a few thoughts ...

[davehorne]

Almost every post here is about a problem and that's certainly to be expected. 

I'm an old guy, I'm 73.  My first computer ran Windows 3.1 ... and I was late to the party.  I bought my first computer back in 1993 or 1994, a Gateway, delivered in a box with a cow design. 

I believe my video RAM was 1MB which I expanded to 1.5MB.  That made a noticeable improvement. 

What we have today, in a handheld device, is beyond any expectation I ever could have had. 

Every once in a while I mention to my wife how we take these advances for granted and she rolls her eyes. 

I know we have issues with various aspects of these devices, but to be honest, these are amazing tools.  

I know I sound like an old fart, but we shouldn't forget how good we have it.

I bought my first smart phone, a Huawei P7 around 2015.  I was outraged that I paid between €400 and €500 (I forget), for a phone.  

I had no reason to own a phone except to make calls.  It was ridiculous to spend that much money for a device that, for my use, did anything else. 

Several years later I bought the top of the line Samsung, a Note 8.

I spent some time learning the operating system and bought the top of the line every year since. 

I now use my phone for everything, my investments, ordering online, getting around, using customer cards, Facebook, email, ... everything.

I can take the train from my house to Rotterdam and watch CNN in almost real time. 

My point, we should take a step back and realize that, even with the occasional glitch, we have it pretty fuc*ing good.

That's it, rant over.     

[Piper123]

So very very true. 🤪🤪

[Juli3n]

Plot twist, this is a post from the mods to make us feel bad about all our rant about the washed out displays ... 🤣

[Star_girl]

Couldn't agree more.
I had a Huawei P8 back in 2015 or 2016. It was a nice device.
That being said, upgrading to the S24U was the best decision regarding my devices, it was the right time to upgrade. I love all the tech that comes with it, it hardly has an equal this year.

[Bigtasty65]

🙂 So very true Dave. I've the S23 Ultra and it's absolutely faultless for me. Everything I want it to do, it does it with ease. I understand that when things are mass produced, some people are bound to get lemons unfortunately. Luckily for us old farts, we don't get them! 😁👍🏻

[Glenntech]

My first computer was the Amstrad 664
Had 128 kb memory 😂
Eventually worked up to the Commodore Amiga. Had half mb memory and I added half Meg memory
My first mobile was the BT Jade
That was the old analogue cell network.
Been so many phones over the years. Far too many to list

But you are right. People really take for granted what we have now.
Our phone are way more powerful than the computer systems that got men to the moon

A lot of complaints I see as first world problems I call it. Some get so spun up about the smallest of things. Usually a quick search in the phone or online will quickly find the answer.
I'm only in my 50's. But it fascinates me, and I appreciate what we have now. Yes there are some issues initially with tech.

But seeing the birth of all this technology when I came from only 3 channels on TV's. That were not 24 hours. No mobile phones etc.

I feel privileged to have been alive to experience the rapid expansion of all this technology.
I'm really looking forward to seeing where it all goes as well

[Robin999]

My first computer was a Sinclair ZX81 (circa 1981). My first mobile was a Philips TCD308 BT Cellnet (circa 1997). My fridge has got more processing power than both combined.

My S23U is basically a small high powered computer, that I occasionally use to make a phone call! If it goes wonky from time to time, I just reset it! To be fair I've never had a problem with it, which considering what it is, is amazing.

Most posts on here are an easy fix, and if I'm being pedantic, can be easily fixed if the user just used the search feature already embedded on their phones. They really are amazing devices!

[GoanGeek]

Wow. You are the most tech savvy person I have the pleasure to know here then.

I am kinda the go to guy for most people around me . Can get exhausting 😩 explaining the basic things of how phones work sometimes 🙄.

But that something I like as well 😌

[BandOfBrothers]

Totally with you there @davehorne  👍 

These phone's are akin to pocket computers and bring so much to enrich our life's. 

Unfortunately this is a double edged sword as many now rely so heavily on their phone's for various reasons that if and when a hiccup or failure occurs this can lead to pretty much an instant massive impact on one's life's, not to mention how expensive these devices are now it's understandable that people vent and want a speedy resolution and rightly so. 

This in my opinion is also where Samsung excells as they listen and react quite fast. 

Samsung are pro active as well as reactive. 

[Reylob]

Windows 3.1, that was modern.

Any newish mobile phone has more computer power that the first supercomputer and it definitely could not be carried in a pocket.

However, it is extremely difficult for the younger generations to assimilate this. They have grown in an era where pinching to zoom in pictures is more logical that viewing it in a magazine.

It is hard to see the contrast in technology if our reference cannot go that far back.

I am sure we all remember our childhood and our mother/father saying something similar. When I was your age I did not have ... and most of us thought but it were different times.

Your post might echo more with some of us, but not with the younger generation because they had it pretty good to start with.