writing assignment 1 - 4E

Writing Assignment 1

 

People resist new technology because it is expensive, unnecessary and difficult to use. First, the latest products are generally much more expensive than most people can afford. Take the 3G iphone as an example. Involving all the latest technologies, it is sold at $699 in Singapore. This is not affordable for most people, considering some people’s monthly salary is only $1000. On the other hand, other mobile phones’ prices vary from $200 to $400. During some promotions, customers can even get a good mobile phone for free. Thus, expensive new technology is not worth the price. Second, the new technology is unnecessary for the majority. For instance, the technologies involved in the latest mobile phones are 3G high speed networks, Bluetooth data transmission technology, high resolution imaging, and GPS. However, the essential functions of a mobile phone, namely, sending SMS and making phone calls, remain unimproved. Another new technology has been applied in laptops, which enables users to write naturally on the LCD screen. Apart from the fact that writing on the screen is actually very harmful to the screen itself, for most users, this natural writing technology is not necessary at all. The mouse and keyboard will still be the primary input tools in most circumstances. Furthermore, the price will increase again for the unnecessary technology. Third, to some extent, multifunctions also imply difficulty of use. For instance, as a result of multifunctions, some smart phones have up to 40 buttons on their key pad; this is probably twice as many as those on a conventional mobile phone. This compact key pad will definitely affect the convenience of using the phones. What is more inconvenient is that the customers will have a thick user’s guide to read before they can use the phones. Indeed, many new technologies are applied in the latest products, which turn to be more expensive and less user-friendly. Moreover, the technologies do not make most people’s life easier. As a result, people are not interested in using these new products.