As technology aficionados lined up around the world today to buy Apple’s iPhone 3G, Portfolio.com decided to find out how simple gadgets invented centuries ago stack up to the tricked-out electronic toys of the 21st century. We asked readers, which one is best?
Bells and whistles were by no means a predictor of success. Though 22 percent of the 214 voters selected the iPhone, the lowly pencil came in a close second with 19 percent of the vote. Sharing the third-place berth were two gadgets with very little in common: the always-beeping BlackBerry and the strong but silent Swiss Army knife. The top four gadgets left the others in the dust: G.P.S. attracted only 8 percent of voters and the Taser (coming to a New York police station near you) won a mere 7 percent. Perhaps as an indication that the iPhone’s older cousin, the iPod, is here to stay, the Walkman came in last, taking just 6 percent of the vote. It was tied with–wait for it–the abacus. But as the pencil’s success indicates, some gadgets never go out of style.
The Results:
iPhone……………… 22%
Pencil………………. 19%
BlackBerry………… 16%
Swiss Army Knife..16%
G.P.S……………………8%
Taser…………………. 7%
Walkman…………….. 6%
Abacus……………….. 6%
-Caitlin Roman
