No ‘iFad’ for me: Public is fooled by new whiz-bang gadgets

Ford. Edison. Alexander Gram Bell.
These are just a few of the visionary inventors and businessmen who shaped our world. They conquered physical distances and allowed us to see in the dark.
Automobiles, light bulbs and telephones changed the way we live. Other advancements in the fields of medicine, farming and the food industry eventually made our lives better.
So, what are our current so-called innovators like Apple’s Steve Jobs coming up with?
Different ways of talking on the phone and watching TV.
The iPad was released this past Saturday amid the same circus hype that accompanied the debuts of the iPod and iPhone. People in cities nationwide waited in lines to purchase the gizmo, which costs around $600. It’s essentially a tablet-sized computer that connects to the Interwebs. I won’t go into too much more about what it does, because I’m sure you’ve already seen the blitz of commercials and media reports.
The iPad tablet seems to have been delivered to the masses with the same fervor that accompanied another tablet in ancient times. But whereas Moses’s Ten Commandments gave humans some rules to live by, the iPad is nothing but a reworked medium that supplies an endless stream of substance-free novelties: sport scores, the new Rihanna video and the YouTube video of the kid high on gas after a dentist appointment.
The messages on stone were a little bit more thought-provoking than the amusements, novelties and distractions flashing on the bright, electronic screen.
If you hadn’t guessed by now, I did not wait in line to buy an iPad (or an iPod or iPhone). I think the iPad is completely unnecessary and irrelevant. I’m no wacky Luddite who advocates subsistence living “off the grid,” I’m just saying all the newfangled “iFads” and “iPhonys” aren’t worth the attention they receive.
Someday, I hope the public will wise up and the “iFad” will pass. Steve Jobs and crew are fooling them. It’s nothing but technology for the sake of technology.
Granted, I’m still skeptical about the relevance of computers and the Internet. They have sped up the way we do things and made previous inventions more precise, but how have they really altered our lives?
There’s more access to information, most of which we don’t need (pornography, narcissistic MyFace pages). The Internet changed the way we do things, but it hasn’t changed the lives of millions in the same way as, say, Gutenberg’s printing press did in the 15th Century.
The things you can use an iPad for are fun, but they aren’t fulfilling any basic human need or making any sweeping cultural changes.
Maybe this is the problem with our economy: America isn’t making anything new. And what people are buying, gadgets like flat-screen TVs and video game systems, are nothing more than sleek, high-concept equivalents to junk food.
The iPad is nothing more than a GameBoy for adults. In the end, it’s a toy. A very expensive toy.
Even cell phones, which I was reluctant to get, are mostly pointless. They’re nice for emergencies, but how often are they used for that? Most of the time, I hear people having inane conversations about who kissed who’s boyfriend yesterday, or the play-by-play of what the person is doing.
“I’m at the gas station. Now, I’m walking out of the gas station. Now, I’m getting into my car,” as if they need to supply narration to make their lives meaningful, to give importance to every monotonous move.
A week ago, I had a bunch of people in Manistee from the Detroit area to steelhead fish. One of my friends, who is usually loud and uproarious, was uncharacteristically quiet while we had post-fishing drinks at a local watering hole. I looked over and saw him fiddling with a shiny black object.
“My wife just got me this iPhone,” he said when he caught me looking. “It’s awesome.”
Those were about the only words he spoke the rest of the evening because he was so busy with his new toy.
I’d seen it before. Every person I know who has an iPhone would rather be looking up who played Raj on “What’s Happening!!” (Ernest Thomas) than interact in their current surroundings.
They aren’t present in the tangible world.
These are a few examples of how people are so terribly afraid of being alone with their own thoughts. The more you think, the smarter you are. The smarter you are, the more engaged citizen you become.
But in the end, most of us are just playing games.