Time Magazine picks gadget of the year
Having already named it "Invention of the Year," Time Magazine didn't have to go far out on a limb to pick Apple's (AAPL) iPhone as the No. 1 gadget of 2007
Maryanne Murray Buechner made the selection and wrote the entry:
The iPhone changed the way we think about how mobile media devices should look, feel and perform. The design is exceptional inside and out: It's got a slick glass-and-stainless steel case and an elegant touch screen loaded with eye candy. It's an iPod and a 2-megapixel camera. Images and video clips display vertically or horizontally — they reorient themselves depending on how you hold the thing. When the phone detects a wireless network within range — your own home wi-fi set up or somebody else's — it lets you tap once to connect, and then proceed with your Web surfing, Google mapping, emailing and other activities that can otherwise be painfully slow over AT&T's cellular network — the only one, unfortunately, that carries iPhone calls. (link)
The honorific was part of a 50-list year-end extravaganza that made picks in everything from most underreported story (No. 1: Infighting in Somalia) to top 10 buzzwords (No. 1: Cougar, an older woman who pursues younger men) to T-shirt worthy slogans (No. 1: DON'T TASE ME, BRO).
The other entries in the gadget list:
- Nikon Coolpix S51c
- Netgear SPH200W Wi-Fi Skype Phone
- Palm Centro
- Sony Handcam HD-CX7
- Samsung P2
- Toshiba Portégé R500-S5004
- Flytech Dragonfly
- Iomega eGo Portable Hard Drive
- Belkin N1 Vision Wi-Fi
Can you believe some of those product names? Do you think the iPhone would have made the cut if Steve Jobs had called it the Apple SPH200W Wi-Fi Skype-free Phone?
To see all 50 Time Top 10 lists, click here.
Time Magazine Names iPhone "Invention of the Year"
Choosing Time Magazine's invention of the year isn't always an easy task — I know because I had to do it more than once. But this year, in my humble opinion, the decision was a no-brainer. Lev Grossman, who reviewed Apple's (AAPL) iPhone for Time when it came out in June, edited the Inventions section and wrote the lead story, which I've reproduced in full below (Time is Fortune's sister publication and Lev is a friend). To see the rest of the selections, you can go to TIME.com. Or you can buy the magazine.
Invention of the Year: The iPhone
By Lev Grossman
Stop. I mean, don't stop reading this, but stop thinking what you're about to think. Or, O.K., I'll think it for you:
The thing is hard to type on. It's too slow. It's too big. It doesn't have instant messaging. It's too expensive. (Or, no, wait, it's too cheap!) It doesn't support my work e-mail. It's locked to AT&T. Steve Jobs secretly hates puppies. And—all together now—we're sick of hearing about it! Yes, there's been a lot of hype written about the iPhone, and a lot of guff too. So much so that it seems weird to add more, after Danny Fanboy and Bobby McBlogger have had their day. But when that day is over, Apple's iPhone is still the best thing invented this year. Why? Five reasons:
