The touch screen of the iPhone brought more to the cell phone industry than just a cool new gadget. It brought a hardware and software design that focuses on ease of use. I have previously used more than a dozen cell phones from various manufacturers including Motorola, Samsung, Blackberry, Nokia, and Sony Ericsson. They all had small buttons and complex menu systems. While the young folks are happy to put up with these devices, the older generations find them extremely frustrating. We should not have to ask our children or grandchildren to program our cell phones.

With the iPhone, we won't have to ask for help. The iPhone is very different. There is only one button on the face of the iPhone....the Home button. One press of that button brings up the icons needed to perform various tasks. The icons are all clear and bright and visually indicative of their use.

The touch screen is a joy to use. Just tap to make your choice. Move your finger across the screen to the left or right or up or down to see more on the screen when in an email or web page. Pinch two fingers together on the screen to make the information on the screen smaller. Push two fingers apart on the screen to make the information larger. For the most part, the choices are shown clearly on the screen. So finding everything is much easier than having it in layers of menus.

The iPhone also has excellent audio clarity .... a boon for those of us who have ruined our ears listening to loud music.

The recent price reduction of the iPhone makes it more accessible and more appealing to everyone.Another nice thing is that Apple constantly updates the iPhone software and new applications are constantly being added to the iPhone App Store. Although their is a cost attached to some applications, there are enough free apps available to keep the average person happy.

The only problem is the $30 monthly data access fee. Boomers and seniors who have worked for thirty years or more have a keen eye for the value of the dollar. No matter what our financial situation is, most of us hate to add any recurring fee to our cost of living.

I personally hesitated in getting an iPhone just because of that monthly fee. I didn't want to add to my monthly bills. Although I had reviewed Blackberries and other phones that had Internet and email, I didn't really feel that I needed online access my phone.

So far, however, I can honestly say that I think the iPhone is worth the fee. The iPhone makes email and Internet access so easy that it is truly valuable. In fact, having an iPhone is like having a computer in your hand...only it is easier to use than a computer. For many, the iPhone will be the only piece of equipment needed for access while traveling. They won't have to drag a laptop along to access email and the Internet.
The same is true of other smart phones that are now imitating the iPhone. Many are simply easier to use than the older generation of "not-so-smart" phones.

While the younger generation is flocking to the iPhone for its "cool" gadget value, many older folks are already finding it as a solution to the complexity problems caused by the older flock of cell phones. I think that as more and more boomers and seniors realize the value and ease-of-use of the iPhone, they will also flock to it. At some point, many, like me, will be willing to pay the monthly fee for data access on the iPhone because, like the monthly fee for cell service and the fee to an ISP for Internet access, it will add real value to their lives. At that point the iPhone will become the cell phone of choice for boomers and beyond. And that may be sooner rather than later.