ABC: iPhone – Think of the Kids!
Honestly, we thought it might be an intentionally off-the-wall op-ed piece when we first started reading Ashley Phillips’ latest article on the ABC News website titled “iPhone Fever: Not Everyone Buys the Hype“. With the iPhone release looming, it’s natural that reporters far and wide would grab at any straw to capitalize on the loudly beating media drum of Apple’s latest juggernaut, but as Ashley strapped in for her wild opine ride (with the assist of one wacky analyst) the critical go-kart seems to have veered wildly off the sensible course, crashed through a few logical barriers, and started racing the garbage truck.
In short, aside from a few odd critiques (she’s disappointed that the iPhone doesn’t support Flash or provide GPS service (because, you know, every other phone out there does, right? Let’s throw in a bottle opener too, I saw that on a gadget once somewhere), worries about the poor consumers that will surely be trampled and mugged at stores nationwide the day of the release, and raises concern about the glass screen being broken), the really rancid meat of this article is focused on the safety issues surrounding the iPhone. Specifically, what will happen if your children dare to use them.
Ashley joined up with Rob Enderle of the Enderle Group and didn’t bat an eyelash when offering up this choice observation:
“A lot of kids are going to get this phone. Kids do a lot of ['blind'] texting on their phones” without looking at the screen, sometimes while they’re driving, Enderle said. “With a touch screen phone, you have to look at the screen.”
Enderle believes it’s possible that teenagers could get into accidents while using the phone and, rightly or wrongly, many parents could end up blaming the manufacturer.
“One of these children is going to end up in someone’s trunk,” he said. “Often it’s the vendor that’s held accountable.“
Is this just public bone picking because someone didn’t get to participate in the beta testing, or are they really convinced there’s an iPhone/child abduction connection in the works? Maybe it’s time to switch to decaf and put away the tin foil hat.
For more entertainment, check out the ABC comment page for plenty of “you crazy!” feedback.