    so total time out of 24hrs is

    internet

    youtube

    phone



    but even with my moto v551 "internet" weather google etc was still longer in duration than phone use.
  • Reply 6 of 11
    addaboxaddabox Posts: 12,665member
    It's a palmtop computer with a cell radio that allows it to be ubiquitously connected to networks, which means that it inevitably has a phone app.



    "Cell phones" are just the first dumb terminals that were widely deployed on the cell networks. It's a mistake to get hung-up on the "cell phone industry" as a point of reference, voice communications over networks being just a subset of ubiquitous computing.



    Insisting on categorizing the iPhone (on a number of other "phones" now coming onto the market) as "cell phones" would be akin to having regarded the first personal computers as elaborate Telex terminals, in that it was possible to outfit them to transmit text.



    That is, true in a sense but pretty much missing the point.
  • Reply 7 of 11
    hill60hill60 Posts: 6,992member
    I have two phones my iPhone which I use constantly for many purposes and my 'just a phone' which sits in my pocket until it rings or I need to make a call on my other network.
  • Reply 8 of 11
    nvidia2008nvidia2008 Posts: 9,262member
    I am not a big mobile phone user. People always complain I don't answer their calls/ SMS, etc. I'm only 30, maybe I'm "old school".



    Texting and IM-ing endlessly all day to me is bullsh1t. Particularly if that person is in the same room/ workplace as you. If they are friends, I'd rather do most of the catching up in person.



    Same goes for talking a lot on the mobile. Prefer in person conversation, or otherwise prefer my privacy.



    Maybe I'm highly antisocial. Possible.



    25% it's a Phone for me. 25% it's an iPod. 50% Internet-enabled PDA and essential life-organising tool.
  • Reply 9 of 11
    nvidia2008nvidia2008 Posts: 9,262member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post


    Whether or not you can watch videos and listen to music it's a phone. It's a very cool phone, and my favorite phone, but it's a phone. It will never be able to give you a hug, a real one!



    Real life is overrated. I think you are one of my best friends. Even though the Intarwebs separate us... *Sniff*



    SRSLY though, looking forward to the FAILNOTE?
  • Reply 10 of 11
    iphoneaddictiphoneaddict Posts: 3member
    An interesting take on the question is: Would you still own an iPhone if it didn't have phone capability (a.k.a. buy a Touch)?
  • Reply 11 of 11
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by iPhoneAddict View Post


    An interesting take on the question is: Would you still own an iPhone if it didn't have phone capability (a.k.a. buy a Touch)?



    I bought the touch precisely for that reason. Couldn't stomach the prospect of signing up with at&t.
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