Blackberry: Phone or Fruit?

Earlier in the semester, a marketing professor of mine gave us an update on his grandchildren.  Just as any proud grandparent should do, he usually shares fun anecdotes about birthday parties, trips to the zoo and the like.  But this time, it was much more profound.

He mentioned that his three year old grandson Sam had been trying out new apps on his iPad. Say whatttt?  Just when I thought LeapFrog was cutting edge stuff, this kid is walking around preschool with a new iPad.  Evidently all the cool kids are doing it.

How has this happened?  Sam's home of Seattle, Washington is just north of what all self-proclaimed nerds would consider their mecca: Silicon Valley.  But does that mean three year old children should be waltzing around with iPads?  I think so.

Here's why:

The Apple brand is synonymous for producing operating systems that "scream" ease of use.  iPad is no different.  With a large, uber-intuitive touchscreen, it is the perfect way to browse the news by virtually "turning the pages" or, if you're three years old, playing the coolest version of "Squiggles" or "Sneezies."  Both highly rated in the iPad App Store, apps are not only inexpensive, they are easy to add and easy to remove as kids grow up.

Now think about the phone.  My grandparent's generation has been witness to the most incredible technological revolution;  going from no phones, to iPhones in one lifetime.  Incredible.

Technology is progressing at such a pace, it is unfathomable to think about what little Sam, with his soon-to-be-outdated iPad (Hello, iPad 2) will be using to teach his children.  Another thing?  He will probably NEVER find himself pecking away at an archaic tactical keyboard.  At three years old, he has virtually mastered the flat surface interface of the iPad, and by the time he gets to high school, who knows what we will be using.

Gartner, a world leader in Information Technology research, recently released a study that says more than 50% of personal computers sold by 2015 will have touchscreen interfaces.  This does not include enterprise solutions for corporations, only home users.  Even so, it is a clear sign of where technology is headed in the not-so-distant future.

With that, let's also think about how culture is driving systemic change in our vocabulary.  Ten years go, when someone said "Do you like Blackberry?" you would have been thinking about the fruit, maybe in jam or pie form.  Now?  Instantly, whether you are 10 years old or 60 years old, your mind thinks phone.

Ten years.

Put that in prospective: barely a blink of an eye.

I won't say that I am equally addicted to both the fruit and the phone.  Rarely do I seek out the fruit variety at the grocery, but my phone seems to follow me everywhere I go.

Where will we be when little Sam graduates high school?  I can't wait to find out.