Why iPhones aren't just for Snobs

For the past couple months I've been using an iPhone, and when people ask me what I think about it, I respond: "This phone has completely changed the way I use the Internet." Now that's a pretty bold statement, I know, but the following is why I think that in 5-10 years, everyone will have the Internet in their pocket and the world will be a different place.

A level of disconnect exists between the Internet on a desktop and its general usefulness. Think of the case of using Google Maps or MapQuest. The common use case is to type your destination into Google Maps, print directions, and bring these directions in your car so you can use them to know where you're going. With the Internet on a phone, the common use case is to type your destination into Google Maps, and then go.

So what's the real difference here? Having the Internet on your phone is having the Internet when you actually need it. You don't need directions when you're at home planning your trip, you need directions when you're in the car wondering how to get to a destination.

The analogy I like to draw here is the replacement of land line phones with cell phones. Cell Phones are so popular because the idea of calling a person rather than a place is so intuitive. In the same way, having directions at your finger tips when you're in the car is more intuitive than having directions at your home, and needing to print them out to have them in your car.

I think in the coming years, as more and more people have Internet enabled cellphones, the whole concept of what the Internet is and how people use it will radically change.