Do people really buy cell phones to play music?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the motivations for purchasing cell phones, particularly in relation to their capability to play music. Participants explore various uses of cell phones, including communication, music playback, and other functionalities, while expressing differing opinions on the value of these features.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants question the emphasis on music playback in cell phone advertisements, suggesting that traditional communication remains a primary function.
  • Others express that the convenience of combining a music player and phone into one device is appealing, although some note the higher cost compared to dedicated music players.
  • Concerns are raised about battery life when using cell phones for music, with some participants preferring to keep their devices focused on communication.
  • Several participants express skepticism about the audio quality of cell phones compared to dedicated music devices, with one stating that they have not found a phone that meets their audio fidelity needs.
  • Some participants highlight the social implications of cell phone use, suggesting that reliance on mobile devices may detract from face-to-face communication.
  • There are humorous and light-hearted comments regarding the social dynamics of owning a cell phone, including references to advertisements and personal experiences.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the primary purpose of cell phones or the importance of music playback. There are multiple competing views regarding the value of cell phones as music players versus their traditional role in communication.

Contextual Notes

Some discussions reflect personal preferences and experiences, which may not generalize to all users. The conversation includes varying assumptions about the importance of audio quality and the social impact of mobile phone usage.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in consumer technology, mobile devices, and the social implications of communication technology may find this discussion relevant.

Evo
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I keep seeing all of these cell phone ads that only talk about playing music, as if that is the only reason to buy one. I thought you were supposed to talk on them.

What do you buy a cell phone for?
 
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Physics news on Phys.org
Mostly a clock.
 
cyrusabdollahi said:
Mostly a clock.
:smile: Yeah, use it as a clock.
 
I just thought it would be cool to have that big crowd of people following me around, like in the commercials. But they hang out and eat all my food and they stare at me while I sleep. It's starting to bother me a little.
 
The fact that I can replace my ipod + cell phone with just a cell phone is nice. Lots of phones have much more space for songs than my ipod plus better battery life. But in reality, a cell phone is much more expensive if you are just using it to play music than any ipod (meaning no contract, so you pay the no-contract price for the phone), so I can't see it being bought just for playing music.

edit: Hmm I just noticed I used the word 'ipod' everywhere instead of mp3 player... Damn apple marketing! I don't see why everyone buys an ipod (myself included!) over a cheaper mp3 player. I think ipods are over priced, but yet I own one. :-(( But that's a different topic.
 
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Math Is Hard said:
I just thought it would be cool to have that big crowd of people following me around, like in the commercials. But they hang out and eat all my food and they stare at me while I sleep. It's starting to bother me a little.

:smile:

I have enough trouble remembering to keep my cell phone charged just from making phone calls. I would hate to use up all the battery listening to music, and then need to make an emergency call. I'm still searching for a ring tone that actually rings instead of plays music. I was sitting in my office today grumbling that someone in the lab next to me must be playing the music awfully loudly, then it dawned on me it was my cellphone ringing in my desk drawer. :rolleyes: I don't like having one gadget for everything...way too easy to lose everything in one fell swoop if I lost or broke it.
 
I have yet to get a cellphone and am unaware what I am missing regarding one. I appreciate a good stereo but doubt that a cellphone (or even an ipod) would satisfy my audio needs.
 
Having a cellphone play music is in fact that smartest thing a cellphone could do.

Whenever I'm at work and it's dead, I never have my MP3 player and my cellphone doesn't play music. All my buddies have cellphones that play music, so they always have there music in the phone. Instead of carrying a phone and MP3 player, you just carry a phone. That easy. Not only that, it has a pretty loud speaker, so when we go to the beach, we just play music just like that.

Smartest thing ever. When I get a new cellphone, I'll probably never see my iPod again. (Cellphones can have up to 4GB of space currently, which is my current iPod.)
 
Loren Booda said:
I appreciate a good stereo but doubt that a cellphone (or even an ipod) would satisfy my audio needs.

You'd be surprised. Phones are much higher quality nowadays. I bet you couldn't even tell the different between a cellphone and a MP3 player.
 
  • #10
I saw an Iphone last week, the thing is awesome.
 
  • #11
cyrusabdollahi said:
I saw an Iphone last week, the thing is awesome.

I so want one!
 
  • #12
In my opinion, its worth every penny. An Ipod video costs 300 bucks. This thing is an Ipod video, and a phone. A good phone is around 200 bucks. So the price is fair and the technology is great. Also, you can surf the web.
 
  • #13
AHAHAH die Iphone DIEEEEEE

 
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  • #14
I just got the cell they give free with your contract. I got turned off of mobile music (i had an ipod) in my second year, just too distracting.
 
  • #15
I'm something of an entry-level audiophile, and I've honestly never heard a cell phone that plays music with enough fidelity to satisfy me. (This doesn't mean they don't exist -- I just haven't found one.) At the same time, I've never heard a set of earbuds that satisfy me, either, and I'm sure as hell not going to carry around my $250 full-size circumaural headphones with me. I also can't even imagine how grating it must be to listen to music on a tiny cellphone speakerphone -- even the little iHome "stereos" they sell at the Apple store make my want to claw my ears off.

I personally just don't think "portable audio" is high-enough quality to bother at the moment. I have my fantastic headphone rig at work, a fantastic stereo in my car, and a very capable portable stereo at home. I don't even know when I'd want to use a cell phone as a music player. I currently value my cell phone (a RAZR) mainly because it's tiny enough to fit in my pocket. The larger-capacity mp3/cell phones are just too big for me. And there's no way in hell I'm ever using a "holster."

I'm also not the sort to walk around on the city streets with headphones on. It seems somehow... pretentious and isolationist to me.

- Warren
 
  • #17
The heck with cellphones - where can I get that blender?
 
  • #21
cyrusabdollahi said:
Mostly a clock.

Yeah seriously. I also text quite a bit.
 
  • #22
I wouldn't buy a cell phone if it could transport me to a world of make believe and adventure, but then I detest them and think they are the weapons of Satan (seriously don't get me started :smile: ) Frankly- If I want to listen to music I'll just get an Ipod they are excellent.

A mobile phones only value is as a reciever, come the final battle between Good and Evil, Satan will use the phones as a location beacon to round up the slaves for the coming carnage. I saw that in a vision :wink::smile:
 
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  • #23
chroot said:
I'm also not the sort to walk around on the city streets with headphones on. It seems somehow... pretentious and isolationist to me.

- Warren

No one said you have to. :confused:
 
  • #24
Evo said:
What do you buy a cell phone for?

for communicating:smile::smile::-p
 
  • #25
Loren Booda said:
I have yet to get a cellphone and am unaware what I am missing regarding one. I appreciate a good stereo but doubt that a cellphone (or even an ipod) would satisfy my audio needs.
your'e not missing anything, i could tell you that much.
 
  • #26
The iPhone - Conan O'Brian
 
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  • #27
loop quantum gravity said:
your'e not missing anything, i could tell you that much.

No one is saying you're missing out on something because you don't have a cellphone.

At the same time, we must realize that the cellphone is revolutionizing our social network and our social life is evolving. If you don't have one 5-10 years from now and you're in the new generation, I would say it's relatively believeable that you'll be left behind socially.
 
  • #28
With all due respect I think that is complete and utter bilge. If anything mobile phones actually remove communications most valuable factors, the ability to read body language or gain understanding from intonation, skills that only come with face to face dialogue. Mobile phones actually lead people to talk less in person and more over the phone.

If I don't have a mobile phone in twenty years? I will not have one because I believe they sap your ability to communicate and they are a jump backwards not forwards. And what's more I think I could make a pretty good case that most people have them merely to appear in with the crowd and do not actually need them, they are little more than a fashion statement to be frank.

Au contraire, I believe people with mobiles are slowly removing themselves from real communication, and being left behind socially.

I did say don't get me started, didn't I :smile:
 
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  • #29
Schrödinger's Dog:

I do understand (and appreciate) that you'd rather rely on face-to-face communication than communication on a cell phone. I don't think anyone would disagree with this.

However, restricting oneself to face-to-face communication would mean that I'd only be able to maintain friendships with people who live within, say, a fifteen minute drive. I live in a vast metropolitan area, and that would restrict me to only a tiny fraction of it. I tend to be fairly picky with my friends, though, and it would seem unfortunate to rule out the many people I meet who live 30 or 45 minutes away just because of the distance.

I'd also virtually never talk to my family, since they all live some thousands of miles away now.

I don't disagree that there are many drawbacks to the text-message and IM culture we've been developing lately, but I believe that a telephone can greatly enrich your life.

- Warren
 
  • #30
That's why I have a non mobile telephone :smile: I'm only talking about the walkie talkie version, of course I still need a normal phone, I just don't need a mobile :smile:

People sitting on trains talking to their wives all the way home, and then what do you say when you get home, nothing you've already said it? What's the point of that? Surely you can just wait?
 

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