Smalltalk at the MIM office last week included the story that Apple’s iOS7 update would make iPhones waterproof. And while many people figured it was a hoax, other folks actually believed it. Really.
But maybe it’s not as crazy as it sounds. The metal and glass rectangles in our pockets perform little miracles day in and day out. There’s the miracle of being connected to every other human being worldwide. And the one of being able to access nearly every information resource that ever existed within 2 seconds. Why shouldn’t we expect to be able to dip our phones in a fish tank after a software upgrade?
A handful of folks may have had to replace water-damaged phones, but they’re also the ones that are more likely to believe all of the other little miracles. And maybe they’re putting them to use to win business away from us. Suddenly I don’t feel so smart. Suddenly I’m feeling optimistic about the next software upgrade making my phone waterproof.