We’re doing everything with our phones—grocery shopping, buying new clothes, calling our friends, gaming, and tens of other things. Some Americans work with their phones. Sometimes the dinner table has more phones than people. Sometimes your beloved looks at their phone more than you. Or you might look at your phone more than your kids.
The telephone was invented in 1876, the personal computer in 1974, and the internet in the same year. The first commercial attempt at the smartphone was by IBM in 1992. It featured several functions including calling, texting, emails, a world clock, and many more that are a staple in todays phone. But 30 years later, today’s phone does much, much more. And compared with the 50,000 units IBM Simons sold back in the early 90s, today, 97 percent of Americans own a cell phone and estimates show that there are more than 6 billion smartphones worldwide.
