Interview with Martin Cooper Motorola Engr who made the first call on a portable cellular phone

[Markverhyden]

I enjoy reading reflections like this since it reminds me that we can properly anticipate only a fraction, sometimes large, sometimes small, of outcomes for any particular development.

Opinion | From the ‘Shoe Phone’ to the Smartphone

Martin Cooper, the man who made the first call on a handheld device, reflects on how the technology has changed the world—and the advances still to come.

www.wsj.com

 

[timeshifter]

So he made the first call, did he say "we've been trying to reach you about your car's extended warranty"?

 

[timeshifter]

"The global population is nearly eight billion, of which more than six billion have access to a mobile phone"

That's a lot to take in. The majority of the world's population has a mobile phone.

"What they didn’t foresee is “that someday there would be a supercomputer in what we stupidly call a phone.” The device you carry in your pocket is more powerful by many orders of magnitude than the calculating machines that guided Apollo 11 to the moon."

I've been in IT my whole career, starting in 1986. Went out on my own in 2004 doing what I do now. Up until about 10 years ago the people I worked with were dependent on their desktops and laptops. If I had to take a system in I'd get the anxious inquiry "when can I get it back". Now, it's "take your time, I've got my phone".

The iPhone I carry in my pocket can probably do 90% of what all computer users need. The only real limitation is its form factor. Doesn't mean we'll no longer have desktops and laptops but those machines seem overly complicated compare to the powerful slab of glass in my pocket.

 

[Markverhyden]

As the saying goes adapt or die. But some adaptations just can't be made no matter how hard we try or wish. Take the replace vs repair dilemma. 15+ years ago I made a good 10-15k/year repairing printers. As we've all seen that repair sector has just about collapsed. I think I've had $300 or so in printer repair revenue in the last 2 years.

As we know smart devices are basically unrepairable. If nothing because parts aren't readily available. And most of that is because of the device prices. All this IoT stuff, aka "smart" homes, just makes it worse.

 

[britechguy]

The iPhone I carry in my pocket can probably do 90% of what all computer users need. The only real limitation is its form factor. Doesn't mean we'll no longer have desktops and laptops but those machines seem overly complicated compare to the powerful slab of glass in my pocket.

But the limitation of the form factor cannot be ignored.

I would not want to do 90% plus of the things I do on my smartphone, including writing and posting this message. Having a real keyboard and a full-sized (at least 15-inch) screen is a "must have" for any data/text entry intensive work.

Even with a Bluetooth keyboard working on a smartphone for an extended period of time gives me visual fatigue because everything's too small.

I've long been saying that smartphones are a true microcomputer with a telephone feature. But I would not replace my computer with one for a very great many things I do on a daily basis. I barely text on my phone, preferring to use the computer app to do it. Typing is just so much easier.

 

[timeshifter]

But the limitation of the form factor cannot be ignored.

100% agree. I'm not suggesting that we only need one computing device - our phone. Although it's possible it's not likely.

I'm reminded of a prediction that was made by "futurists" over 100 years ago or more. They said that your home would have one central motor. It would drive all the work in your home like washing machines, etc. It probably seemed logical at the time as motors were probably complicated and expensive and hard to keep running. But looking back that seems like a ridiculous idea. Modern homes are filled with hundreds of motors of all sizes and capabilities.

They're also filled with all kinds of computing devices like phones, computers, set top boxes, thermostats, etc - all computers in some shape or form. We don't have one computer we have multiple.