The Phone

I've heard this story from a few places. A father watches Back to the Future II with his kid. The 1989 movie view of 2015 looks entirely different when in fact not much has changed except for the fashion and the lack of mobile phones. This is supposed to be a parable about the lack of technological progress.

I disagree. It's about a lack of imagination of the future because of those phones. Phones that are hidden from sight, and have become so ubiquitous we take them for granted.

The phone in your pocket is more powerful than the most powerful computer of 1985 and it's not even close. But that's the least interesting thing about the phone.

You no longer need a printed newspaper, encyclopedia, atlas, almanac, dictionary, thesaurus, dining guides, programming manual or any other reference book. The printed sports almanac at the center of the plot of the movie doesn't exist anymore. 

You can read virtually any book ever published, listen to any song ever recorded, watch any movie ever filmed. You have access to nearly all publicly available information. You can watch major sporting events live. On that phone.

You can buy tickets to any event and save and use them on your phone. You can pay for just about anything with your phone, and if you wish ship it anywhere.

You no longer have to fold a map or ask for directions. The phone will give you directions, taking account traffic and transit delays, and guide you along the way.

When visiting a foreign country you can point your phone at a sign in Japanese and have the words magically replaced by English. Take a picture of a menu in German and have it describe the dishes in English. Instantly translate voice as well.

You can have a conversation with your phone about anything. It will understand your voice and respond likewise. 

You can take photos and videos on your phone and share them instantly with your friends or with everyone around the world. The quality is far superior to any consumer-level camera from 1985. Or you can have the phone create its own photos and videos based on your descriptions. 

It's also, of course, a phone. You can speak to anyone anywhere, with video if desired, for zero marginal cost. Back in 1985 it cost about a dollar a minute to call someone in a different state, and much more internationally, on a landline. You can have impromptu video meetings and you can send messages to anyone and share them with everyone. 

And I'm just scratching the surface. 

So between the phone and the flying hoverboards, I'll take the phone any day.