Gone are the days when Apple and Blackberry were just fruits. Today, one of technology’s best creations has been named after them. Yes, I’m talking about the smartphone era. Can you actually imagine a day without a smartphone? How did we live without these in the first place?
From playing games to downloading movies, from messaging friends to emailing colleagues, from online shopping to face-timing with relatives sitting across the globe and from finding your favorite “biryani” recipes to booking online vacations. Everything can be done using a smartphone. You name it and you have it.
Smartphones came into being in the 1990’s and since then they have very efficiently turned us into “Aliens”. Everybody you see nowadays is hooked to their smartphones all the time. The idea of meeting each other up for coffee is actually vanishing from our lives due to these smartphones because its like everybody is just a text away now.
People have actually started eliminating their home phones and have converted to smartphones/cellphones. Not only the adults but the children too have joined the race of owning a smartphone. Back in my childhood days, I was actually playing with toys and making doll houses. Children nowadays are smartphone savvy. Even my 4 year old baby cousin knows how to operate his mother’s iPhone!!
Following is a chart that actually shows the predictions and the data of smartphones being shipped globally from 2010 to 2017.
Here you can see a forecast for global smartphone shipments from 2010 to 2017. According to the forecast, more than 1.1 billion phones will be shipped worldwide in 2014. By 2017, the number is expected to climb to over 1.5 billion.*
There are pros and cons of keeping a smartphone. The Pros being :
- portability factor
- smartphones have contributed in the process of globalization and shortened the distance between people
- smartphones are handy
- GPS helps locate places
- all of the work can be done anytime and anywhere
- all sorts of files can be opened and edited using various applications
- Smartphones are a source of entertainment
Whereas the Cons are :
- If the smartphone gets stolen, one loses all the data
- durability is not guaranteed
- they are expensive
- limited storage memory
- useless if no internet access
- people become too much dependent on the smartphones and not having one then causes frustration
- these smartphones have actually contributed to the less physical activity now a days too
When talking about the advantages of smartphones, here is a video sent by Noor-Ul-Lain Bilal on request.She is currently is doing her undergrad from the Lahore University of Management Sciences. This is what she has to say about smartphones. Click here to open the Video.
Another video was sent by Mohammad Ahmad on request. In the video he tells about his point of view regarding smartphones. Ahmad is currently doing is ACCA from SKANS School Of Accountancy in Lahore. This is what he has to say about smartphones. Please click here to watch the video.
Moving on, for me the most interesting part of using a smartphone is the social networking. Billions of Twitter messages, status updates and photographs provide thrilling glimpses of the daily lives and activities of friends, “frenemies,” co-workers and peers. It actually keeps me updated with all what’s going around.
On the other hand; all these interesting applications like WhatsApp, Viber, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat keep me glued to my very own smartphone too. It is so interesting how we don’t have to spend any money while sending texts and calling each other up via these amazing applications. The internet does the trick!
My personal favorite smartphone is the iPhone. People call me an Apple freak. Are you an apple freak too? If yes, here are a few Apple iStore outlets in Lahore for you guys to visit.
Apple iStores in Lahore
Dont forget to vote below. Also, for further information, you can always visit websites like http://smartphones.findthebest.com/ in order to chose the best smartphone for yourself. Happy browsing 🙂 🙂 🙂 !
*(Note : The Only Source used for this article was http://www.statista.com/statistics/263441/global-smartphone-shipments-forecast/ for the diagram and the stats)
Dreamers 2016 
It’s well written and gives a good exposure to the pros and cons but then again they are a necessity nowadays
Good to see the cons listed along with the pros. However, I feel that the younger people will forget how to socially interact vis-a-vis with others especially with elders. They are too busy looking down into their phone screens and punching buttons. Just my thoughts!
With the emergence of smartphones you see every tom, dick and harry coming up an article about it, but your article is actually interesting and grips the interest of the readers till the very end and that is commendable. Great job!
Ahh the major topic under discussion these days. Specially the older generations who find it really weird how their kids are glued to the smartphones.
Very true how these smart phones can not be avoided however being dependent on them is only making our generation more lethargic and less creative.
Great work by the author.
Great article. i think smartphones are really important even though it does have its drawbacks but everything does. and it helps u do things in mins like u mentioned above that took hours to do before. i love my phone.
Haha I don’t know what to say after all I reading this article on my smartphone. I am dysfunctional without it but no doubt it makes me anti social.
technology, it will come with its pros and cons
Smartphone is part of my life now.
A very well written article which highlights the relevant statistical data to support the mentioned facts. Smartphones really do play an integral role in our lives today, both, positively and negatively.
Cool! I’d like to know what you think about the fact that our cellphones are made from a finite resource (rare earth minerals found largely in china) and that china pretty much will stay with a monopoly and has already reduced supply, increasing demand and hence, the prices.
That means our availability to gadgets and the kinds of gadgets will possibly be determined by one country in the future?
Very well written! Smartphones make our lives easier but also have a variety of cons. People these days depend too much on them. It has kind of turned them into zombies!
There are various pros and cons to owning and using smartphones which you have highlighted, well done!
Commendable job Anosheh! 🙂