Since its inception in 1973, the mobile phone has evolved into something Martin Cooper would not recognize today. The first phone was bulky, ugly and could basically just make calls and that’s it. Fast forward to 2017 and we have smartphones, the iPhones, Pixels and Galaxies of today. Basically highly powered gadgets that can to virtually everything a fully fledged computer can do.
However, with new technology, comes a trade-off, the old tech has to give way to the new tech. This is somewhat met with resistance, but we adjust. And adjusting we have. Looking back at some of the features that we used to have on phones, we no longer see or no longer use, I am surprised I actually don’t miss them.
The FM Radio
Kindly scroll through your apps and check if you still have one pre-installed on your phone. I don’t. I cannot remember the last time I even wanted to listen to the radio. Listening to the radio has been reduced to something you do every morning during your commute just for the hot gossip. I have not done any research to back this up, but the fact that a number of phones I have looked at, no longer include the FM Radio app should say something. People are now switching to music streaming apps such as Spotify, Apple Music and the likes. All this because people want to listen to their personal choice of music.
Dedicated Torch
The argument is, we have the camera flash that doubles up as a torch. But no, that’s not what I am referring to. Phones used to have a dedicated torch. They would work great by the way. Some feature phones even had a dedicated button to turn the flashlight on. These days, I have seen feature phones being launched without a torch. I wonder, like, what can you do if you don’t even “torch”?
Removable Batteries
Recent smartphone owners feel me on this. Removable batteries were useful. Switching a faulty battery meant just buying one and swapping it out. How about walking around with two batteries to ensure you have constant power? Even the fastest fast charge cannot battle with a removable battery.
The Headphone Jack
This one is not yet gone completely, it is just in ICU and OEMs could soon pull the plug on this one. Ever since Oppo first removed the 3.5mm headphone jack from their phone, the Oppo Finder back in July 2012(which was discontinued one year later), followed by the Oppo R5, LeEco followed suite with the Le 2, Lenovo with the Moto Z and the recent iPhone 7, this trend seems to be catching on. HTC removed the 3.5mm port from their latest HTC U Ultra, regardless of how thick it is. I will not be surprised to end the year with jackless Infinixes and Tecnos.
