zlacker

While I do agree a maps app is very important indeed I find this statement completely bonkers:

> Being able to call and send SMS is secondary.

This is the basic definition of a mobile phone for me [1]. We can all have our opinions on what the "killer app" is. And some may rather want a pocket sized computer. The old grumpy man in me wants to shout "Get off my lawn" - please do not redefine what a "phone" is. How much we all may hate telcos they at least have ensured world wide communications. I accept the fact that many today are willing to trade that away to each their own favourite corporate garden be it Whatsapp, Telegram, Facetime et. al. However it does not a phone make. Sweet sweet E.164 [2].

It might be an unfair interpretation but as I read it calls should even be secondary to games!

So in my mind you argue the focus should be on a tablet [3].

You might be wishing for another device class which is fair. But this kind of redefinition I find troublesome.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phone

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E.164

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tablet_computer

>>clan+(OP)
Agreed, if calls are secondary to a phone it doesn't make sense to call it a phone granted these are just computers, but even then I would call communication/networking a primary function of a modern computer.

>>bastar+T
Calls can be done with apps instead of the legacy phone system. Not including legacy systems doesn't make it no longer a phone.

>>clan+(OP)
I'm a bit of a recluse, but I receive approximately one phone call a week, even including spam calls.

Being able to receive and place calls is critical for a phone, but I think for many people it's far from the most common activity performed on one. I don't upgrade my phones to make better phone calls, I upgrade them to get better cameras.

>>clan+(OP)
Regardless the etymology of the word phone, nowadays calling and sending sms is not the main usage of the device. Most people only make calls on emergencies only. In fact, calling when you don’t need something urgently is often considered rude. Anyway, that can also be done with FaceTime, WhatsApp, telegram, Skype, etc. Internet is far more important. When people make contracts with carriers most often than not they choose it based on the data and not minutes or sms. If you pay attention to ads by the carriers you’ll see that data is always the highlight, that’s what phones are actually used for these days.