Time names iPhone "Invention Of the Year"
By Paul Miller 
posted Nov 1st 2007 11:06AM
posted Nov 1st 2007 11:06AM
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that huge iPhone in the picture is clearly an iPhone ripoff.
Apparently someone needs to teach Time the difference between an invention, an innovation and a product.
I mean cripes, I've been using YouTube since 2005. How could it be "invented" in 2006 when 1) it existed before then; 2) there was nothing invented.
Idiots.
Of course, both the iPhone & YouTube are great, highly successful products.
I thought Time Magazine went bankrupt. Does anybody actually subscribe, much less, READ that old media fossil?
And we're all expected to believe this garbage?
Next thing you know, five Swedes will give a Nobel Peace Prize to Al Gore for his Power Point presentation....oh wait...
"Apparently someone needs to teach Time the difference between an invention, an innovation and a product."
Besides, it's not really an invention. It's a PDA/MP3 Player/Phone. It's like calling a bead necklace an invention because they combined beads, string, and a knot.
Would you call a cellphone an invention?
Hell it's just the fusion of cellular communication electronics and a phone. Nah, your right, this can't be an invention either.
But surely the phone was an invention right?
That magic phone that instantly transmits your voice to someone else. What a gas that phone is. It's not like it relies on speakers, or microphones, or some sort of input device, or materials and material processes. No, it must not be an invention then since it's just a mashup of other inventions.
But wait, is the keypad on a phone an invention? I mean humans have been pressing shit with their fingers for millions of years. Hell that's not an invention either since someone's already done it in some other fashion.
So let's see.......according to your stringent requirements, the only things you could maybe argue as inventions are subatomic particles, but even those may have shit inside of them.
Damn logic.
and let the anti-Apple crowd chime in in
3
2
1
GO!
Omg apple sux stupid iphone isnt as good as my alarm clock by my bed steve jobs is a total tool etc etc.
Actually, very much being an apple non-lover, I bought an iphone to develop for it recently, and while it is nowhere near as function as my n95, it is very slick and I find myself trying harder and harder to dislike it. When this thing gets a better camera, 3g, and an API, it will be pretty tough to beat.
Um... why would you try to dislike a product you obviously like?
I think the HTC Kaiser deserves such a title! GPS, 3MP camera, tilting screen, productivity applications, huge range of WM applications to run on 128MB of RAM. The Kaiser does what the iPhone can. It may not have an accelerometer, the fact that it does what the iPhone can + more makes the difference. TIME magazine just like CNN has dumbed down over the years to get more readers/viewers. Very sad.
Apparently Lev Grossman is an idiot. It's Touchy Feely? Is he serious? It's many shortcomings are ignored because it is "pretty"???? "It's not a phone it's a platform"?? Somehow squished all of OSX into it?
Who is this guy and .. and.. and.. I'm just amazed????
No my dear friend, YOU are the idiot. The only one talking sense here is rv. Good man rv.
Hehe; true true. Here they come...
"How much experience have you had with the iPhone, but still feel compelled to trash it? What? None? Just as we thought..."
How much experience have you had with the iPhone, but still feel compelled to defend it? What? None? Just as we thought...
Actually, I went down to an Apple store after the crowds were dying down following the release and toyed around with one of the display ones. The iPod functionality was nice, but really, I just carry my iPod and my very, very basic cellphone around. It was nice, to be sure, but there was nothing that made me say, I gotta get me one of these. The iPhone wasn't something new that changed the way people think about a device - it's just Apple's methodology applied to a phone; control the software, control the hardware, and make it simple enough to use that you don't prevent part of the market from buying one.
I do have one.
STFU.
invention of the year? its more like "greatest collaboration of emerging and current technologies wrapped up in a sexy package that makes big bucks"
not that that's a bad thing.
that sounds like invention to me. the wikipedia definition is good
"An invention is an object, process, or technique which displays an element of novelty. An invention may sometimes be based on earlier developments, collaborations or ideas, and the process of invention requires at least the awareness that an existing concept or method can be modified or transformed into an invention."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invention
No, it is an innovation, not an invention. There have been all in one phones in the past. The iphone is just a better smartphone. In fact, you might not even call it an innovation, because like I said, there have been all in one phones in the past, this is just the first one to use multi-touch and a large amount of built in flash memory.
So... the guy who invented the car, didn't really invent it? He just mashed together a bunch of existing technologies?
You guys are idiots.
No my dear friend, YOU are the idiot. The only one talking sense here is rv. Good man rv.
Woops! I meant to post down here!(I guess I'm the idiot then)
@Derek
No, it's not.
It's like saying Henry Ford invented the automobile. That's completely untrue. Automobiles were around in many varieties before his Model-T. Some better, some worse. All he did was revolutionize production standards and bring better, cheaper cars to market.
You can't even draw a comparisson like that with Apple and the iPhone. They have not revolutionized anything. All that's new is the multi-touch. There have already been iTunes phones, already been other phones that have done all of this.
Nothing to see that even remotely resembles the word invention here. Move along.
Well... look at the source. Time magazine named a website that shows user uploaded videos "invention of he year" last year. Nothing invented there, either.
Its simply a poorly named award for "Most Buzzworthy Gadget of the Year"
so rv, you're saying that the iphone was a collection of things available in various forms in the past, and then apple added an in multitouch and a lot of built in memory? i think we're in agreement, it fits the wikipedia definition of invention pretty well.
in·ven·tion /ɪnˈvɛnʃən/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[in-ven-shuhn] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun 1. the act of inventing.
2. U.S. Patent Law. a new, useful process, machine, improvement, etc., that did not exist previously and that is recognized as the product of some unique intuition or genius, as distinguished from ordinary mechanical skill or craftsmanship.
3. anything invented or devised.
4. the power or faculty of inventing, devising, or originating.
5. an act or instance of creating or producing by exercise of the imagination, esp. in art, music, etc.
6. something fabricated, as a false statement.
7. Sociology. the creation of a new culture trait, pattern, etc.
8. Music. a short piece, contrapuntal in nature, generally based on one subject.
9. Rhetoric. (traditionally) one of the five steps in speech preparation, the process of choosing ideas appropriate to the subject, audience, and occasion.
10. Archaic. the act of finding.
www.dictionary.com
I may not like the iPhone, but it clearly fits one or more of these definitions of "invention".
It may be built from previously similar ideas, but the product is, itself, unique. That is the key word really. They made something unique. And that does, in fact, qualify it under the technical definition.
Whether it is "invention of the year", is up for subjective opinion.
That it is TIME'S "invention of the year".....is not.
But it IS an invention. And it has arguably had the most impact so far this year (though one could make a solid argument for Halo 3 or even WoW: TBC which sold just as many units.)
What I want to know is.....when is Al Gore going to get his time's award for inventing the Internet?
no, its not like saying the automobile wasn't invented. smartphones have been around for a long time. its like saying the 2007 Ford Mustang is the invention of the year, because it looks cool and works.
@zip22
Why would you ever cite wikipedia as your source? Way to lend yourself some credibility.
@zip22: A lot of built-in memory? How many decades old is your HDD to come to this conclusion?
@Gar
technically, even the multi-touch screen has been on other phones before... apple just put it in a much prettier package
NOT an invention... just a remake... like a new model of a car
(i still want an iphone though)
Thanks LG!
+1
Anybody who loves tech and has had the pleasure of playing with an iPhone knows this is clearly deserved.
I have an iPhone. No, it's not deserved. It's pretty, but the UI is VERY dysfunctional. A phone that requires both hands to operate? 4 clicks to make a simple phone call? Is this innovation? Decent web-browser. OK mp3 player. Is this an award worthy device? Have any of you seen Idiocracy?
@enemes: I have an iPhone and it most definitely does not require two hands. You must have hands the size of a 2-year-old's hands.
@enemes "cuz it has electrolytes?"
and please tell me how you can check your email with a single hand without sliding the phone in your hand or stretching your thumb? No, I don't have small hands. I don't have huge hands either though.
I love Tech and I surf the web... So where was Time when Al Gore Invented the Internet? Now I know that article is bias!
:P
Yeah, I can't really condone calling the iPhone an invention; there have been countless smart-phones in the past that have allowed internet browsing and MP3 playback. Just because the iPhone does it well doesn't mean they're the first ones to do it!
It was kind of funny to watch the UK show "The Gadget Show"... they tend to do a bit, uh, unorthodox testing. They put the Nokia N95 and the iPhone head to head and while the iPhone won some coolness points, it could not be used to text message while swinging in a rope after a bridge jump, even using both hands; it could be used to dial and call with, but not as fast as the N95 (and they didn't even use the voice dialing in new Nokias which would have been even faster); it could only take garbage quality photos while they were out on a party night in Barcelona compared to the N95 and could do no video at all due to the supremely crappy camera chip.
So basically it's cool but not very usable under those everyday conditions as mentioned above. ;)
Sorry did not know "swinging in a rope after a bridge jump" was an everyday condition. Yeah!
Let me guess - are you one of those that text while driving on the highway?
@Dave95 - no, but its alot cooler that the nokia CAN do that.. incase the situation were to arise.. "hey Mah, I'mma callin you frum a roppe! heh ehe heh" ..
sorry, what was invented?
But what exactly was the competition?
Granted the Iphone is a NICE TOY, I would have gladly picked Halo 3 or BIOSHOCK over it as an invention (art form/ electronica)
I usually do not take the time to comment because I really do not think most people read through the comments before they make their own comment. Most people just want to heard, and they do not take the time to listen. Could we please handle one discussion in a positive and effective way where people actually listen to one other? Just a thought...
hahahahahahaa ah bless you *rubs lances's head*
yes lance, because if i have something to say about something i should be obligated to wade through each and every comment before i can contribute.
@loci
LOL!
@Boynamedsue
I think there would be less to wade through if people would read before commenting. In addition, what good is your contribution if the point has already been made?
cause i talk pretty.
and i didn't implore anyone to hold hands and get all touchy feely. Its a fucking gadget blog. it's works completely fine without you trying to turn it into an ashram.
@Boynamedsue
Ashram? Clever, but no. I am just trying to point out that if people want to be heard that they have to listen first. What good is it to say anything if no one is listening?
Anyway, I enjoy the latest gadgets, and Engadget is one of the best sites on the Internet. However, it would be nice to see some real discussions where people could debate subject matter respectfully.
You express a nice sentiment, and one I wish would actually permiate the blog comments, but several of the commentors (Boynamedsue for one) seem more concerned that their viewpoint is heard and validated rather than having anything concerning meaningful discourse on the topic. I suspect their behavior would change (or we just wouldn't notice them) if the comment system actually allowed you to view comments based on ranking, e.g. view just highly ranked and above. I know I would certainly enjoy the comments more if I could read just the polite and well presented ones.
thats not fair........the year isnt finished yet...........lol
I have yet to get out my "death star" prototype
lol good one - but seriously whether it is more useful than a given smartphone or not (not for me) that is besides the point. The GUI/hardware combo IS new and it is invention, and that alone qualifies it for the award. I may like my treo better, but I don't wear blinkers and agree that in the consumer world the iPhone has been the invention of 2007... so far!
Note it is invention of the year where CONSUMERISM is concerned..if you're considering life-changing concepts etc that actually make the world a better place it is of course far down the list lol! Here are a few nominees for more important inventions incuding a brain boosting drug for Alzheimer's and a shock sheet to help lessen brain injury after heart attacks:
http://www.nature.com/news/2003/030905/full/news030901-9.html
"The GUI/hardware combo IS new and it is invention"
That's like saying using a different engine in a car is a new invention. A GUI is a GUI, whether its more intuitive or not. Nothing was "invented" here; somethings were combined.
Seriously guys … I was developing kind of microwave that woks in opposite form that the microwave does, cooling things… I name it Icrowave®… wherever the Iphone has already named “invention of the year” I give up.
Apple invented the cell phone?
What?
Exactly :-|
Sometimes I wonder writers at prestigious magazines live in this world or in an alternate universe were things are all too awesome for them when it comes from a money making company.
So product of the year is based on 5 year old technology?
i guess they forgot about LG?
NOT the invention of the year!
- It plays Doom
- It blends
but......
- It doesn't run Linux
Run Linux???? OS X is a variant of UNIX as is Linux. Nice try.
@Aaron - but its not linux, the point being, you can't install an OS to it that wasn't meant to be on it, like linux is known to do.
I think it will in time.. I also think it should be more open..
what about the openmoko, sure its not released yet, but the year isn't up (set to be released late december), I'd say its alot more innovative than the iphone, you can do more with it... but that still.. I wouldn't say is an invention.
Enjoy it while you can Uncle Steve, but this will be Invention of the year in 3 years!
http://www.eternal-champions.com/images/efc_device.jpg
"VICTORY IS MINE!"
I guess there are newly developed patented parts of an iphone, but otherwise its still a smartphone.
You could patent a new and exciting fabric, and i'd call the fabric the invention. i wouldn't call the shirt you made out of it one.
I for one think they deserve this price. In spite of the iPhone being a locked platform with multiple technological shortcomings.
Apple has actually managed to make a user-friendly phone on the first try where Nokia is stil struggling after so many years with their Symbian OS.
When was the last time another cellphone manufacturer produced a completely new concept? Last year, I bought a Nokia N93 which set me back about 755€. And what did I get? A large gray brick full of broken promises, dvd quality filming? Lol, don't even get me started. I could even live with the bad quality if the Symbian OS had been a bit user and eye friendly, but all I see are ugly icons cluttered together in an illogical folder structure.
But hey, I can download themes! Yes, just a mere €5 for another theme that will probably prove to be just as ugly as the one I started with. And ofcourse Symbian allows you to install applications on your phone. Great, spending even more money for more crapapplications is what I always wanted!
You're paying for themes on Symbian? You do realise that there's thousands available on the internet for free?
Same goes for applications. Have you tried Quake yet? Or how about the racing game that uses a Wiimote for control? How about TomTom?
If you cant use S40 you are brain damaged, but S60 aint the easiest for sure or the prettiest around(thought the closest competition arent doing much better).
I do hope that Apple makes them push a bit more because on the hardware side Nokia rocks and Nokia is riding on the wave(getting 40% market share on next quarter and keep dominating smartphones)if there wouldnt be Apple we might have not seen Symbias TS yet.
Hopefully some of the big players would speed it a bit too so we could see some real innovation.
I don't get it...what exactly was invented here? A phone, a PDA, a music player, touch screens, etc...? They aren't the first to mash it up and they won't be the last.
This award pays lip service to all those working hard to actually "invent" and not just converge.
Time has way too much time on it's hands.
Punchy
the answer your looking for my friend is multi touch, no other cell phone has it, and I heard in a few months at Mac wold they are even goin to improve more the multi touch funcionality. For those of you who like to compare it to the Nokia 95, remember all the iPhone needs its just 3G and GPS and it will blow it out of the water, the 5mexapixel its not a a priority because its not the best camara of the worst, so i think not to many people would buy a phone for a higher resolution camara, while you can get a 8 megapixel cheaper
I just love this sentence@ "Now imagine something that's going to make the iPhone look that primitive."
I feel sad for this. A fancy phone has this much status? It's innovative and all but, invention of the year? It's too much!
come on...
Is it me, or has TIME lost it's edge? It used to be that the invention of the year was something that changed the way we live, learn, love, etc. YouTube was no invention, there were Viral Video sites similer to it before it started, but it was a good one. Same with the iPhone (and i don't want lip from anyone here, we all know it's true, there is little innovation in the iPhone other than the way it's packaged together, the interface, and the marketing)
All of the good inventions have been invented is a sad statement, and a misguided one, but it's one i feel is reprented in TIME's decision, i'm sure there were plenty of really good inventions, like the inflatable concrete dome, creating emergency shelters very cheap.
But what do i really care anyway, everone is so self-centered they wouldn't know what compassion for other people was if it hit them in the face... BAH I SAY! BAH!
.>
i wubs my ifoen :D
Seriously though, it's a great product and all, but not invention of the year material... just my opinion.
It makes sense since Time is a mainstream magazine so their interpretation of invention is something as you said:
"...something that changed the way we live, learn, love, etc."
I know YouTube has changed the way I learn. Working in the entertainment industry I've used it for research everything from music videos to famous clips in movies.
I've also used it to help sell items on ebay rather than using static 2-dimensional pictures.
And of course, YouTube is the best wing-man when trying to impress some chick at the end of the night with a couple of funny videos. So yeah, I guess its changed the way I love too. :)
Sure other sites may have had the same concept, but I've never been on their sites. I'm sure the same can be said for most people.
The iPhone is not an invention. It's multi-touch touchscreen is an invention, but the phone itself is just a product that uses that invention.
Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize for making a movie, why shouldn't a semi-smart cell phone win best invention?
Next up: Jenna Jameson takes home the Oscar for Lifetime Achievement.
Al Gore won the peace prize for campaigning to put global warming in the forefront of people's minds. The movie was one of the avenues, but hardly the only one he pursued. Personally I think he embodies a new mindset of activist; one who gets how to use modern media to convey his message to the masses. Whether or not you agree with his message is immaterial. He is working for what he thinks is right and as the peace prize demonstrates, fairly effectively succeeding at it.
I don't think the comparrison to the iPhone winning gadget of the year is correct at all.
The point was not that Al Gore isn't your personal hero, it's that the prize awarded wasn't in the category of the achievement. Hence the Jenna Jameson post, if you bothered to read the rest of the post before your knee-jerk reaction.
Al Gore is indeed a noble crusader for his beliefs, but his beliefs had little to do with bringing Peace to the world, no matter how you slice it.
As in the iPhone, which is indeed innovative, but not inventive, other than the multi-touch screen, which was invented years ago. It is the incorrect award for the achievement. Best Innovation? I'm all for it. Best Invention? Hardly.
so... what did Apple invent? a mobile phone with touchscreen? or invented the biggest media hype?
The greatest invention is the iPhone's price.
£269 for the iPhone when the Nokia N95 8GB is available for free? With a contract costing between £630 and £900? Kudos to Apple for being in position to extort that much money from people.
Time sucks!
Invention of the year? No way, it doesn't have enough buttons.
I need buttons. Really, I do.
What the Microsoft-heads and gamer kiddies don't get is, this iphone isn't about raw head to head capabilities power. It's about design and software. It's a cell phone that has software that is easy to use, functional, and doesn't make you want to put a bullet in your head trying to figure out. So all those little extras in a cell phone can actually be fun and easy to use. That's the true innovation. And that's why the lame "oh my cellphone has faster graphics and can store more numbers so it's better" arguments miss the entire point. For those geeks, try going outside, I promise the graphics kick tail.
How is it easy to use? It is pretty, but easy to use? Have you tried to make a phone call on this thing while driving? Have you tried to check email w/o using both hands? What else.. Oi, that's it.. It doesn't do much else. This device is all eye candy, but usability is highly overlooked. It's a decent internet table, yet a pathetic phone.
How ridiculous has this world become? the IPHONE the invention of the year?! Try looking into some real innovation that actually helps mankind, like that garbage Plasma Converter or something.
True, it isn't an invention really. However, I have to say that despite the fact that I am a long time Windows user and definitely NOT an Apple fanboy. The iPhone is simply the best cell-phone/smart-phone type device that I have ever owned. Furthermore, unlike most gadgets, I find myself liking this devive more and more with each passing day. I am aware that other phones can do *more* things (I have owned Treo's both Palm OS and Windows Mobile/Nokia etc.)- rather it's the fact that things it does do are very well executed, the form factor is awesome and it's just a pleasure to use (far less annoyances).
you got to be kidding! Time Mag is crap anyway. The only thing about the iphone is the software/interface, thats it. Touch screen phone is nothing new. Palm came out with that concept first.
I'm at loss. I am almost positive that the phone was invented long before 2007.
I was going to say it wasn't really an invention, but I found this definition of invention:
U.S. Patent Law. a new, useful process, machine, improvement, etc., that did not exist previously and that is recognized as the product of some unique intuition or genius, as distinguished from ordinary mechanical skill or craftsmanship.
Although, I've got to say its not really a revolution. Its just another Phone, and not a particularly GOOD one at that.
I like the iPhone, don't get me wrong, but I don't think its THAT special.
Didn't they voted George W. Bush Person of the Year twice and his dad once. Last year they ran out of people to pick so they pick YOU as Person of the Year.
For all the hate, the I-phone has a 82% very satisfied rating by its owners. Try that against nokia's cool 30%. 82% is unprecedented. Gee, I wonder if the haters are in the minority. The majority of people tolerate their phones. It is rare one actually really likes it.
The iPhone is slick and all, but it really amounts to a luxery toy (not a diss, I read this blog to find out about cool luxery toys after all). In terms of invention of the year there are dozens of breakthroughs with far more social impact, or a far bigger impact on individuals. For example, Medtronics recent prototype implantable insulin pump with real time monitoring, while not yet commercially available, was unveiled this year and has a very fundementally huge impact on the quality of life of diabetes patients (a drastically growing segment of the population). The University of Deleware announcing 42.9% efficient solar cells that have practical manufacturing costs can fundementally change how segments of our society are provided power. The first commercial prototypes of carbon nano-tube based battery capacitors this year promise the first revolutionary change in battery technology in dozens of years.
These are tip of the iceberg inventions this year that can fundemantally change technology and life. How is a hybrid phone-media player-web pad even in the same ballpark of these inventions, no matter how well done. That said, if one looks at the history of the "invention of the year" from Time it has been quite a while since it meant anything other that cool gadget of the year.
Perhaps, but do they have a slick multi-touch interface!?
Seriously though, I think Time chose the iPhone partially because it will help their brand appeal to the trendy hipster crowd. The iPhone is nice, but invention of the year? Heck, I'd sooner give it to the Wii.
Apple invented the remix.
who the f*ck still buys or reads magazines these days?
I have the internet.
Thank you all so very much for validating my original post!
You are all way too predictable!
Congratulations Apple, well deserved!
No problem, Steve. Glad to be here to validate your oversized ego.
Oh no! My identity has been breached!
Now what am I going to do with my time all day if I can't read blogs & post comments to try & bolster my company's image? Crap! This was working out so well for us too, have you seen our stock price - 100% due to me, Steve Jobs, posting positive feedback on Apple related articles here n Engadget.
My cover is blown, now we are doomed, and all thanks to the clever, insightful investigative deductive genius mind of one Chris McDannold. I bow to your superiority, you have won.
...and I would've gotten away with it if it weren't for you meddling kids!
You're a witty one, "Skeezle". Thanks for being here.
do your mastermind skills know any bounds!?! First you figure out that I am none other than the diabolical Steve Jobs, and now you have
actually figured out that I have posted under other names!
How?
How is this even possible!?
Are you psychic? Do you work for the NSA? Are you right behind me as I type? Is anyone safe? What sort of technology & intelligence are you in possession of?
I am going to live underground form this point on, with a tin foil hat never, ever to use the internet again - praying you don't find me & blow my cover.
Hmm, it's a surprise that no one else has mentioned this yet...
The fine people at TIME magazine are the same people who brought us Hitler as the Man of the Year in 1938. Joseph Stalin in 1939 and again in 1942.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Person_of_the_Year
It seems that they've improved very little in the last 67 years.
The iPhone is neither an invention, nor worthy of any sort of device of the year recognition. The only thing it does better than anything else is hype and multi-touch. Give me actual keys over a multi-touch any day.
These person of the year comparisons are not valid whatsoever. TIME specifically states that the person of the year is the person who most defines global society - not the best or most honorable person.
Hitler and Bush are accurate; tragically so.