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Apple needs to tackle the issue of smartphone addiction

wired.co.uk

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Re: Apple needs to tackle the issue of smartphone addiction

#121

Post by JibJabLab »

Jyaif wrote: post #70
DonaldPShimoda wrote: post #26

Something that I don't know if they've mentioned specifically in public was that the Apple Watch was partly designed to deal with smartphone addiction. I don't have a citable source handy here, so it's just my word, but when I interned with Apple last year there were a few "town hall" events where interns could ask questions of senior management (Cook, Ahrendts, Cue, Maestri, etc). At one of them (I think the Tim Coo…

Wasn't the town hall's content confidential? If you are going to leak things, at least do it anonymously.

That would be kind of a strange thing to do for interns...if that's what they really were

Re: Apple needs to tackle the issue of smartphone addiction

#122

Post by whytaka »

RandallBrown wrote: post #90
whytaka wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I do not. I'm in the market for a camera that's the size of the AirPods case so I could bring it on vacation. It'd be great if I could have something like the cameras off of today's latest and greatest phones but in a much more miniature and standalone form factor. The apps I'm waiting for are Car2Go or Uber that work totally independently. Also, unfortunately, Google Hangout for work. While I'm making wishes, it'd b…

A GoPro is a pretty similar size to the AirPods case and gets you a pretty rugged camera.

That's actually a great idea. Thanks!

Re: Apple needs to tackle the issue of smartphone addiction

#123

Post by gunmania0 »

agitator wrote: post #71

I don't get why people think that this is apple's problem. Do a better job of parenting. Have some self discipline. There are so many products in this world that take advantage of our biology. The iPhone is just one. And it's currently being obsessed over by media outlets. What about all the processed foods making people fat and unhealthy? What about Starbucks selling addictive drugs on every corner and getting away…

I agree, but you don't say to drug addicts "it's easy just stop taking drugs" because ultimately they will still reach for their fix. It's a personal decision, but the tools to self-manage need to be available.

Apple could do more to alleviate addictions, however. You could argue that they first introduced these addictions in the first place. Red circles in the corners of apps have become a corner stone in computer interaction. "Do not disturb" and "Notifications" go someway to manage and alleviate this, but ultimately it's not in Apple's interest to provide mechanisms for users to escape their platform.

If apps don't see engagement, developers won't make apps, which means Apple loses money.

If users aren't bullied into updating their devices, the large majority won't update, which means Apple loses control of their platform.

I hope Apple take a stand against this established model. It's gone far enough and it's extremely mentally wearing.

Re: Apple needs to tackle the issue of smartphone addiction

#124

Post by tonyarkles »

hawaiianbrah wrote: post #120
flyGuyOnTheSly wrote: post #95

I've been struggling with addiction in various forms for my entire adult life, so I have a decent understanding of it imho. When I first learned what a smartphone was, I knew immediately that I would become addicted to it if I let myself. I simply chose not to get addicted to smartphones by never purchasing one, and it's working out quite well so far. I know they're awesome little nuggets of technology, but I just do…

Who spends $2000 a year every year on their phone + connectivity? I know there are SOME people, but they’re in the minority, for sure.

My cell bill is about $100/mo. I'm not one of the "gotta have the hot new device every release" folks, but... that's a baseline of $1200/yr without considering device prices.

Re: Apple needs to tackle the issue of smartphone addiction

#125

Post by tonyarkles »

LeicaLatte wrote: post #4

Legitimizing smartphone addiction is the main reason why Apple will never put a dark mode in iOS. Atleast I hope they don't. It has never been a personal problem (I am carrying my own bunch of bad habits) but I hate watching friends, partners constantly checking their phones in the night.

On iOS, press and hold on the brightness slider. It'll go full screen with a "Night Shift" option. And "General -> Accessibility -> Accessibility Shortcut" lets you bind triple-click to various color shift filters (I've recently been using my phone in black & white to try to make it less visually interesting)

Re: Apple needs to tackle the issue of smartphone addiction

#126

Post by lainga »

egypturnash wrote: post #86
agitator wrote: post #71

I don't get why people think that this is apple's problem. Do a better job of parenting. Have some self discipline. There are so many products in this world that take advantage of our biology. The iPhone is just one. And it's currently being obsessed over by media outlets. What about all the processed foods making people fat and unhealthy? What about Starbucks selling addictive drugs on every corner and getting away…

One day, an old man was walking along a beach that was littered with thousands of starfish that had been washed ashore by the high tide. As he walked he came upon a young boy who was eagerly throwing the starfish back into the ocean, one by one. Puzzled, the man looked at the boy and asked what he was doing. Without looking up from his task, the boy simply replied, “I’m saving these starfish, Sir”. The old man chuckl…

The old man then went home and penned an article titled "The sea needs to tackle the issue of washed-up starfish"; the Moon was blown up, and the tides ceased.

Re: Apple needs to tackle the issue of smartphone addiction

#127

Post by DonaldPShimoda »

schuke wrote: post #97
DonaldPShimoda wrote: post #26

Something that I don't know if they've mentioned specifically in public was that the Apple Watch was partly designed to deal with smartphone addiction. I don't have a citable source handy here, so it's just my word, but when I interned with Apple last year there were a few "town hall" events where interns could ask questions of senior management (Cook, Ahrendts, Cue, Maestri, etc). At one of them (I think the Tim Coo…

Interesting story. But it seems to me they're just substituting addiction with distraction. The Apple watch ad always made me cringe: they basically listed how the wonderful moments of our life are distracted by digital devices. These devices used to be feet away: radio, phones, computers... now I have to bloody wear it on me? No fucking way.

I'm not sure I follow your reasoning. I (and others) have noticed that the effect I reported is true: wearing the Watch prevents distraction more than it enables it. I spend less time on my phone doing unimportant things than I used to, and I don't get as distracted while attempting to work on other things because the Watch actually makes it easier to ignore notifications.

I understand if you're not sold on it, and maybe phone distraction isn't a problem that you have anyway, but I think that there is certainly anecdotal evidence that the Apple Watch can be more helpful than harmful in these situations.

Re: Apple needs to tackle the issue of smartphone addiction

#128

Post by DonaldPShimoda »

vanattab wrote: post #85
DonaldPShimoda wrote: post #26

Something that I don't know if they've mentioned specifically in public was that the Apple Watch was partly designed to deal with smartphone addiction. I don't have a citable source handy here, so it's just my word, but when I interned with Apple last year there were a few "town hall" events where interns could ask questions of senior management (Cook, Ahrendts, Cue, Maestri, etc). At one of them (I think the Tim Coo…

I just bought a LTE LG Watch (should be in tomorrow) just so I could leave my phone behind exactly due to this kind of effect. I have come to the realization that a huge junk of the time I and virtual everyone around me spends on our phones is wasteful and unproductive. Looking up from my phone around a bar and seeing so many tables full of people staring at their phones kind of makes me nostalgic for the dumb phone…

There's a quote in a book that I like that says:

"In order to live free and happily, you must sacrifice boredom. It is not always an easy sacrifice."

I think about that a lot when I notice things like what you mention, where everybody is distracted and cell phones are ruling our lives.

Re: Apple needs to tackle the issue of smartphone addiction

#129

Post by DonaldPShimoda »

JibJabLab wrote: post #121
Jyaif wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wasn't the town hall's content confidential? If you are going to leak things, at least do it anonymously.

That would be kind of a strange thing to do for interns...if that's what they really were

There were definitely specific things that they asked us not to talk about. One example: Angela Ahrendts (SVP Retail) talked to us about the new Chicago Apple Store [0] and asked us not to discuss it until its public announcement.

I don't think the town hall events were confidential. My understanding was that they asked us not to take notes or use electronic devices to be polite to the speakers. They explicitly told us when certain information was meant to be kept secret.

[0] https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2017/10/apple-michigan-avenue...

Re: Apple needs to tackle the issue of smartphone addiction

#130

Post by DonaldPShimoda »

collyw wrote: post #117
DonaldPShimoda wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's important is the reduction in functionality. I can't do nearly as much from my Watch as I can with my phone, and specifically I can't just browse through Reddit or Facebook. While I may interact with the same number of notifications, I interact with them for significantly less time (because there's not much to do with them from the Watch), and any such interaction is unlikely to cause me to browse my phone in…

Don't you need your phone in your pocket to use it?

Yes, I have a Series 2 so I need to have my phone nearby (or on the same WiFi) for the Watch to be useful.

The difference is that now I can dismiss notifications from my wrist and I am less tempted to actually unlock my phone directly, which is what was causing me to get distracted before.

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