June 29th marked the iPhone's 15th anniversary. It's a moment marked by history and worth pondering.
When introduced in 2007, little did the world understand the event would soon start changing everything. In retrospect, the Mobile Revolution launched by Apple's iPhone explains much about the changes in global society over the last fifteen years.
"This Changes Everything" - the 15th anniversary of the iPhone
When Steve Jobs said, "This changes everything." in January 2007, he pointed to Apple's first phone. His statement was not specific to the iPhone but the "smartphone" more generally. The potential implications were beyond even Jobs himself. With a smartphone, suddenly anyone could hold a super-computer in their hand and connect directly to billions on the internet worldwide.
✓ The impact of the global adoption and ubiquitous use of smartphones has changed everything, big and small, personally and collectively.
I've used Jobs' quote many times at the podium when explaining why cyber risk is so pervasive and intrusive. In 2013, I coined the phenomenon "the democratizing of cyber risk" and used Jobs' insight to illustrate why cybercrime will continue to grow and affect everyone.
With the smartphone, Moore's Law was paired and cross-leveraged for the first time with the Network Effect. The combination of these two awesomely powerful forces sparked a super-nova of exponential rates of change that triggered the Mobile Revolution, and indeed, it's not been the same since.
✓ Steve Jobs was right when saying the smartphone "changes everything," and humanity will never be the same. Like any other evolutionary shift, only those that adapt will survive in the new digital age.
Read more by the WSJ:
The iPhone Turns 15. Here’s How It Changed Us
On Inflation and TDS' Pricing
Over the last 60 days at TDS, operating expenses have increased across the board. Just about every vendor and service we use has sent an alert that hikes are here or scheduled to come. The increase in costs runs from 5% to 40%. This marks the first meaningful increase in our expenses we've seen since starting up in 2013.
We're not going to increase our prices. Not now, though it's likely inevitable, and market forces will eventually make us adjust. I'm reluctant because TDS made its name by making best-in-class, enterprise-grade cybersecurity affordable for individuals and families. I want to preserve that as much as possible.
In the meantime, cybersecurity technology keeps advancing and getting better, and its value will continue to increase. I'm confident we'll get through this with our clients and continue to do all we can to stay true to our mission of "Cybersecurity for Life."
On Passwords (again)
You are making a grave mistake if you are still not organized and secure with passwords. It will eventually catch up, and you will suffer loss and inconvenience.
Unfortunately, after ten years in the business, I can guarantee it.
"Over 24 billion stolen usernames and passwords are available on the Dark Web." June 2022 - Digital Shadows in their threat intelligence report, "Account Takeover 2022."
My advice is to manage and secure passwords with a best-in-class software app. Using such an app makes your life infinitely more secure and convenient.
If you need help with getting your passwords right, contact us. For $150, a "coach" will remote in to help set you up and get you on your way. The value? A lifetime of peace with passwords.
✓ Using a password manager provides a lifetime of peace with your passwords.
Here is an important consideration, and with a password manager, it's easy:
How to Pass On Your Passwords When You Die
Home and Office Routers Under Attack
We've been raising the warning flag since 2017, and the trend continues because home and office routers are a weak underbelly ripe for cyber-attack.
"A wide range of routers are under attack by new, unusually sophisticated malware." ARS Technica - June 28th
We won't take up more space here but refer to the second to last news tile below for more about home and office routers under attack.
✓ To protect your internet router and all the devices you use to connect, check out the Managed Network Security service by TDS. You won't want to stay home without it!
Thanks for reading.
