Mobile Ministry Magazine (MMM)

It is a deliberate thing that reflections on the iPhone 4 announcement have taken a while to come together. While there is always some appreciation towards a new device and what it can mean for mobile from a technology-adoption standpoint, its always important to filter thoughts about the implications of mobile appropriately.

To be blunt, there’s nothing drastically new with this iPhone, and at the same time, there are some notables. The most spoken about features will be the battery life (if the iPad is an indication, should be outstanding to all but BlackBerry users) and the very high-resolution screen (at 326 dots-per-inch for a 3.5in screen, its better than anything out with a backlight, and will make paper look bad too). The other features are in or have been within other mobiles for a good amount of time. Apple’s attention to the user experience though will continue to set the iPhone as a (mental) bar for users, developers, and manufacturers alike.

All of this is ok. Yet, doesn’t really say why this reflection piece has taken so long to pen.

The announcement of the high-definition camera should start to change perceptions towards what’s possible from a mobile device. Yes, its not one of those professional grade approaches to recording and disseminating video, but its another call to a paradigm shift. That shift is simply that your IT resources (people, intellectual capacities, and strategies) would be better utilized training people to use this tool for the community’s benefit.

For example, instead of just having one team record a gathering, invite others to do so (use governance and appropriate direction in terms of bounds) and post the compiled footage on your community website. Use the capacities not just on the device, but within your IT teams to create avenues for the technical education programs that school districts are increasingly being asked to cut.

Then there’s the video calling feature – FaceTime. Now, let’s get this out there – this is not new. Its been done in several regions for a long time, and with varying degrees of success. This is of course announced with the Apple touch so there’s got to be something new right? No, not really. The calls are over Wi-Fi only at this point, which means that unless you are on a Wi-Fi train or plane, you will be sitting still in doing one of these calls. Other services such as Fring, Palringo, and Skype have this ability and over cellular connections as well as Wi-Fi. The debates of whether video calling is good or not will go on for sometime, but let’s concentrate on one specific implication of it – accountability.

Moreover, if they brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear [thee, then] take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And he he shall neglect to hear them, tell [it] unto the church; but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.

That’s from Matthew 18:15-17. Notice the loophole that someone could take with video calling instead of an interpersonal interaction?

Its not the tool that’s the issue either, its the behavior (maturity) of the persons involved. If someone has an issue, and chooses not to address it to a person directly, even with being able to see them versus just getting the text/audio of the person, will matters be resolved? That’s not to say that its always possible to resolve life’s situations in-person, but as usual, technology as it is given does speak to ways that we can miss out on the subtle and needed aspects of interpersonal relationships.

The other side of that is that one can use video calling (at least in terms of Apple’s FaceTime) to other Apple iPhone device users to keep in contact with one another over distances, saving on international rates and possibly even as a means to extend missional relationships once the physical presence time is no more.

And so, there are some of the reflections of the new iPhone 4 and what it looks like at this intersection. It’s not the total of opinions, and won’t be the last here or elsewhere. But, in light of what’s possible with a $199-$399 device (after contract) that has a ton of media attention, we shouldn’t just take the marketing terms and call it good. We should take into account the possibilities and accept that just because we can do it, doesn’t make it the best course of action (according to Galatians 6:1-10, this is our opportunity to do things just a bit different).