Ethics and the iPhone

Does the "i" in iPhone stand for iSolation? It doesn't bode well for society when everyone is plugged in and tuned out

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By Bruce Weinstein

June 29, 2007 at 2:22 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Ten years ago, Apple (AAPL) began using the phrase "Think different" in its advertising campaign, and the phrase quickly became as iconic as "Where's the beef?" and "Got milk?" On June 29, the company releases its newest invention, the iPhone, and Wall Street analysts predict that Apple will sell 3 million units in the first weeks of the phone's release, according to The New York Times. This combination cell phone-iPod-camera-Web browser promises to be the sleekest, hippest consumer-electronic device in years, and since its launch date was announced six months ago, the phone has gotten nearly as much press as the Iraq war, Spider-Man 3 and Paris Hilton.

Surely everyone who hopes to be cool will want an iPhone, and what could be wrong with owning what is already the most talked-about accessory since, well, the iPod?