Letters to the Editor
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‘An iBacklash Builds Against iPhone, Spawning a Smash-Up Hit on YouTube’
David Blum blames Steven Jobs for feeding a so-called “addiction” people have for costly new technological devices such as his iPhone [Arts & Letters, “An iBacklash Builds Against iPhone, Spawning a Smash-Up Hit on YouTube,”July6,2007]. So Mr. Blum revels in a YouTube video of someone smashing the multifaceted phone with a hammer.
Resurrecting a socialist bromide about capitalist innovations, Mr. Blum claims Americans really don’t need the iPhone, calling it a “wretched excess.”
Actually, some people do need the iPhone — whether to watch their favorite TV show while on the subway, read their e-mail at the dentist’s office, or download music in their Lexus — even if their only purpose is to add greater convenience and enjoyment to their lives.
Years ago, when cellphones were mass marketed and became popular, some people undoubtedly said this innovation was another unnecessary “indulgence.”
Cell phones have since proven to be an indispensable technology for many. The iPhone — which Mr. Blum files under “the madness of technology” — may likely achieve a similar status.
Joseph Kellard
East Meadow, N.Y.
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