So, if this was on reddit it'd be in r/showerthoughts from this morning.... but I like you guys more, so i'm here :P
For ages now I've looked at new technology, new advancements, new games, etc. with an air of dislike. Something 'missing' if you will.
For a long time I've put it down to "Nostalgia", and how 'These 3D games aren't what I grew up with', or how "Technology is too hard these days" blah blah blah.
Why do these "Petty" innovations that amaze people, not amaze me?
I looked, and I looked and I realized. I've been exposed to both "worse experiences" and "Better experiences" already.
The worse experiences seem to allow me to be more accepting of compromises; where the better experiences make me look at new technology and ask WHY people would put up with the Catch22 of "New Device X"
So before I start giving my personal examples; what do you think? Do you think "growing up with tech" leaves you more willing to accept shortcomings? Or more quick to attack flaws?
I actually will focus on mobile phones here, and wearables, because I think they're the main cause of my angst.
-is "1440p" in a 5" device not wowing me like it should? I know my eyes aren't great, but, when they were, my 720p 6" Dell was crystal clear..... and 1080p is norm now....
Hell, my 1080p 25" monitor is "crystal clear", why is 1440p on a 5" Phone "So Exciting"? Should I be excited by this and im not?
-People being amazed new phones come with "256 Gb of storage!" when theyve given up the MicroSD card slot? I had 256GB of storage about 4 generations ago..... Should I be excited that its now soldered to the board, not in a card?
-People get amazed at "2 days bettery" or "It doesnt break when I drop it once"... my old stuff lasted 3 days, never did break..... Should be excited its now 6mm at the edges not 8mm and accept delicacy? (iphone bend?)
-These aren't innovations to me, they're re-hashes of existing technology cleverly marketed; aren't they?
Is it that "Kids these days" Gre up with 1080p being "the minimum" so 4k\qHD is the only jump available to them?
There's less advancement, so they seek more reward from smaller achievements?
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Personally? (from here out it becomes a rant) I'll TLDR at the end.
I grew up watching Simpsons on my Nokia N-Gage.
The fact that I could fit a whole season on an SD card, by simply using 18fps and default 120x120 resolution was amazing for me.
I continued to use these files on my E-series nokias, which had about quadruple the pixels.
Was it blocky and blurry? You fucking bet it was!
Did I care? NO!
I was watching Simpsons on the go. I didn't have to "pay $40 a month" like today (10gb data) to stream it from online or some shit.
Also, I was on the bloody bus! what did I care it was blocky? I wasn't watching a blockbuster, I was filling a 2 hour bus ride.
In Todays tech, would I care if it was blocky? Still NO. Id prefer blocky and data saving.
Lets move onto a normal day....
I'd be walking through school grounds and get tackled to the ground because "Im the geek kid, lets get him". No drama I didn't have to worry if my phone broke.
With large glass you'd think came this level of delicacy?.... You'd think that.... But I also had a Dell X50V PDA. and it was tough as bricks also!
So no, when I see new products with the level of delicacy we're "accepting" today I'm literally in shock.
A kid can fall off a skateboard and have to check his phone for damage. the HELL?
In todays world, would I care about delicacy in exchange for features? FUCK YES. My Blackberry Passport, which is modern, is rock solid, strong, and super fast. Why can't anyone else make a 'strong' phone?
So, thanks to the new PokemonGO craze, and knowing that NOKIA and BLACKBERRY will be releasing more Android soon; I've decided to go "new phone shopping" and get properly used to the interface (i used JellyBean for 2 years, so i'm far from a complete noob though).
I recently went to a JB hi-fi and held basically every phone they have; ignoring price. I can personally say "they're too thin".
I thought this was a 'me' thing (I have a lot of those :P), but, I've done a little 'walk by quiz' of anyone in the office today who isn't too busy, and they agree, "I prefer it with the case on" is the answer, and its usually it's "harder to break and easier to hold".
SO WHY DO WE KEEP GETTING THINNER?!?
A double thickness screen glass layer, an 'included' TPU bumper (or even a 'built in' TPU bumper with a metal exoskeleton?) would solve 99% of these.
We'd go back to 5~10mm thick, which is nicely hold-able, and a "tough" phone once again.
Hell, people are already doing this with "Lifeproof cases" and "tempered glass protectors".
In this day and age do I care about size? YES. The Galaxy Note 4 I have right now is like a 'knife' in the hand, and without a case is actually uncomfortable to use.
The "Invention" of LiPo batteries shocks me too.
We actually GAVE UP the option of AA's.
Now I know LiPo is double the voltage in the same space, so keeping AA's available would have been near impossible. But in the same stroke of the brush we seemed to sacrifice REPLACEABLE batteries too.
Why not use the AA/AAA cell sized Lipo's? We could have the advantages of LiPo with the convenience of "Picking up a pack" at the local store if we're out of charge.
Was it all in desperation for "thin?" which as I'm personally finding, and seeing from everyone around me, is given up for 'cases' anyway?
Do I care in this day? Yep, sure do. The convenience of being able to always know a local servo can solve my power needs; was priceless. I wouldnt give that up for anything, if I could help it.
You see where I'm going....
Moving to wearables; I bought a Pebble Steel.
Loving the ever loving SHIT out of this; 10 days per charge, read all my emails, check calls, control music, it does it all.
Then along comes the apple watch.... 24 hrs battery, the same features "In Color" and for everyone I personally know, no real life uses otside what my Pebble does.
Yet the "apple watch" was the innovation?!? Our CEO recently got rid of his Apple Watch for a Garmin smart watch; same features as pebble, but with Coordinates, Hear Rate, and about 7 days battery.... nice.
I didn't see the innovation from Apple.
Yes, I see the built in microphone and speaker, and the ability to 'install apps' but, "android watch phones" have done that for 3 or so years now.... so where is the "wow factor?"
I genuinely kept an open mind, I was excited to see what was so new and cool, and, while the "possibilities are endless" the real use case, is boring as hell for 99% of people.
So, TLDR?
We gave up the ability to swap batteries in the go. Not for Lipo, because Lipo 'AAA' cells are available, but for the case of thinness.
We "Fix the thinness" with a case, which at a guess, 18/20 people I've asked say "its easier to hold".
The delicateness we accept, when things like "double thickness glass" and an internal TPU bumper could solve it. And we already do it, once again with cases, and "Glass screen protectors".
We accept that a 10GB data plan is needed to "watch media on the go" thanks to streaming services, and no longer care about "local media". Why? Why if the network goes down (telstra... lookin at you....)
We demand technology for "the sake of technology". 1440p screen on 5"? "FullHD 60fps" cartoons? Would you even notice if I replaced you cartoon with an XVID encoding instead of bluray on a 5" screen? I'd wager no.
Am I the only one who feels like we've "given up" a list of about 10~20 "great things" about our old technology, to gain about 2~5?
Don't get me started on the software; Apple and Android still cant "Select from" and "select to" in file manager (aka, shift click, on windows) where Symbian could in 1999.
Anyone else feel like we Keep losing things and being told "Do without, you'll be fine" because of an "amazing new technology" we just didnt need......
Edited by Master_Scythe, 21 July 2016 - 11:45 AM.