On Wed, 22 Aug 2012 12:29:34 +0100
David Cantrell wrote:
price of manufacturing smartphones is dropping quickly (retail price,
unsubsidised, has already dropped from hundreds of pounds to tens of
pounds),

Depends. You can pick up some old symbian stuff for 90 quid but thats
about as low as it goes at the moment.

Once almost everyone can afford a smartphone, or they start being given
away "for free" with a phone contract, the cost of manufacturing

There are not being given away and they're not free as you well know or you
wouldn't have put it in quotes. Contracts cost a fortune and they get the
full retail price of the phone back and then some over the period.

tiny numbers of dumbphones for the handful of weirdos who still want one
will increase because there will be no economies of scale.

I think you'll find dumbphones are still pretty popular in many parts of
the world where basic communication, reliability and a long battery life is
more important than playing Angry Birds. Not only that, not everyone wants
to carry around a phone with the profile of a small brick. A lot of smartphones
are like going on a trip back to the early 90s in size.

Already a quarter of adults have a smartphone and half of all teenagers.

Got a link for that?

It won't be long before it's hard to buy a dumbphone. At which point,
yes, not having a smartphone will indeed be a statement.

Only in your mind. You seem to be unable to distinguish between a making
a statement and complete indifference.

or the latest core i7 PC for the same
reason - does that also make me a "refusenik" in your eyes?

Not having a computer of any kind would.

Why would it? Its quite possible to live without one. I couldn't because
I work in IT but I can quite see how others could.

with you. If you choose not to be able to interact and take part in
activities in ways that people think are normal and convenient, then

Facebook & twitter are not activities. Meeting down a pub or playing sports
is an activity. The former are poor facsimiles of a social life for losers
who don't actually have one.

And to be bring us back to what started you off on your foolish Luddite

Luddite? Having a smartphone seems to mean a lot to you, perhaps its a sort of
crutch or comfort blanket for some insecurities or inadequacies you have in
your social or professional life because it gives you the illusion of
connection. Either way you seem unable to comprehend why others may not give a
**** about owning an over priced hand held computer with no keyboard. Which is
your problem, not theirs.

which are the top three categories of paid-for content/applications on
phones? They a
* games

Don't care, I'm not 15.

* music

Don't care.

* travel

Can use a proper computer for that or visit a travel agents.
That really the best you've got?

with a dumbphone. The people have spoken.

No, you have spoken and I suspect your apparent addiction to tech like any
addiction makes your judgement unreliable at the best of times. If poking
and prodding your iToy all the time like a wired up lab rat makes you happy
then good for you. For others like me I'm afraid you come across as just a
little bit sad.

B2003