The Best of 2011
We are moments away from ushering in a brand new year. The twelfth year of the 21st century.
Profound discoveries and amazing accomplishments have happened in 2011.
And as for The Tech Fire, it would behoove us not to talk about some of the best technologies this past year had to offer.
The iPhone 4s and Siri
iPhone’s are old news. New updates and versions of the phone come out often, and people have become desensitized to its amazing capabilities. But this year, the iPhone 4s was released, with Siri. Siri is a voice controlled “personal assistant” available with the new iPhone. You speak, and she listens. Then she performs. This voice-controlled app organizes, answers questions, and tells you what to do. The future is here.
Planned Obsolescence
Have you ever bought an iPod and found out a month later that they are releasing a new one with some fancy new features, a new color, or design? I’m sure this has happened to most of us, and man is it upsetting. The idea of “Planned Obsolescence” is when a company deliberately plans or designs a product to have a limited life, so it will become obsolete after a certain period of time. Guess what happens after that? You go out out and buy a new one. Not only does this relate to product design and features but, also hardware and functionality. Apple has consistently been one of the most successful at planned obsolescence but, is it a good business strategy or evil ploy to have consumers keep buying your products.
The iPhone Suave and Swag
After suffering the devastating loss of my Crackberry to some unsurprising, and seemingly predestined, water damage… I stood in the AT&T store at a crossroad. Setting my feelings aside, I hesitantly converted the iPhone 4 (prior to the release of the iPhone 4S). My reservations about the iPhone quickly vanished.
To ensure this bad boy would be protected, I invested in the most durable phone cover and case on the market: the Otter Box.
The shock absorbing, polycarbonate exterior was created to be resilient enough for even outdoor professionals. Better yet, the Otter Box has proven its durability in the most threatening of college conditions.
Apple Everything and iOS 5
The switch to the iPhone wasn’t all that foreign since I am an avid user of Apple products and my MacBook Pro. In conjunction with the release of the iPhone 4S, the iOS 5 software-update was available for existing iPhone carriers. My favorite new feature, since applying the iOS 5 update, is the notification center.
