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Why Nearly 1 in 7 Americans Still Lack Cell Phones

newsweek.com — But a handful of start-ups are aggressively pursing wireless holdouts. The bulk of the un-mobile fall into three groups, says senior analyst Chris Collins of Yankee Group: children, the elderly and the credit-challenged. (There's actually a fourth group, prison inmates, but companies haven't yet found a way to target that elusive niche.)

Who dugg this? Made popular Jul 17, 2008

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  • madeingermany, on 07/16/2008, -2/+324I'm pretty sure there is another group: The people that just don't want one.
  • executorzz, on 07/17/2008, -6/+114Children don't need cell phones.
  • bosssmiley, on 07/17/2008, -3/+89Ah yes, the "What do I need one of those annoying gadgets for?" demographic. Seriously thinking of re-joining them myself.
  • orbaldrugger, on 07/16/2008, -3/+73I agree with you, madeingermany. The last thing I want is an electronic dog collar. Besides, the cost is *outrageous* for what you get.
  • inactive, on 07/17/2008, -4/+65Amen. Who wants a leash?
  • phish3r, on 07/17/2008, -1/+52What do prisoners use to call each other?
    ...
    Cell phones!


    Hopefully that wasn't so bad that it injured someone.
  • stonewaljacksn, on 07/17/2008, -11/+561 in 7 people aren't ***** slaves to unnecessary technological advances
  • nbcaffeine, on 07/17/2008, -1/+44Man, finding a payphone is getting harder and harder though.
  • dlinkwit27, on 07/17/2008, -4/+45I agree. What a biased title for an article. "Lack." Since when it is a disability to not have a cell phone?
  • Screwy1138, on 07/17/2008, -1/+42This article is insulting. What about people who are just trying to live within their means? Spend responsibly? I have great credit. But I don't have a cell phone. I don't need one. I prefer to spend only the money I have, thanks.

    Is it impossible to comprehend that some people just don't think that the money spent is worth it?



  • dullnation, on 07/17/2008, -8/+41Your mom.
  • jarjarwang, on 07/17/2008, -0/+32What about the friendless? Many people have absolutely no one to talk to by phone.
  • Garlik, on 07/17/2008, -1/+33Not quite, I belong in that group and it's not that I don't want "annoying gadgets," it's because I just don't see the need for one at the moment. Just because everybody else has a cell phone and constantly bugs me about it, doesn't mean I need to get one if I don't need it.
  • kroni, on 07/16/2008, -7/+34Some people don't want / don't need a cell phone. I'm one of the later, if I need to do a call I use a payphone, I don't like to go around with electronic gadgets on me.
  • awtripp, on 07/17/2008, -1/+26ha "super old school"

    i only have a telegraph hooked up at my house.
  • inactive, on 07/17/2008, -0/+25I am one of them. Which is funny because I was one of the first people my age in my high school to actually own a cell phone (everyone else had pagers) in the mid-late 1990s but have not had one since and don't want one again. I hate the idea of people being able to get a hold of me whenever they want and having more bills come in the mail that I won't pay.
  • inactive, on 07/17/2008, -2/+26I don't have a cell phone, and I really don't care for one. It's just another way for people to keep tabs on you, on where you are and what you're doing. I'm also saving 60 + a month.
  • Ninjapope, on 07/17/2008, -0/+23Hey guys, in case it hasn't been said before, payphones are apparently hard to find.
  • ToddsSpleen, on 07/17/2008, -2/+24You do understand that you're not obligated to answer a phone when it rings right?
  • melonhedd, on 07/17/2008, -7/+28Why 6 in 7 Americans have been duped into paying the telecoms more money.
  • Bouncybanana, on 07/17/2008, -0/+20if your friends are so disrespectful that they talk on the phone with other people while hanging out with you or get mad if you don't pick up the phone...then i think you need new friends. don't blame cell phones :-)
  • crapmatic, on 07/17/2008, -1/+21The credit-challenged? Does this guy think all there is is Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T? You can go and get a Tracfone for $20 cash and be up and running with your own phone number.
  • StinkyHobo, on 07/17/2008, -3/+21My husband and I have cell phones rather than a land line and we both like it that way. I certainly don't consider myself digitally tethered to the thing, either. My phone is for my convenience, so if I don't feel like taking calls, I turn off the ringer and go on with life. It's quite easy to do.
  • brettg102, on 07/17/2008, -5/+23I just bought a pager for this reason...I've grown to hate my cell phone. Everyone in the world has one anyway...i get a page...I borrow a phone...dirt cheap too! It's also super old school.
  • Klisk, on 07/17/2008, -7/+25I don't have a cellphone. It's ridiculous and unnecessary. People force you to waste time on them. Every time a phone rings when I'm out in public I get douche-chills, because -- And especially in a restaurant -- I just KNOW the person is going to start yapping away about the latest gossip with their friends, or some lame business they're associated with.

    Total lack of disrespect. It's a spit in the face to everyone around you. I won't even get into the bastards text messaging.

    I can understand wanting your email with you, but likewise, I feel almost as if all other functions should be disabled on the device -- And that people should leave them in their cars so they don't just sit around emailing back and forth constantly.

    The worse is when a friend invites you out to dinner, or just to hang out for 3 hours... Then they spend 2 of those 3 hours on the phone with someone else. Why bother?

    You're basically spending 150 dollars a month so that people can DEMAND your attention and time. If you don't pick up then you get berated about how big of an ***** you are when you finally do pick up. Never mind that hitting the red cancel button (or "***** you button", as it's referred to more commonly) only results in the person calling back 9-10 times in a rapid row, until you finally hit the green answer button and talk to them. Then they call you a jerk for ~that~. So you have no choice but to let the phone ring out, and make up some asinine excuse about where you left your phone so that you wouldn't lost 40 minutes of your day helping them decide when they should get their car washed. Of course before you even make the excuse they leave a voicemail calling you a ***** for ignoring their call.
  • UberNick, on 07/17/2008, -3/+20@zakatov
    "stop annoying the people who want to get a hold of you"

    What kind of entitled sense of privileged is that? "Hey! I'm more important than whatever you're doing. Don't be 'annoying' by calling me back at your convenience"
  • TheWorm, on 07/17/2008, -0/+17Recently I volunteered at an elementary school, and I was shocked that all of them had cell phones. Two of them even had iPhones. These kids were about 7-10 years old. I'm 17, so it was only 10 years ago that I was in their shoes, and none of us had cell phones. We didn't need them. Now instead of out playing on the playground, they sit around tables and text message each other. Parents need a brain check.
  • gdog05, on 07/17/2008, -0/+17I really don't like people calling me. It breaks into whatever I'm doing. But I had a cell phone for years, and finally dumped it. With VoIP I don't have long distance, but most importantly I'm not giving any money to the worthless mother ***** at the phone company. Now if only I could afford solar for the house, I could get rid of the worthless mother ***** at the power company too.
  • brettg102, on 07/17/2008, -2/+18Exactly...I enjoy punishing people who feel the need to disturb me. If you REALLY need to get ahold of me however..you can.
  • danielrh9, on 07/17/2008, -1/+17I'm one of the one in seven. I just purposefully choose not to own a cell phone. I'm reachable by my phone at my office or my house, and if there's some emergency, you can reach me by email or SMS via my iPod Touch. I just simply don't want the burden of a virtual chain around my ankle while I'm out and about throughout the day. One good reason is that I get enough of work while I'm there.
  • frothyswine, on 07/17/2008, -0/+15$45 a month. I text my cats. They don't answer.
  • h3lx, on 07/17/2008, -3/+17I've never owned a cellphone, never needed a cellphone, I can still remember phone numbers and I'm better for it. There is nothing they can do to get me to get one. But if I ever had to get one, I'd have that Boop-Beep-Beep-Beep from Metroid on it and I'd let it ring and ring.
  • toastgodsupreme, on 07/17/2008, -2/+16Agreed. Got rid of my cell phone almost a year ago and never looked back.

    One day I stopped answering my phone no matter who called and just screened my voicemails and called people back if I felt like it. Then I got tired of listening to retarded voicemails so I just ignored my phone completely.

    Wasn't too hard to cancel my cellphone service after that considering I used maybe 10 minutes a month in my 500 minute plan.
  • jkoski, on 07/17/2008, -7/+19Since when did convenient communication become unnecessary technological advances?
  • inactive, on 07/17/2008, -2/+14I could afford a cell phone if I wanted it, I'm not elderly or a child, and I'm not in prison. Where do I stand? I prefer sticking to a landline personally, because I see using a cellphone only having a point if you're a businessman or if an emergency comes up; and usually if an emergency comes up, there's a phone nearby, or at least someone with a cellphone. I also find cellphones come with a lot of unnecessary fluff these days, I don't need a friggen camera, internet, or text messaging abilities on my phone, I just want a phone. So it would be a waste for me. If I need to talk to someone, I have a regular phone in my living room, and that's good enough.

    I'm 22 years old, and this POV isn't typical. All of my friends have cellphones, even my grandparents do, and my parents, and most of my family. The hilarious thing is most barely use theirs. I think it's just a status symbol for them. 'Look at my awesome cellphone... I got a johnny cash ring tone.' Though I am tired of people asking me for my cell at work and then getting a puzzled look when I say I don't have one. My boss even had trouble believing me. I think she thought I was lying to her so she couldn't call me in anytime she wanted to.

    They should add another group for people like me. The 'Have no use for it really' group; or in some people's eyes, the 'Pretentious anti-cellphone' group. Pick either, it doesn't bother me.
  • mixxo, on 07/17/2008, -1/+13Just give me a cell phone that allows me to CLEARLY hear who I'm speaking with. I can do without the other bells & whistles.
  • kamiten, on 07/17/2008, -3/+15I am a member of this forgotten group.
  • allenu, on 07/17/2008, -0/+11Ha, can't wait for the next study that finds the majority of Americans are still lacking HDTVs and surround sound systems.
  • BinaryFragger, on 07/17/2008, -0/+11"Who the hell pays $150 a month for a cell phone?"

    Rogers iPhone users?
  • Chahrlie5, on 07/17/2008, -2/+13Didn't realize owning a cell phone was required for American citizens.
  • 1longtime, on 07/17/2008, -1/+12They have lackeys to answer phones and type on their typin'-box-gadgets.
  • justananomaly, on 07/17/2008, -0/+11And then there are people like me who are in their 20s-30s that don't think its completly nessessary for anyone to contact us 24/7 and don't want to be able to contact everyone 24/7. Leave a message when im not home ffs.
  • jonnyeuchre, on 07/17/2008, -1/+12

    I don't own a cellphone because I don't want to speak to people when I'm away from the phone. I like to think of stuff, listen to the birds, watch people go by...I don't need to constantly be ***** talking to people about stupid *****.

    If they still sold them, I'd probably have a beeper.
  • Asianwaste, on 07/17/2008, -1/+11You know, the regular phones still work great. This report is not super natural.
  • SnuKs, on 07/17/2008, -0/+10Hopefully it was a Zack Morris phone
  • dgaspard, on 07/17/2008, -3/+13I'm divorced. It is a lot nicer to have my son have a pre-paid cell so we can call each other anytime we want and I don't need to go through his mom.
  • mywhitenoise, on 07/17/2008, -3/+12Otto...no I am saving $60 a month. I'd rather spend that money on a few movies, a couple of video games, some albums, food.
    It's funny I have a better home theatre than most people (it's worth around $4000), I'm into a lot of gadgets, but I refuse to ever get a cell-phone.
  • crazzy88ss, on 07/17/2008, -0/+9Prisoners shouldn't have cell phones... that's why it's prison.
  • inactive, on 07/17/2008, -0/+9Left the house one day without my cell, since I had only planned on running a quick couple of errands. When I got home I saw that I had 2 messages from a buddy about some mundane thing, so I called him back. He seemed almost bewildered and disgusted at the idea that I willingly left my phone at home, making me unreachable.

    I'd never really thought how put off people can be in today's world, if they can't get in touch with you on a moment's notice.
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