Cell phone culture and employment in Fortune 500 electronics

2012 Cell Phone and My Culture

The rapid evolution of cellular phones since their popular inception in 1983, in which the devices have moved seamlessly from their starting point as extravagant luxury items to become ubiquitous status symbols, before emerging as indispensible tools for navigating today's modernized, interconnected existence, has been nothing short of extraordinary. For young people occupying the all-important consumer demographic covering Americans aged 18 through 24, who have interacted with cell phones for much of their lives, choosing between the most popular internet-enabled smart phones on the market, the iPhone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S3, has become a significant point of personal pride. Engineers and designers at both Samsung and Apple Inc. are undoubtedly aware that the majority of young adults utilize their smart phones to interact with the world through more than simply telephonic means, because both manufacturers have made screen size and camera capability the central selling points of their flagship products. Owing to the overwhelming trend of smart phones replacing traditional and digital cameras, especially among the college-aged demographic, both the iPhone 5 and the Galaxy S3 have devoted tremendous amounts of engineering equity to creating the perfect camera phone. The nexus between smart phone usage and digital photography is evident when one considers that "both devices have an 8-megapixel camera in the rear, as well as crystal-clear 1080p HD video that looks amazing and life-like on replay," with camera capability on both devices being further bolstered by "a great deal of editing/cropping/sharing ability in regard to photos" (Myftiu 2).

Determining whether the iPhone 5 or the Galaxy S3 best meets your individual needs has become something of a cultural touchstone for technologically savvy young people both here in American and around the world. With factors such as internet connectivity and ease of use quickly becoming largely equalized throughout the market, the majority of young consumers place a great deal of value on a smart phones photographic functionality. To compete with the larger screen sizes offered by Samsung's Galaxy line, Apple Inc. increased the size of the iPhone 5's screen in the hopes of broadening the device's already massive appeal. Increasing screen size without compromising crucial pixels per inch (PPI) was especially prioritized during the iPhone 5's design phase, and "despite the larger size, Apple managed to retain the same number of pixels per inch on the iPhone 5 as on earlier models, so the new model keeps the 'Retina display' effect, which allows for sharp details (Mossberg, 1). By contrast, while testers have observed that the Samsung Galaxy S3's larger screen performs admirably in darkened environments, the photographically-inclined18-24-year-old demographic will surely appreciate the fact that "under normal room lighting or brighter, particularly a daytime sky, that advantage will dwindle and the brighter screen of the iPhone will shine through, overcoming ambient light to provide a more legible, clearer image for all types of material" (Katzmaier, 1). When the totality of user-generated evidence and expert reviews is considered, it becomes clear that the iPhone 5 stands alone atop the current smart phone landscape. Apple Inc.'s conquest of the ever expanding smart phone market can be attributed to the company's receptiveness to consumer input, which widely called for a larger screen on the iPhone 5 and a more refined digital camera, and the ability of its engineers to consistently deliver the most efficient and effective technological innovations.