At the "Core" of Technology

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Wesleigh Byrd
Mr. Holloway
Composition 11
8 March 2013
At the “Core” of Technology
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Traveling backwards along the timeline of how technology has impacted the

day-to-day responsibilities of life can seem archaic to most. For quite a few years offices thought of the fax machine as the most expeditious way of transferring information, namely documents. This process of “sending” information often created frustrating scenarios resulting in a loss of time. A fax machine would have to share occupied phone lines, raising the chances of the fax being intercepted and resulting in many delayed fax messages. If the phone lines were not working, then neither were the fax machines.
When the first computers were released they were extremely appealing, yet confusing to the majority of people. However, the ability to store information and make changes without wasting paper seemed extremely advantageous to society. Almost all appointments and office duties arranged by offices were organized by phone. This allowed secretaries to accomplish only one task at a time. Formerly if a student wanted to have a paper formerly typed, the whole document would need to be carefully hand written and checked for errors before starting. This was due to the fact that there was no
“delete” button to correct misspelled words on a typewriterʼs keytop. Typewriters were unable to produce more than two copies of the same paper and had little formatting alternatives (Copley). When wanting to get in touch with distant loved ones that did not live nearby, a person could only write a letter or make a telephone call to speak with

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them. Even though written letters were still sentimental, they could take days to arrive at their assigned destination. Telephone calls were meaningful, however the thought of getting to see the face of someone while having the phone call was a possibility never imagined. Little did the world know that all of these dilemmas and many more, would be solved in a unique way by the diligence of a single technology corporation. Since the invention and rise of Apple, the company has had an extensive affect on humans educationally, economically and socially.
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In the world of education, Apple has and continues to provide support for

students as they pursue a successful future. This conception is being echoed by several schools in the United States and around the world. Richmond Intermediate School (in
Virgina) was named an “Apple Distinguished School” by Apple Inc. for the 2012-2013 school year, for its integration of the iPad into the classroom. "A major component of our curriculum is developing in our students the twenty-first century skills they will need to succeed beyond the classroom," said Rosa Ascharya, principal of Richmond
Intermediate School (“News briefs”). Educators all over the world are now able to use the same kinds of curriculum to help deliver skills that are beneficial to anyone wanting to learn, not just younger students. Teachers are preferring them for numerous reasons such as its portability, long lasting battery life, and predilection of use (particularly for younger students and students with disabilities). In 2007, iTunes U was unveiled by
Apple as a channel on its media-player computer program. This program was devoted to housing academic resources from colleges and other scholastic associations.
California and Texas made iTunes U channels for kindergarten through twelfth grade content last year. Due to the educational apps. that have been made available to

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people, teachers have begun starting to permit iPhones as apart of daily classroom activities (Quillen). All students have a large variety of gifts and passions which are being widely furthered by the use of Apple inventions. Areas such as design classes, math and science labs, and student newspapers have benefited from the opportunities these devices provide. Furthermore, people with different occupations can customize their iDevices in a way that ameliorates the tasks of the jobs they have. Interior designers have apps. that help them with fabric or furniture choices. Construction workers can use an app. that has a digital level for measuring. Not to mention pastors have available to them multiple reference materials, study tools, and word study apps. as well (Byrd).
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When a school is under one umbrella of technology (such as MacBooks or

iPads) the dynamic of collaboration, innovation and communication are all made increasingly feasible. Apple products also provide students with more accessible resources used during, or outside of class. Some resources include things like the internet, power points, typing notes in a graphical way and connecting with teachers.
One student imparticullarly believes:
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Getting to use my MacBook for making powerpoints or videos has been so

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helpful for me. I am a visual learner and processer who likes to do hands on

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activities. When I am given the chance to make an iMovie for a class, it

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makes me more interested in what Iʼm learing about and encourages me to

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think outside the box. Personally, having the chance to be creative while

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learning generates so much excitement (Wyall).

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Not only are these things resources, but tools that are continuing to create a more efficient school system. communication between teachers has improved tremendously.
“The iPhone has allowed teacherʼs email to become mobile, which has helped me stay more organized” (Webster). Kim Holloway, who is a high school English Composition and Literature teacher here in Fort Wayne helped shed light on this topic as well. He said “Having MacBooks in our school system has helped me as a teacher give feedback quicker, and my students can interact with their responsibilities at a much faster pace.
They are able to use their laptops to work on papers during class instead of having to wait till they got home to use their home computers. Apple also has made sharing information between teachers and students much easier. Teachers can send information, notes or tasks to their students through e-mail on their MacBooks
(Webster).
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When evaluating the market, someone could look at the prosperity of Apple,

the rate at which consumers buy their products, and how global it has become and ask the question: “What has made them so successful?” Even from the beginning, they started a continuous pattern of shocking people with their products and inventing things that people didnʼt even know they wanted until they saw it. Apple sales skyrocketed from two million in 1997 to six million in 1981. For this reason by 1983, it had become a
“Fortune 500” company, singularly the fastest to ever join the list (Sorensen, Friscolanti,
Kirby). The Fortune 500 is a list of private and public companies that is published every year by Fortune Magazine. These companies are ranked by their revenues, and the first list was published in 1955 (“Fortune 500”).

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Tim Bavarian put it clearly when he said, “While industrial design is a critical

component of any product Apple makes, if it is not easy to use, it is considered worthless to the consumer.” The simplicity of Apple products make the customer feel less intimidated by buying and operating them. These devices are easy to navigate, which creates an attraction for the products all across the board. Apple sells the same merchandise in every store location it has, even globally. Hence it has a “wordwide standard. There are many central reasons that iPhones are so preferred among people.
One of those reasons is that the iPhone itself, turned mobile phones into music, photography, video, email and other web devices (Isaacson 566). This kind of mobilization allows music to be accessed at any time, photography and video to be produced wherever one is, e-mails to be answered, and other devices available, while all the time still having your phone capabilities. Apple offers incredible customer service and in-store experiences, contriving a stressfree atmosphere for all parties involved.
Anyone needing help with their Apple device can be easily assisted by the customer service they provide as a whole. Employees communicate clearly and with act with a simple protocol that is easy to follow. Having a clear sense of how to proceed when dealing with a device that is struggling to function keeps the customer calm and not as frustrated. What sets the Apple retail apart from other retailers is the question that he or she is asked when entering any Apple store. Instead of having an employee approach the customer and ask, “How can I help you?” They ask “What would you like to do today?” This cuts to the core question that usually occupies the userʼs mind. They would like to better understand the possibilities that could be accomplished with the technology they are holding in their hand (Bajarin). Another component that has

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contributed to the rush of avidity toward Apple is iCloud. In actuality iCloud dismissed the computer from its primary role in administering content, and let all other Apple devices sync their information very conventionally (Isaacson 566). Selling 17.7 million mobile phones during October, November and December of 2012 made Apple the top mobile phone marker in the U.S. for the first time, including a 38% jump from the previous year (Bloomberg).
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Economically, the effect that Apple has had on products, businesses and

customers is definitely something worth taking a closer look at. The ability stores presently have of using iDevices for a mobile checkout system has formed a higher level of productivity for department stores. When stores like JCPenney, Nordstrom and
Saks Fifth Avenue have a heavy flow of people, the process of checking out would be a dreaded thing by all customers. As lines would get longer and longer people begin to lose time, and patience left in their day. Rachel Lamb acknowledged, “Sales associates are now able to look up past purchases via the iPod touch and spend more time with consumers on the floor, which will probably boost Nordstromʼs already-lauded customer service reputation” (Lamb). As JCPenney began to integrate the same mobile checkout system, their CEO Ron Johnson stated “Then again, perhaps even more customers — younger ones who embrace technology, who hate checkout lines, and who could be loyal shoppers for decades to come — will love the idea” (Tutle).
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Apple has greatly influenced many arenas of the entertainment business too.

The aspect of the iTunes store was simply revolutionary. Steve Jobs had spearheaded the notion that people used music not only for pleasure, but it was also a way to “define themselves”. Therefore the team at Apple began to arbitrate with music companies that

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people should be able to buy songs for only 99 cents. With this new capability of purchasing single tracks, consumers were no longer confined to strictly buying an entire
CD of one artist, group or genre. This concept has translated into 1.5 billion dollars each month for iTunes. The media clutch sells everything from television shows and music to different video games and magazine issues (Sorensen, Friscolanti, Kirby). In essence, the iTunes store was the savior of the music industry, and other products (like the iPod) changed the way people consume music. Apple products have conjointly brought about strength in the business sector. John Little is the Vice president of CompuCom., and has had an immense benefit from using Apple in the daily routine of his work:
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I have six hundred people working for me, and all of them have iPhones.

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This matters because I can get a hold of them at any time, and their

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calendars are all together. When I walk into a business meeting there are

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always people taking notes on iPads, so that when they are finished

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the notes are immediately uploaded to all other iDevices. Here at

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CompuCom we are seventy/thirty iPhone to Android. So with a large portion

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of everyone having the same system, things run much faster than they

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used to.

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Little is one of many who have integrated this mechanization into the

dimension of business. Several companies like his are experiencing the same benefits and cannot imagine switching to a different system.
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Apple has not only helped connect students with school and businesspersons

connect with executives, but also helped people connect with people. Friends and family get to connect with each other on a more personal level thanks to the features

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that Apple offers on its products. On the iPhone for instance, people can FaceTime.
FaceTime is when someone makes a phone call to another person, while holding the screen of the phone in front of their face. When the other person answers the call they press the FaceTime icon located on their own screen, and do the same. Both people can see each other because of the small built-in camera on the face of the phone itself.
It is absolutely remarkable that a camera lens only one millimeter wide can capture everything it “sees” in such a vivid and definite way (Isaacson 467). In the realm of personal use FaceTime, texting and sending pictures back and forth allows friends and family to connect in a more intimate way. As an illustration, Karen Beck has children and grandchildren in Colorado, Michigan and New York. Each one of her children has an iPhone, which they use to communicate with each other often. The other day her granddaughter Elsie was quite excited to show off a loose tooth, a dress and a dance.
The grandkids love having the chance to see their grandmaʼs atmosphere as well:
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They will ask me to show them the snow, next they want to see the dress

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up closet, then they want to see Grandpaʼs toolbox. They delight in !

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visualizing and remembering the world they have enjoyed with us. !

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iPhones close the gap of the many miles between us. The immediate

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opportunities for connection invite more connection because it reinforces

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our love and commitment to one another. (Beck)

In the midst of a very busy life the iPhones and other iDevices, have the capability of helping people stay connected with each other, even while being away from their homes. With internet capacity friends can pass along emails, send helpful links to one another, coupled with sharing new recipies. When shopping for her grandchildren,

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Karen can also take quick pictures of things and quickly ask her children in a text message, “Do the kids need or like this?”
Various Apple products have changed communication with people resulting in change of relationship. It is thought that the younger generation of today has been affected even more heavily by the products themselves. Appleʼs invention of the iPod created the benchmark question many young kids will ask each other today; “so whatʼs on your iPod?” (Sorensen, Friscolanti, Kirby). This is an inquiry that often shows what that person is like and which things they enjoy listening to. This creation started to have an increased meaning in peopleʼs lives, and continues the influence today. The idea of having a personalized account tailored to preferences, within any Apple device a user may own, is groundbreaking. John Little also added, “The application ʻecosystemʼ for
Apple is really amazing because you can tailor your experience to just you, its uniquely you.” !

Having immediate access to the internet and social media all the time can be

both beneficial and very destracting. People that own iPhones are being presented with the opportunity to be connecting with family, interacting with friends, updating their social network and capturing memories all in one device. While all of these things can be positive, they quickly become consuming as well. “People engrossed in their iPhones are losing the face to face value of relationship” (Little). Society is trading in the person
(s) on the screen for the person right in front of them, resulting in an inability to interatct with those they have never met before.
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This instantaneous kind of technology has tended to impersonalize things

over the course of time. In relation to school, students seem less able to learn from

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fellow classmates during the everyday discourse of classroom community. The cycle of students contacting teachers and professors about questions or advice is being done by e-mail, as opposed to personal interaction. Businesses will often use webinars for training, in leu of spending a couple of days together. When traveling on airplanes, people are spending more time on their entertaining technology, rather than enjoying conversation with those nearby. This consumption with modern “toys” consequentally is leaving people with a missed opportunity to practice communication skills (“News
Briefs”).
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As the world continues venturing out into the “Age of Technology”, it isnʼt

technology alone that will encourage productive advancement, but “It 's all of the things you do with technology that matter” (Sorensen, Friscolanti, Kirby). Expanding on this belief, Gordon Brown articulates:
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Take therefore what modern technology is capable of: the power of our

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moral sense allied to the power of communications and our ability to

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organize internationally. That in my view, gives us the first opportunity as a

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community to fundamentally change the world.

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One of the valuable lessons learned from Appleʼs example is this: Excellence

is a worthwhile quest. Being consistently committed to the pursuit of higher innovation in all areas of life, leaves you with a finer result. Analyzing the information learned, it is clear to see that the existence of this organization has held a deeper meaning than just producing electronics. “And Apple itself, a place where imagination was nurtured, applied, and executed in ways so creative that it became the most valuable company on earth” (Isaacson 566). In conclusion, individuals will be forever grateful for the

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cultivation Apple has provided in the fields of education, economics and communication. !

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Works Cited
Bajarin, Tim. “6 Reasons Apple Is So Successful.” Time: Tech. Time Inc, 7
May. 2012. Web. 1 Mar. 2013.
Byrd, Kelly. Personal Interview. 5 Mar. 2013.
Copley, Andrew. “The Disadvantages of Typewriters.” eHow. Demand Media,
n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2013.
“Fortune 500.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.
22 Feb. 2013. Web. 3 Mar. 2013.
Holloway, Kim. Personal Interview. 26 Feb. 2013.
Karen, Beck. Personal Interview. 2 Mar. 2013.
Lamb, Rachel. “Nordstrom Goes With Mobile Checkout at Retail Stores
Nationwide.” Mobile Commerce Daily. Napean LLC., 17 May. 2011.
Web. 28 Feb. 2013.
Little, John. Personal Interview. 28 Feb. 2013.
News, Bloomberg. "Apple passes samsung ast op U.S. phone maker."
National Post. 04 Feb. 2013: FP2. eLibrary. Web. 21 Feb. 2013.
"News Briefs." Chicago Tribune. 21 Feb. 2013: 8. eLibrary. Web. 23 Feb.
2013.
Quillen, Ian. "Apple 's Steve Jobs, a Pioneer In Education Technology, Dies."
Education Week. 12 Oct. 2011: 5. eLibrary. Web. 24 Feb. 2013.
Sorensen, Chris., Friscolanti, Michael., Kirby, Jason.. "Thinking different."
Maclean 's. 24 Oct. 2011: 32. eLibrary. Web. 20 Feb. 2013.
Tutle, Brad. “A Store Without a Checkout Counter? JCPenney Presses on

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with Retail Revolution.” Time: Business and Money. Time Inc, 20 Jul.
2012. Web. 28 Feb. 2013.
Wyall, Aviana. Personal Interview. 24 Feb. 2013.

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Cited: Byrd, Kelly. Personal Interview. 5 Mar. 2013. 22 Feb. 2013. Web. 3 Mar. 2013. Holloway, Kim. Personal Interview. 26 Feb. 2013. Karen, Beck. Personal Interview. 2 Mar. 2013. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. Little, John. Personal Interview. 28 Feb. 2013. "News Briefs." Chicago Tribune. 21 Feb. 2013: 8. eLibrary. Web. 23 Feb. 2012. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. Wyall, Aviana. Personal Interview. 24 Feb. 2013.