What did we do before Apps ?

[scott99]

I don't know about you guys and gals, but I am totally addicted to apps. I have my 9 pages totally full, and have deleted apps to add apps. I have games, movie trailer apps, sports apps, news apps, instant messaging apps, etc.

I've owned an iPhone since Sept 2007 (went 3G in Sept 2008), and though I loved it, I used 4 main things on it only. Phone (obviously), iPod, internet & email. And somehow, I don't know how, I used it more than any gadget I had ever owned.

Ever since apps have been introduced, I probably use it about 10x more than I did pre-apps. It has become a gadget that hardly ever leaves my hand. My daily 1 hour 15 minute commute (mass transit) seems shorter, using my gaming apps. I have an Xbox 360, Sega Dreamcast and a Playstation Portable, yet my 8 year old nephew (who is a gamehead) asks to play my iPhone games !

It has been my saviour in airports, helped me look up movie times, my weathercaster, etc. I find that since the adition of apps, the iPhone has become indespensible to me.

I was just waxing poetic, but the other day, I was just thinking about how much the iPhone has changed, and my use of it has changed, since the introduction of apps. Those who have jailbroken their phones, obviously knew of the joy of apps, but I refuse to jailbreak.

 

[firewood]

Before iPhone apps, people did the same thing with their PalmPilots. Thousands of apps. Etc.

.

 

[vinay427]

Before iPhone apps, people did the same thing with their PalmPilots. Thousands of apps. Etc.

.

A world with no iPhone apps!!!???

 

[Rojo]

I love my iPhone too, and I also can't be away from my iPhone for too long -- especially since the introduction of the App Store.

However, I've also realized that I'm maybe TOO dependent on it, and have made a resolution to use it less in the new year (unless I absolutely have to). I find myself playing way too many games (when I used to NEVER play games before), or using photoswap/photokast a lot, and also browsing appshopper.com way too obsessively. And I'm on Facebook and Macrumors three times more than I was pre-iPhone. I probably waste a good hour or two a day on my iPhone that I didn't use to before. Sometimes I feel like I could be using that time more productively.

So yeah...I love my iPhone and I love apps. But I'm definitely going to cut back a bit going forward. I'm going to let word of mouth lead me towards any "must-have" apps that might come out, and try to resist the urge to play on the phone al the time and instead be more productive or social.

 

[TheZimm]

Jailbreak! but now with the app store I don't jailbreak anymore

Zym

 

[tsvb]

Webapps! Gosh they were terrible. I'm so glad we've got the app store now.

 

[tMac85]

What did we do before apps?

We made use of our time in life.
We got things done
Procrastination was less frequent.
We we to bed at a decent hour
We got bored allll the time

 

[admanimal]

We had to rely on our own natural flatulence to make fart noises.

 

[NewGenAdam]

Couldn't agree more - my iPhone's certainly replaced my games consoles. And I feel naked and vulnerable leaving my home without it.

But I compulsively arrange my Apps, and prune the majority from myPhone. I'm left with only 4 solid pages. With bottom left corners free; that way I can move stuff without everything else losing its place ^^

 

[SFC Archer]

A lot more porn site visits and crapware fed to our computers....the iPhone is putting a crimp on the Porn bidness.

 

[QCassidy352]

But I compulsively arrange my Apps, and prune the majority from myPhone. I'm left with only 4 solid pages. With bottom left corners free; that way I can move stuff without everything else losing its place ^^

me too. I used to have four full pages, but I'm down to 2.5. I realized I literally never used over a dozen apps. Then there are the apps that are really no better than the mobile versions of the websites (ebay, paypal, wikipedia, bank of america, etc.), so I got rid of all of those and just created a bookmarks folder for all those sites. Don't get me wrong - I use my iphone obsessively too. But I realized that I spent all my time in just a handful of games and apps, so I got rid of the rest of them.

 

[SkyBell]

We had to rely on our own natural flatulence to make fart noises.

You just made my day.

I don't use Apps a whole lot. I have about 4 pages of them, most I don't hardly use at all... I don't know, some days I use apps for an hour, others I don't use any at all. Apps haven't really changed anything for me. I bought my Touch mainly to play music, and this is what it spends most of it's time doing. Apps are an afterthought.

 

[tommybuck]

Before apps I.... had a different fone. but i probably would've sufficed with web apps.. WHich I still use...

 

[Rayfire]

We had to rely on our own natural flatulence to make fart noises.

LOL. Thank you for posting that, I must admit you're right

 

[calvy]

We jailbroke our iphones. Of course, I still jailbreak mine.

 

[LostLogik]

I used a Nokia N95. There are still things I miss about the N95 that the iPhone can't do but the user experience of the iPhone is a whole heap better.

 

[KRAPPS]

agreed, apps are what makes the iPhone so valuable! bravo developers for your creativity!

 

[bigjnyc]

I did the same thing i do now. I have like 3 or 4 apps and barely use any of them. I mostly use it as a phone to make calls and text, an ipod, or a web browser all of which i was doing before apps. I'm not really into apps at all, i rather watch a movie or listen to music when commuting to work on the train.