The machines are taking over. At least that’s the case with cellphones and other mobile devices, which now outnumber humans in the U.S., the wireless trade group CTIA said Tuesday.
There are 327.6 million active phones, tablets and laptops on cellular networks, up 9 percent from January. That compares with 315 million women, men, girls, boys and infants populating the U.S., including Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands, CTIA said in its semiannual survey.
How is that possible? Are we double-fisting phones? In many cases, yes.
Sylvia Aguilera of Round Hill, Va., has an iPhone for personal use and a BlackBerry as well as a Verizon Wireless laptop for work.
“My work doesn’t need to know who I am calling on my personal time,” Aguilera said.
Art Upton of Northwood, Ohio, always has at least two devices strapped to his belt: an Android smartphone for “fun” and a BlackBerry for work.
“Double-holstered, like the Old West,” he said.
Bolstering the mobile mania are kids, who are getting cellphones at ever younger ages, and seniors, who have begun to embrace the simplicity of tablets and smartphones.
The Washington Post
