Movie Dissection: Tron Legacy
To start off, I am a reasonably big fan of the original Tron film. Yes, the first Tron story was a bit of a letdown, but it worked for what it was. After all, it was the first film to use computer graphics to that level within a film. Definitely a ground breaker.
Achievements
Tron Legacy is also a ground breaker once again, but much less so. Its technological advancements in film are much more subtle. A lot of people may not have thought about this, but Tron Legacy is the first film to use an actual actor’s likeness in a film to play the actor at a younger age using a CG head and real body. I had predicted that this would happen eventually, and here we are. Tron Legacy now opens doors up to creation of new films by Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley. Granted, the animation on the face is a bit stilted and unnatural, but it works for the CLU character. It doesn’t work so much for Kevin Flynn’s younger self. Nevertheless, the character works in most instances. If they had spent just a bit more time on the face, they could have made it look and act even better. Avatar is proof of that.
Story
While I really wanted this story to work well, it doesn’t come together as I had hoped. Basically, the CG is so strong that the story has to be twice as strong to overcome the incredible visuals. The trouble is, it doesn’t. But then, the same can be said of the first Tron film.
However, the two main problems with this film are 1) lack of a formidable villain and, by association, lack of a real payoff at the end and 2) Tron is not the main character and is visibly absent most of the film. After all, this film is named ‘Tron’. Tron is the character we expect to see. We do see him in flashbacks and, without spoiling the film, in other places as well. However, for 95% of the film, Tron is absent. In the small parts he’s in, Tron really contributes little to the overall story.
I realize that this one is about the ‘Legacy’ aspect of Kevin Flynn (i.e., Sam Flynn). So, Sam takes the front stage in this production. That’s okay were Sam Flynn a super likable character. Unfortunately, he’s not. I liked him well enough, but not nearly as much as I liked Kevin Flynn in Tron. In the first Tron film, we the viewers felt just like Kevin who was plopped into this fantasy world unexpectedly. So, we’re experiencing it all for the first time just like he is. With Tron Legacy, the audience already understands much about the world having seen the first film. So, wasting time on the introductions of the world isn’t really necessary. To their credit, the producers/writers did try to skip much of it. But, the whole clothes cutting and redressing scene was a bit overkill and kind of showed us just how cheesy the costumes were. Like the first film, it would have worked better and saved lots of time if Sam had awoken in the world fully costumed. That whole costuming scene could have been skipped (which was awkward anyway). I understand the setup between him and one of the female dressers, but that meet-and-greet could have happened in a different way.
Tron original film rules ignored
I also keep thinking more and more about Tron Legacy vs Tron and I keep coming up with more and more holes. Holes that are big enough to drive a truck through. It’s really very obvious that the writers (former writers from Lost, I might add) just didn’t consult the original film before writing this story. Without consulting the original film, they just arrived at an idea that didn’t really take into account all of the previous rules that had been established in Tron. Worse, it seems like the writers and producers thumbed their noses at the fans by not following these rules. Following the rules, however, would have made Tron Legacy much more complete and true to the original film. It would have also made Tron Legacy far better than it is now. And, it would have shown that the writers were committed to providing a full experience to not only the casual viewer, but also to the die-hard fans of Tron. Instead, this film only appeals to the casual viewer and completely ignores and, worse, insults the die-hard fan.
First example, the whole reason the game grid exists in Tron is as a result of the arcade video games in real life. The game grid is a virtualized, but identical active game as what the gamer sees on the arcade CRT. Just as the gamer plays the game in real life in an arcade, so the game progresses identically in the virtual world with 3D people. As a result, the game grid exists because of real life gamers. As the gamers play games, so too do the game grid games. In 2010, with games like World of Warcraft, Halo 3 and Assassin’s Creed, the writers could have had a field day with such an updated game grid. Yes, it might have ruined the aesthetic of the game world to see people dressed as Master Chief or Ezio, but it would have made Tron Legacy far more true to what’s going on today in gaming and, at the same time, make Tron Legacy a lot more fun to watch.
In Tron Legacy, this entire arcade to game grid aspect was either forgotten or intentionally dropped. The trouble is, this rule has already been established. So, the movie should have at least popped out to the real world to see gamers playing on mobile phones, computers and Xbox 360s to show that the virtual game grid is still tied to a real world game.
Second issue… although, I have to admit I didn’t initially think of this one and don’t necessarily agree with the thinking behind it. Some people have surmised that the Encom mainframe had been shut off the whole time between Tron and Tron Legacy and thus the virtual world wouldn’t have existed. The reality is, there was a computer in Flynn’s Arcade that appeared to contain the virtual world. So, while Encom’s computers may have been shut off, it appears Flynn had moved the entire world into his own personal server. So, while some people seem to find this part of the film a problem, I don’t. Flynn was the CEO of Encom and easily had enough money and power to build a hugely powerful computer system in the basement of Flynn’s arcade to manage this world. Sure, it might have been shut down for a time, but it certainly appears that Flynn had successfully transferred both the world and the computer into the arcade’s basement. He certainly had enough money to do this. It also appears that this computer is fully functional when Sam arrives at the arcade. So, I don’t see an issue with this part of the movie.
Third issue (see Encom below for more of this). When Flynn took control over Encom after Tron defeated the MCP and released the files incriminating Ed Dillinger, I full well expected Flynn to drive Encom to become a game development company. In fact, had this premise been realized, this would strengthen the idea behind the game grid and the existence of the virtual world. Instead, for whatever reasons, the writers decided to turn Encom into an operating system company like Microsoft. Now, that doesn’t mean that Encom doesn’t make video games, but it does mean that it is not Encom’s core business. If that whole board room meeting had been related to a new video game title, the whole Tron Legacy story would have been dramatically strengthened. Also, in Tron, Encom was an R&D group think tank. That is, they designed extremely cutting edge prototyping products, like the digitizing laser. The very same laser technology that digitizes and transports both Sam and Kevin into the virtual world. Again, the writers ignored this part of Encom’s business completely to the detriment of Tron Legacy. Considering that that digitizing laser was designed in 1982, I would have expected to see that digitizing system being sold on the market and people entering into their own virtual worlds (separate from Flynn’s world) by 2010. Yet another lost opportunity for the writers to create an interesting spin on what happened with Encom.
Fourth issue, after Sam ends up back in the real world at the end of Tron Legacy, he’s fully dressed in street clothes. As far as I know, he didn’t pack an extra set of clothes. So, the whole costuming process inside the virtual world (where his clothes were cut off and discarded) doesn’t make sense. Worse, Quorra, who isn’t even human, also pops out into the real world fully clothed in street clothes. Again, where did these clothes come from? I’m quite sure that Sam didn’t expect to be leaving Flynn’s with a female companion. So, I’m quite sure that an old dusty arcade wouldn’t have such clothes stashed away. So, again, this is a problem. Although, some people surmise that Quorra didn’t actually make it out. Instead, Sam is somehow having a delusion or an hallucination of Quorra and she’s not actually there. I don’t know that I agree with this. I have my suspicions as to what’s going on, but I’ll leave that for Tron 3 to fully explain.
[Updated 1/16/2011]
Fifth issue is that the original digitizing laser consumed the space of at least 2-3 building stories and at least one football field. This is a huge laser equipment laboratory. In Tron Legacy, this digitizing laser is now located in the basement of Flynn’s Arcade? Unfortunately, I just don’t think that this sized laser equipment fit within Flynn’s arcade basement space. So, the question is, where is the rest of the huge laser infrastructure? Just not thought out well enough. However, if one of Encom’s newest products had been a self-contained USB digitizing laser (for home use) and that had been what was being discussed in the board room, then having this laser in Flynn’s basement would have made a lot more sense. And, it would have made sense from a time perspective (all technology gets smaller). But no, this issue was not addressed at all.
Sixth issue.. this is not so much an issue, but an observation about how the laser works. According to the first film, the molecules are digitized and then suspended in the laser beam. When the molecule model is played back, the object reintegrates. With Quorra, it actually does make sense that she could end up in the real world. How? Well, there were two users in that world: Kevin and Sam. Two real world users with real world molecules. Kevin’s molecules would still have been suspended in the laser beam. When Kevin explodes after reintegrating with CLU, those molecules are still trapped in the laser beam. There’s nothing that says that those molecules have to play back out as Kevin. In fact, Quorra could use Kevin’s suspended molecules to play back into her form and become human. Of course, that would leave no more suspended molecules for anyone else to exit the grid. That also means that for someone to leave the grid with a real form, that a real person would have to enter the virtual world. I’m assuming that as long as that person lives, those molecules are tied to that individual. If the user dies in the grid, then an ISO or another program could exit into the real world using that dead user’s molecules. Another issue is that Kevin’s molecules would be suspended in Kevin’s form when he went in. It would take at least Yori to reconfigure the laser beam protocol to play out Kevin’s molecules into Quorra’s form. Yori was the program designed by Lora to manage parts of the digitizing system. Unfortunately, Yori isn’t in Tron Legacy. So, Quorra should have exited the virtual world in Kevin’s form and clothing.
Encom 2010
Other than the bored room meetings (pun intended), we really get very little of what Encom does in the present. With technologies like the digitizing system that are displayed in Tron, I would have expected Encom to be a lot farther along in technological breakthroughs than selling ‘the latest greatest operating system’ (ala Microsoft). Clearly, this part of the film is an afterthought. It wastes screen time without really telling us much about Encom. It is really used as a vehicle to set up Sam Flynn’s character. However, even that vehicle falls flat. Honestly, the film would have been served better by not knowing or seeing that specific Sam Flynn escapade.
Villainy
Unfortunately, CLU isn’t the appropriate ‘Program’ to be a villain. First, CLU is supposed to be Kevin Flynn’s helper program. So, it seems odd that he has gone rogue anyway. Secondarily, he isn’t really designed to be a villain. So, turning him into one just seems somehow wrong. Worse, he really isn’t a worthy adversary in the games. If he is as good as he is supposed to be (along with his black guard henchman), they both should be able to best Sam Flynn easily. So, this whole part of the film just doesn’t really work. But then, Quorra interrupts the games early. Kind of convenient, but at the same time gives us no payoff.
Adversary
Unlike Tron, which has the MCP, we have no such villain in Tron Legacy. CLU is it, but CLU just doesn’t come across as a proper villain. He seems more like a henchman for something bigger. Yet, that something bigger just never materializes. I actually expected to see Kevin Flynn emerge as the villain in this film. That would have been something. It would have really justified the ending of this film, showed us a completely different side to Kevin and, at the same time, have given us a huge payoff at the end. Alas, that doesn’t happen.
Action
The movie definitely starts the pacing off on the right foot and continues at a pretty solid pace until just after Sam Flynn exits the game grid. After that, the story comes to a crawl, as does the action. So, unfortunately too, this leads to a lack of payoff. It also doesn’t give Sam Flynn any screen time to kick butt and take names which this film so desperately needs. The wins we see with Sam are more out of luck and accidents than out of skill. Sam never does get enough screen time to show that he has any skills that are translated from the real world. Even his lightcycle skills don’t show through no matter how much Ducati footage is included in the opening. We need to see Sam win at something where the stakes are substantial. Something that at the end of it, we cheer for him and his win.
Visuals and Audio
What’s to say about the visuals other than, “stunning”. The music by Daft Punk and the audio effects are superb at doing what movies do best: set the mood and tone.
Payoff
In the end, there really is no payoff. In the first film, Tron’s first goal is to get a message to his user. So, Tron fights his way through to a communication tower. In Tron Legacy, Sam’s and Kevin’s only objective is to get to the exit portal (not unlike the communication tower in Tron). When they finally get to the portal, it seems trivially easy. There is really no opposition along the way. Just a quick trip with a Solar Sailer and they’re basically there. No grid bugs, no hidden Mickey Mouse heads, no Recognizer chases, etc. Just a trip without any incidents. In Tron, getting to the communication tower is only half the way through the story. Tron still must battle the MCP. At the end of Tron Legacy, there was no battle. In fact, there was nothing to battle at all, other than Kevin’s own guilt.
Unfortunately, the ending was really explained by Quorra about 20 minutes before the end. So, I won’t give it away, even though Quorra does. But at the portal, there is no real payoff with CLU or Tron. In fact, there is no real positive payoff at all. The ending leaves more questions than answers. So, unless Disney plans on Tron 3, we may never know what happens. This really feels like half of a film. It feels like we’re missing the other half of this film.
Overall
The story could have been far better. However, the producers rely on the visuals and the music (which, granted, both were very impressive) to carry this film. Again I say, the plot could have been far far better. We need at least one payoff and we don’t get it. I was even hoping for a little payoff with Sam on the game grid, but even that doesn’t happen. Sam, like Kevin in Tron, also needed to befriend someone in the virtual world besides Quorra. He needed another companion to travel around the virtal world and show him the ropes. For a split second, I thought it might actually happen when one of his lightcycle mates almost gets his bike wand back. That is until CLU runs him over and Quorra steps in.
Also, there are lots of subtle things that just don’t work or are missing. For example, as a user in Tron (first film), Kevin is able to absorb energy and use it in unusual ways. Clearly, he is still able to do that to create CLU in Tron Legacy. He also uses this power to steal a non-working Recognizer in Tron. However, the writers don’t explore this aspect with Sam at all. It could have helped out in several instances and would have made for a more cohesive film. There was also no comic relief element like the ‘bit’ in the Recognizer in Tron. Not that we need ‘bit’ in this film, but I think that humor could have helped in places.
Even though the story is a bit weak in the film, the story for Tron Evolution (video game) is much stronger than this film. In fact, it has many of the elements and payoffs that the movie lacks, including a proper villain with Abraxas. However, that doesn’t mean that it’s the best game of 2010. Far from it. However, the story is definitely better than the Tron Legacy story. If you’re really into Tron lore, you should check out Tron Evolution to fill in the story gaps that the movie doesn’t fully explain (i.e., the ISOs). I am disappointed that the film glosses over the ISO storyline and, instead, leaves it to the video game to fully explain these concepts.
I like the film, but the story really needed to be far stronger to match the visuals. Overall, I rate this film 7.5 out of 10 stars.
Online ordering: Some companies just don’t get it
In the past week, I’ve run into two different companies that obviously haven’t the first clue about running their online presence. I’ll bet that this is just the tip of the iceberg, but there it is.
Online ordering with store pickup
Fry Electronics doesn’t get it. The point to online ordering with store pickup is to save time. Unfortunately, using Fry’s store pickup by ordering online saves you no time. In fact, it takes more time than just buying directly in the store and leaves more questions than answers.
I found an item on Frys.com web site that I wanted to buy and noticed they now offered store pickup. I thought, “Great”. So, I proceeded to place the order online. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a profile with Frys.com, so I had to create one along with entering shipping and billing info, credit card number and various other information they required. So, this usually takes about 5 minutes to complete. Granted, it doesn’t take that long to enter this information, but you’ll soon see that this time was completely wasted.
So, I enter the information they require, choose my store for pickup and click ‘Place Order’ like you normally do on any e-commerce site. So, the order is all placed, I have my receipt in hand and on the receipt it says to to remember to bring the card you used to the store. I think, “No problem”. I ordered after hours. So, I knew that I would have to pick up the order the next day.
The next day I take my printed receipt with the order number to the store, like they request. I walk into the store and ask where to pick up online orders.
First mistake
The door greeter tells me to get in line and pick up the online ordered item at any cashier in the front. I thought, “Uh oh, this is not starting off well”. No dedicated desk means the cashiers will be completely inexperienced in this process and, to my lack of surprise, they were inexperienced. Anyway, I step up to the cashier and hand her the online receipt. She proceeds to type something into the register, looks confused about something and then tells me to hold on while she goes and locates the order.
Second mistake
Twenty minutes later, after wandering around and disappearing, she finally comes back with the item in hand. I could have wandered the store, found the item, visited a cashier and exited Fry’s in the time it took her to locate the item.
Third mistake
With item in hand, she proceeds to tell me that I need to finish paying for the order at her station. I’m thinking, “What?” I had thought I already paid on the Frys.com web site as I was given fully completed receipt for the order with a valid order number. So, I attempt to validate this information and ask, “I have to pay again? I thought I already paid on the web site”. She proceeds to explain that it’s not actually an order but a ‘reservation’ for an item. I asked, then why do I have to give fully detailed information (billing, shipping, credit card, CVV, etc) for a reservation? Of course, she’s a non-native English speaker and plays dumb like she didn’t understand what I said. So, I try to verify this again and she says that I won’t be double-charged (which is, of course, my first thought considering I had to provide my CC card info full and complete).
So, not only did they waste my time online asking for information they didn’t need to create a ‘reservation’, the cashier wasted 20 minutes trying to locate the item in the store which wasn’t picked and stored properly from my order. Worse, after walking out of the store, I still have no idea if my card is to be charged twice.
I head home and call Frys.com to clarify what the hell went on. I explained that what they are doing is less than clear and the whole process is time wasteful. Every other online order with store pickup system I’ve used at other stores charges for the order online and then only requires identification to pickup at the store. They might or might not even print a receipt. But, you definitely don’t pay for the item in the store like Fry’s requires.
Fry’s made major mistakes in this process. Wasting my time by making me enter all of that information, not properly picking the the item requiring the cashier to wander the store in search of the item, and then requiring the consumer to pay at the register for an item that already appears to have been paid. The additional mistake that Fry’s made was not having a dedicated pickup desk to handle online pickups. There is no reason to require the consumer to stand in line for a cashier. Online ordering with store pickup is supposed to save time. In fact, I probably doubled the amount of time that was needed to get the item. I would have been better off just heading to the store, finding the item and heading up to the cashiers to pay. What a waste.
Out of stock ordering
Virgin Mobile doesn’t get it. This issue isn’t limited to Virgin mobile, it just happens to be the most recent example of this problem. So, I decide want to buy one of Virgin Mobile’s MiFi 2200 devices. I visit the site and try to place the item in my cart. Instead, I see a red error message that says ‘Sorry, that item is currently unavailable’. It doesn’t say anything about being out of stock. Just that it is unavailable (whatever that means). Ok, here’s the issue. If the item is ‘Out of Stock’, that’s fine. Just tell us this. No cryptic messages.
First Mistake
Even if the item is out of stock, but you know you’ll have more back in stock tomorrow, then take the order against the future stock. The mistake here is that Virgin has lost a sale. I may not come back tomorrow and purchase. I want to purchase today. I made the decision to purchase today. Tomorrow I may change my mind and go with something else. In fact, I may go with something else simply from the stupid fact that Virgin mobile wouldn’t sell it even when it’s ‘Out of Stock’.
Second Mistake
I called the sales line and the ‘sales rep’ proceeded to transfer me to the ‘Broadband help desk’. Where they transferred my call is not an order line. It’s a help desk / customer service portal. No where on the line does it say ‘Press 1 for sales’. In fact, it doesn’t mention sales anywhere on the line. So, I press on and get through to an operator. The first time I call, the representative on the ‘help desk’ tells me that there is web site trouble and I should order tomorrow (see Virgin Mobile first mistake above). I call back and the second person says the item is ‘Out of Stock’ and they should have them in ‘tomorrow’.
So, I’m at a loss. If you’re in a company selling online, an item is out of stock but you know it will be back in stock tomorrow, why would you want to prevent taking orders against that future stock? I mean, seriously, this is stupid. Just tell the consumer when they should be back in stock. The consumer can make the decision to wait or not. If you prevent ordering altogether, you’re losing sales.
You would think companies the size of Fry’s and Virgin Mobile would have their act together, but they don’t. Companies wonder why their sales suck, yet they don’t look at these convoluted processes that don’t work and that throw roadblocks in front of the buyer. So, instead of the buyer buying, we walk away and don’t buy.
Retailers, wake up. Just because you think a process is working for you, you need to reevaluate just how it impacts the consumer.
Useless excess: Fashion Victim Edition
For whatever reason today, a lot of people can’t seem to temper their purchasing of useless things. I have to admit that I’ve been guilty of this on occasion myself, but I try to exercise restraint with purchases by asking, “Do I have a real need?”
Purchasing excess
I see lots of people buying things where they haven’t really justified a need in their lives. I’d say the most egregious example of this useless excess is the iPad. So many people walked into the purchase of this device not knowing how it would enrich their lives, how they might use it or what it benefits it might offer. Is the iPad useless excess? I’d say so. I still haven’t yet fully justified the purchase of this device for myself. The only justification I have right now is the larger screen and reading email in a portable way. Those are the justifications I’ve been able to come up with. Since a I don’t avidly read digital books, that part isn’t really overall that useful me. I do have an iPod Touch and have found this device to immensely enrich my life, though. It solved my portable music need, it has a browser, a Kindle app and email and a few admin apps for in-a-pinch situations. It has a long battery life so I have something to use pretty much anywhere, again, in-a-pinch. So, the cost and use for this isn’t useless excess for me. On the other hand, the iPad isn’t that portable, so really doesn’t work for things like portable music.
Is an iPad worth $500? Not yet for me. However, there are times where I’m walking around the office and having an iPad in hand could come in handy for spot email reading or forwarding an email. Since it also supports some administrative tools, I might even be able to justify it for the use of those tools. On the other hand, a netbook is a more powerful hardware tool (i.e., usb ports, networking ports, SD card slot, etc). So, hardware-wise, a Netbook is much more justified for what I do. They’re just a bit more cumbersome to use than an iPad. On the other hand, composing email on an iPad is basically useless. I’d much rather have a real keyboard, so I’d definitely need a dock for extended use of an iPad.
Keeping up with the Jones’
A lot of useless excess stems from ‘social’ reasons. Some people just want to show off their money. The reality is, I find this disturbing. Why would you want to buy something just to walk around and flaunt it? I really don’t relish the thought of being robbed or mugged. I mean, I can somewhat understand fashion. Not so much fashion excess (i.e., diamond studded bling), but wearing fashion to accentuate yourself we have become accustomed to. I don’t personally go for high fashionista, though. Useful fashion yes, excess fashion no. Unfortuantely, an iPad is not a fashion accessory. No computer or electronic device is (other than those trashy flashing earrings). So, why must people treat Apple products (and some computers and phones) as fashion when it clearly isn’t. You should always buy a computer for a need in your life, not because your next door neighbor has one or you ‘think’ it might be useful.
Coffee table paperweights
Now that the iPad has been out for about 9 months, I’m still not finding a solid use for the iPad in my personal life. For business use, I have a couple reasons (cited above), but these reasons are not yet enough to justify a $500 expense. In fact, I would think there’s going to be a growing used market for iPads very quickly here. People will realize they don’t need or use them and will need the money more. Especially when it is no longer the ‘chic’ device (and that’s quickly approaching). Right now is also the prime time to get rid of your iPad, not before it goes out of ‘fashion’. Additionally, it’s almost guaranteed that by spring 2011, Apple will have a new model iPad ready to ship. This will majorly devalue the resale value of the 2010 iPad. So, if you want to sell your iPad for any decent amount of change, you should consider doing it now. Otherwise, sitting on it will only devalue it down to probably the $150-200 range by end of 2011 and less then that by 2012.
By now, people should really know if the iPad has a use in their life. Only you can answer that question, but if the most you do is turn it on once a week (or less), it’s a paperweight. You should probably consider selling it now before the new iPad is released if you want any return on your investment. Granted, you may have paid $500, but you’re likely only to get about $200-250 (16GB version) depending on where you sell. If you put it on eBay as an auction, you might get more money out of it ($450, if you’re lucky). By this time next year, though, you probably won’t get half that amount on eBay.
As another example, see the Wii. Now that the Wii has been out for several years, it is no longer the ‘chic’ thing to own. Today, people are likely purchasing it because they want to play a specific game title. And, that’s how it should be. You should always buy computer gear for the software it runs, not because it’s the ‘thing to have’. Wii consoles are now in a glut and easy to find. So, if you want one today, it’s very easy to get them.
Gift excess
I know people who buy gift items not because it’s a useful gift, but because it’s the thing to have. Worse, though, is that the person who receives the gift doesn’t even use it or carry it. In this example case, it’s an iPad 64GB version. Yet, this person doesn’t carry it around or, indeed, even use it. Instead, they prefer to use their 2-3 year old notebook. What does that say about the usefulness of such useless excess?
Is the iPad considered useless excess? At the moment, yes. There may be certain professions that have found a way to use the iPad as something more than a novelty, but I’ve yet to see a business convert to using iPads as their sole means of corporate management. For example, it would say something if FedEx would adopt the iPad is their means of doing business. Instead of the small hand scanners, they could carry around the iPad to do this work. Oh, that’s right, there’s no camera on the iPad, so scanning isn’t even useful.
While this article may seem to specifically bash the iPad, it isn’t intended to focus solely on them. The iPhone is another example of useless excess. You pay $200 just to get the phone, you’re locked into a 2-4 year contract with at least $80 a month. And, the worst part, the iPhone isn’t even a very good phone. Dare I say, Nokia and Motorola still make better quality phone electronics than Apple ever has. Apple is a computer maker, not a phone maker. So, they still haven’t the experience with phone innards. So, when talking to people on the iPhone, the voice quality, call quality and clarity suffer over better made handsets. Again, people justify the purchase of an iPhone 4 because of the ‘Apps’, not because of quality. Worse, though, is that many people buying iPhones are doing so because it’s ‘the thing to have’, not because it’s actually useful in their lives. If the only thing you find yourself doing with the iPhone is talking on the phone, then you’re a victim of useless excess.
How to curb useless excess
Ask yourself, ‘How will this thing make me more productive, or solve a problem?’ If you cannot come up with an answer, it’s useless excess. Once you find at least one real need for a device, then the purchase is justified. If you just want it to have it, that’s useless excess. Just having something because you can doesn’t make you a better person. It just makes you a victim of useless excess. Simply because you can afford something doesn’t mean you should.
How do you justify an iPad purchase? For example, if you intend to mount it into a door of your kitchen as an internet recipe retrieval device and you bake or cook every day, that would be one way it could enrich your life. Although, it’s also not impervious to water or other wet ingredients, so you might want to cover it to avoid those issues. In other words, for a computer to not be considered useless excess, it would need to be used every day to provide you with useful information you can’t otherwise get.
If you’re looking for a holiday gift, don’t just buy an iPad because you can, buy it because the person will actually use and actually needs it to solve a problem.
Random Thoughts - Randocity! 
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