Sunroom Desk

PC sales are down, the cell phone market is saturated, the business climate is terrible, but large corporations’ marketing forces are entrenched in their habits. Chasing the next short-term profit fix complete with obligatory killer competition, they are launching a new generation of smartphone devices and services (a few recent announcements here, here, here, and here).

A new product, smarter than your phone, smaller than your PC: will today’s stressed and tapped-out consumers have to have it?

I hope not. Why does everyone need to be able to access the internet from anywhere, or see videos wherever they go? The last thing the streets of Glendale, California need is consumers citizens staring at their own little video screen. Too many people here now are ignoring state law and continue to hold a cell phone while driving. Why not teach some restraint? Have people wait until they get to their office or home and are safely seated to access the internet or watch a video or download a file.

Has anyone stopped to ask how all these bandwidth-hungry devices are going to function smoothly and quickly? My guess is that they will require many more cell towers than we have now. This is a technology, again, that is intermediate and could be outdated in just a few years.

Data transmission over fiber optic cable happens at the speed of light. I don’t have a technical background, so anyone who does is welcome to comment or correct me, but I believe capacity isn’t much of a problem with fiber optic technology. A long-term investment in fiber optic cable direct to homes and businesses would be more efficient in the long run than a plethora of small electronic portable devices. It would probably be safer as well.