by Bethaney Wallace
Photo Courtesy of apple-touch.com
The iPhone. A handheld device that allows a user to run their entire life from a single, battery operated computer. The phone, which has taken AT&T customers by storm (and the world) was introduced less than three years ago, sold over 8 million phones by the time it was one year old. Although some think it’s the best idea since selling beer on Sundays, some people (like me) think it’s more of a cult.
The phone itself isn’t so disturbing, but the applications that are offered up with it are a professional creeper’s dream. Why do I need a portable way to stalk friends? In case Facebook creeping isn’t extensive enough, you can follow any fellow iPhone carrier via computer chip. (Hopefully not while wearing a trench coat and drinking coffee in your Buick.) It’s one step away from putting a tracking device directly into their brain.
Do you need a way to practice for your new bartending job on the bus without getting arrested? Are you looking for a way to bring back the 70s by keeping a disco ball in your pocket for a bargain of $.99? Then you simply can’t live without one of these money feeding time sucks.
“What? An alarm clock application?” One might ask. “I thought all cell phones came with alarm clocks?” And that’s because they do. Cell phones have also been serving as faithful flashlights for years. However, there is also a flashlight app. Apple is making money off of being redundant.
However, as ridiculous as some of the applications sound, apparently there is some sort of screening process where apps deemed inappropriate or controversial don’t make the cut. Rejects include “Baby Shaker” a game where the player shakes a hypothetical baby until its cries are silenced and the infant is considered dead. The application which was rejected for being “deeply offensive.” Drug themed video games were also proved off-limits when Apple banned “The Drug Wars” for “objectionable content.” The game’s characters were gun-toting drug deals who fought over selling territory in NYC. However, Apple did let the company behind the game, create a similar less-violent candy themed game instead. Another banned application entitled “I am rich” cost users $999 to host a glowing red jewel on their phone’s screen. Eight customers bought the app before it was revoked.
Before I ever consider getting an iPhone I will have to do some serious soul searching, however, there are still those willing to sell theirs in order to join the iPhonian cult.
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Bethaney Wallace is a English Literature and Creative Writing Major at K-State University. When she’s not ranting for The Social Robot, Bethaney is copy editor at the K-State Collegian and attempting to finish her last semester of school.
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