There can be no denying that smartphones have caught on in a big way.
Apple, manufacturer of the iPhone, is one of the world’s largest companies.
Around the globe, eight out of 10 people now own a smartphone. Ninety per cent of those people say checking their phone is part of their morning routine.
And on Wednesday, Waterloo-based Research in Motion will unveil a new series of phones for the new BlackBerry 10 operating system.
The day will be marked with a major launch event in New York City and smaller events in cities both locally and internationally.
Analysts and onlookers will be closely watching reaction to the launch to see what it means for RIM’s future – but also because they’re just as personally invested in the smartphone world as anyone else.
Take Rebecca Rucurean. The 21-year-old was recorded by CTV for five minutes without her knowledge. Even though she had friends around, she spent almost the whole time looking at her smartphone.
“It’s a little embarrassing,” she said after being told of the recording.
“It’s hard to admit that I can actually do that, but it’s believable.”
Experts say it’s no surprise Rucurean and many others spend so much time on their smartphones, and there’s a simple biological explanation as to why.
“It makes little noises,” says Aimee Morrison, a University of Waterloo associate professor.
“Everytime it makes a noise, there’s a special little message for us. That gives us happiness (via) a pleasure chemical in our brains. All of these little 10-second interactions give us pleasure, so we seek to have more of them.”
In other words, says Morrison, it’s exactly what Pavlov discovered with dogs and a bell in the 19th century.
