What if Steve Jobs never created Apple computer products, particularly the iPhone? What if no one else ever conceived of them either? What if computer programmers did not have the kind of curious minds capable of developing apps that increase our access to information on the Internet? These and other similar questions are explored by Brian X. Chen in his book, “Always On: How the iPhone Unlocked the Anything-Anytime-Anywhere Future---and Locked Us In.” The iPhone is a huge part of our lives, something we would find it hard to live without. We take for granted our ability to connect with family, friends, and the world with the simple push of a button. Chen considers the effect of the iPhone on American society and business through
…show more content…
There are all sorts of personal information that people store on their iPhones. Chen notes that for some people there may be secrets that would be dangerous if they were leaked to the public. This is especially important considering that police officers can search iPhones in certain situations. (Chen 184). Furthermore, once data is out there, according to Chen, it never goes away. (Chen 188). This is the down side to “Anything-Anytime-Anywhere”. As Chen writes, “With barely any regulation over websites, smartphone apps, and analytic companies as well as a frozen Fourth Amendment, the iPhone can potentially give anyone access to anything about a person at anytime, anywhere that person may be.” (Chen 186). With that being the case, it seems pretty clear that individuals should be careful with the amount and type of information they store on their …show more content…
Although it sounds like it is still a long way off, augmented reality sounds cool. It is hard to imagine that we could take a picture of a place and that an app could then show us houses for sale there. (Chen 193). The story of Alex Dejong is equally amazing. Chen describes a photographer who loses his sight, but through iPhone and Nokia software, he can still take photos and edit them. (Chen 192). While Chen believes that people become more capable because they have so much information available to them, he wonders whether we still need knowledge. Chen concludes, “Perhaps in a world that is always on, an intelligent person will be defined as a curator of information rather than someone who has accumulated a weight of knowledge.” (Chen
There are all sorts of personal information that people store on their iPhones. Chen notes that for some people there may be secrets that would be dangerous if they were leaked to the public. This is especially important considering that police officers can search iPhones in certain situations. (Chen 184). Furthermore, once data is out there, according to Chen, it never goes away. (Chen 188). This is the down side to “Anything-Anytime-Anywhere”. As Chen writes, “With barely any regulation over websites, smartphone apps, and analytic companies as well as a frozen Fourth Amendment, the iPhone can potentially give anyone access to anything about a person at anytime, anywhere that person may be.” (Chen 186). With that being the case, it seems pretty clear that individuals should be careful with the amount and type of information they store on their …show more content…
Although it sounds like it is still a long way off, augmented reality sounds cool. It is hard to imagine that we could take a picture of a place and that an app could then show us houses for sale there. (Chen 193). The story of Alex Dejong is equally amazing. Chen describes a photographer who loses his sight, but through iPhone and Nokia software, he can still take photos and edit them. (Chen 192). While Chen believes that people become more capable because they have so much information available to them, he wonders whether we still need knowledge. Chen concludes, “Perhaps in a world that is always on, an intelligent person will be defined as a curator of information rather than someone who has accumulated a weight of knowledge.” (Chen