Time Magazine's inventions of the year

[Juventus3]

Interesting read. I'm encouraged by the number of alternative transportation methods being thought up, especially steam power integrated into gasoline engines (making them 40% more efficient).

Top award went to the iPhone.

The thing is hard to type on. It's too slow. It's too big. It doesn't have instant messaging. It's too expensive. (Or, no, wait, it's too cheap!) It doesn't support my work e-mail. It's locked to AT&T. Steve Jobs secretly hates puppies. And—all together now—we're sick of hearing about it! Yes, there's been a lot of hype written about the iPhone, and a lot of guff too. So much so that it seems weird to add more, after Danny Fanboy and Bobby McBlogger have had their day. But when that day is over, Apple's iPhone is still the best thing invented this year. Why? Five reasons...

Saab's 'Aero X' Concept:


Boeing vision of a future commercial sized plane:


And most importantly, because we all know how smokin' hot female astronauts are, she Spandex spacesuit:
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http://www.time.com/time/specials/20...rss-topstories

[llama64]

Wow... wonder how much Apple paid for that honor. The iPhone as the top invention? I fear for society...

The fifth reason they list for the iPhone is exactly why I thought it was pointless to buy the current iteration. The iPod didn't get worth while until the 3rd generation. I don't see the iPhone being any different especially given the feature set of the device.

Good article despite the Apple love in.

[Burninator]

Originally Posted by llama64

The fifth reason they list for the iPhone is exactly why I thought it was pointless to buy the current iteration. The iPod didn't get worth while until the 3rd generation. I don't see the iPhone being any different especially given the feature set of the device.

But it has to start somewhere. If people didn't (aren't going to) buy the iPhone then it won't evolve into a better product. The iPod revolutionized the mp3 player and it got better because people kept buying it.

[llama64]

Originally Posted by Burninator

But it has to start somewhere. If people didn't (aren't going to) buy the iPhone then it won't evolve into a better product. The iPod revolutionized the mp3 player and it got better because people kept buying it.

True.

But there are more worthy items on their list for the top spot.

The engine that uses water to increase fuel efficiency for instance...

[Got Miikka?]

Originally Posted by llama64

The iPod didn't get worth while until the 3rd generation. I don't see the iPhone being any different especially given the feature set of the device.

I have a first-gen iPod and it's been great for me the 3 years since I got it. Sure, it's not as pretty or flashy as some of the newer models but it gets the main things right: I have 20 gigs of music on it, which has allowed me to put a large portion of my bulky CD collection in boxes in storage, and I can access songs from all sorts of disparate genres with nothing but the scroll of the touchwheel.

The problem with all of these Apple iThis and iThat products is that each new one just one-ups the last one and all you end up doing is going out and buying the newer one because it does that one extra thing the one you already have can't do. In my case, my old iPod still works fine but it's getting scratched up and let's face it, color video capabilities beat the crap out of black-and-white matrix displays any day of the week. I gotta admit, I am tempted to drop the cash on one of the sleek newer models.

But my "Best of G'n'f'n'R" playlist still sounds the same no matter which platform I load it onto.

[Burninator]

Originally Posted by llama64

True.

But there are more worthy items on their list for the top spot.

The engine that uses water to increase fuel efficiency for instance...

I'll agree with you on that one. While I do want an iPhone it's hardly an invention. Everything that phone does was already available in another phone. The difference is the interface. As far as I can tell there wasn't anything out there that could claim all the features of the iPhone and compete with it's looks and interface. But maybe the list considers other factors than just the technical aspect. Things like commercial success and popularity. I don't know, just a guess.