La expectación ante la llegada del iPhone Duo, que se agotó en reservas online y tiene un plazo de entrega de tres meses, ha vuelto a poner en el centro de la actualidad tecnológica a este tipo de dispositivos. En realidad, la propuesta del primer smartphone plegable de Apple es muy similar a la que hemos visto durante los últimos años en fabricantes como Samsung, Huawei o Motorola: un teléfono que se abre para mostrar una pantalla enorme con la que es posible leer, ver vídeos, consultar documentos o trabajar con varias aplicaciones a la vez de forma más cómoda que con un terminal tradicional. Sin embargo, esa versatilidad tiene un precio, tanto económico como práctico. Las preguntas que muchos se hacen antes de tomar la decisión de adquirirlo son obvias: ¿Merece la pena pagar más por un móvil que se dobla? ¿Es tan delicado como puede parecer? ¿Puede sustituir realmente a una tablet?
¿Os acordáis de aquellos tiempos en los que llamar por teléfono era tan fácil como simplemente hacerlo? Parece una pregunta sin sentido pero es que ahora, salvo que la llamada sea para tus padres, tus hijos o alguien con quien tengas muchísima confianza, es mejor avisar o escribir antes. Esto se nota especialmente en la generación Zeta y la Alfa: el 96,8% de los jóvenes entre 14 y 24 años prefieren comunicarse por WhatsApp, según un informe de la Fundación Telefónica. Y eso se ha ido trasladando también a personas algo más mayores. No sé vosotros, pero en mi entorno de gente de entre treinta y cuarenta y tantos nos escribimos para fijar una hora o un día para llamarnos. Hemos empezado a percibir llamar sin avisar como un acto invasivo en la vida privada. La mensajería instantánea ha traído consigo una pérdida de la oralidad recíproca, instantánea, y más natural. Claro que siempre nos quedarán las notas de voz.
El iPhone Duo ya ha batido récords antes de salir a la venta. A los pocos minutos de iniciarse las reservas online el viernes pasado, ya se agotó el stock en todo el mundo del primer móvil plegable de Apple, que además, en toda la historia de los iPhone, ya es el modelo que más retraso de entrega acumula en su lanzamiento. El plazo de entrega mínimo es de tres meses. Si se intenta comprar ahora mismo en España, no llegará hasta finales de enero de 2027, mientras que en otros países se retrasa hasta febrero. El gigante tecnológico estadounidense explica estos problemas por una demanda “sencillamente extraordinaria”, mientras que sus críticos culpan a Apple de no haber sido capaz de tener suficientes unidades de este modelo, de fabricación extremadamente compleja.
The author got her son a phone at 12, the same age his brother got one.
Jordan Lye/Getty Images
My older son got a phone when he turned 12.
I ended up regretting it and wishing we'd waited another year.
Still, our younger son got a phone at the same age, and I was glad we got it for him.
When our older son was 12, getting a phone seemed to be the trend. Many of his friends had phones before 6th grade, but those who didn't received one at the start of middle school, so we purchased one too. Looking back, I regretted our decision, and wished we'd waited another year.
He didn't truly need one until school sports began in 7th grade, when he was staying after school for practice and traveling around our county for track meets. Without a true need, a phone simply felt like another connection to the dangers of the internet; protecting him felt impossible.
Our younger son started middle school in September, and ever since his brother got his phone three years ago, he's expected to receive one at the same age.
I didn't want to give in
"He doesn't need it," I told my husband in August. "We know that now," I reminded him. He takes the bus to and from school, and I can track his morning and afternoon bus routes with the Here Comes the Bus app. School sports don't begin until next year, so we are responsible for transporting him to rec soccer practice and games ourselves; we don't yet need to communicate about exact locations or pickup times.
But like with our older son, his friends either had phones or were getting one, and he felt left out. I've found that much of parenting today involves striking a balance between what I feel is safe for my children and giving them the freedom to feel they belong.
I was concerned about him having consistent access to the internet and worried he wasn't responsible enough to keep track of a phone. Remembering the time he'd left his backpack on the bus, I pleaded with my husband, "He might misplace it — and then what?" But that was two years ago, and I wanted to believe that he was maturing. For his mental health, I also didn't want him to feel left out.
My son convinced his dad, who then convinced me
Convincingly, my son argued that it wasn't fair that his brother got a phone at 12, but he would have to wait. "I want to be able to text you if soccer is ending early and let you know when I'm on the bus in the afternoon," he reasoned. I thought these were simply persuasive tactics. I didn't believe he'd follow through, but he did.
Ultimately, my son convinced my husband, who then convinced me that it might be OK. And I'm so glad he did. He already has an iPad, and both devices are protected by parental controls, so we don't feel as though having a phone increases his susceptibility to online dangers. On his own, he devised a plan to responsibly keep track of his phone during the school day. He places it safely in his backpack when he reaches a certain point on his morning bus route — and it stays there until he gets back on the bus in the afternoon.
I'm actually glad we got him a phone
Each day around 3 pm, I receive the text, "I'm on the bus," and my heart feels content. Sometimes he also texts me about how a test went or his plans for tackling that evening's homework. Often, I send him an animated GIF to remind him that I love him, and I'll keep doing that until he asks me not to.
When he had an after-school event last week, I was able to tell him I was running late and that his grandmother would be picking him up. If he's arriving home before me, I can simply let him know that I'll be home soon. Giving him a phone has made him more responsible, given us the freedom to communicate schedule changes, and made him feel confident in his growing maturity. And best of all, his location is only a click away.
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