I was catching up on old Times Business sections over the weekend and this chart, accompanying an article about video for mobile devices, jumped out at me. It shows Forrester research that asked people in different age groups, “Which device do you most feel you could not live without?” The devices in question were computer, TV and cellphone.
Easy enough for me to answer: I watch almost no TV. (I know people have a hard time accepting this, but it’s true.) I have a cellphone but it’s a clunky old thing and I use it only for utilitarian things — parent/child coordination, business details. My computer, on the other hand, is my lifeline: Source of information, social networking tool, information store, creative device, and more.
So I just had another birthday — I’ve moved into that zone of the ’40s that can’t be considered anything but “late” — and I figured that this particular set of gadget-preferences must mark me as an incipient codger. Kids these days live for their cell-phones and think e-mail is something to use when they want to communicate with those over 30, right?
Hah! Turns out I have the techno-preferences of a teen. My profile matches that of an 18-26 “Generation Y” type: they’re the only ones to rank computer first, cellphone second and TV last. My own generational cadre (“younger boomers”) puts TV at the top of its list. The accompanying article is all about how ESPN wants to put video on phone screens. It quotes one exec of a “cellphone video network” saying: “For the younger generation, the mobile phone is their most relevant device.”
But that’s not what the chart shows! Isn’t the news here that, for the consumers of tomorrow, as for me, the computer, far from being a stodgy old thing, is the desert-island device?
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I must find a way to work the phrase “incipient codger” into conversation today. Wonderful.
Gosh. What’s the difference between a computer and a mobile phone? Both have (tiny) CPU inserted into their hearts.
If forced to choose, I’d have to put the devices in the same order. The thing is, I really don’t want to have to choose. My digital dream is to dismiss that choice by turning my TV and cellphone into my computer. I want internet access everywhere and everywhen, no matter where I happen to be. I want to get TV shows as easily as my email.
That’s what makes the iPhone exciting. It may not actually deliver on all it promises (we’ll see), but the concept is definitely where we need to be going. There shouldn’t be any barriers between those three worlds and I’d really love to see the day when the walls come down.
P.S. The Motorola V60 is in no way clunky. It’s still one of the best designed cell phones ever, with elegant lines that belie the fact that it’s built like a tank.
“the computer, far from being a stodgy old thing, is the desert-island device?”
The only device that will work on a desert island ie unthethered is the cellphone, and yes, computers and cellphones are merging.
I agree with Carlos that we shouldn’t make a choice and if you drill down polling teens you’ll realize that the key to their usage of all 3 devices is that they use them ALL AT THE SAME TIME !
I am entering that zone of the 20’s that can’t be construed as anything but late … I’m glad to see that my generation, so frequently maligned as shallow and media-obsessed, has pushed TV to the bottom of the list. I hate my phone, and avoid using it unless I absolutely have to, so I agree with your ranking. But my 12-year-old cousin has the speediest thumbs I’ve ever seen. So if you look at the under-18 crowd, you might see a different order of priority.
Interesting. I’ll be eyeing my seven-year-olds’ media preferences closely. Right now, for them, the Gameboy wins, hands down.
I’m glad to hear my little Motorola black-and-white number has the cachet, or reverse cachet. I agree, it’s built like a tank, and never underestimate the value of that with a cellphone!