2377: xkcd Phone 12 - Revision history

73.222.207.213: Infinite customization even if the icons snap to grid

2025-11-02T22:26:10Z

Infinite customization even if the icons snap to grid

172.71.178.15: Undo revision 371719 by 172.68.211.66 (talk) Vandalism

2025-04-08T12:53:34Z

Undo revision 371719 by 172.68.211.66 (talk) Vandalism

172.68.211.66: /* Transcript */

2025-04-08T09:36:00Z

‎Transcript

Firestar233: adding the registered symbol

2025-02-20T20:54:48Z

adding the registered symbol

172.71.146.217: /* Explanation */

2025-02-20T18:54:45Z

‎Explanation

Firestar233: using actual superscript

2025-02-20T06:36:14Z

using actual superscript

141.101.98.138: added note about size of (presumably) neodymium magnet.

2025-02-18T12:42:52Z

added note about size of (presumably) neodymium magnet.

Take The A Train To Watertown: /* Explanation */ Extended release charge cable

2024-11-05T03:48:37Z

‎Explanation: Extended release charge cable

172.69.58.213: Added MBMBaM reference. I'm confident in just adding this because it predates the strip and it's exactly the same joke.

2024-08-04T19:25:34Z

Added MBMBaM reference. I'm confident in just adding this because it predates the strip and it's exactly the same joke.

172.69.195.228: /* Explanation */ Had to look this up, given the prior editor's version. (Much of my search for "Streaming Mode" gave data-aquisition contexts, nothing to do with removing private materials. "Streamer Mode" gave me sensible results which informed me.)

2024-01-26T13:07:30Z

‎Explanation: Had to look this up, given the prior editor's version. (Much of my search for "Streaming Mode" gave data-aquisition contexts, nothing to do with removing private materials. "Streamer Mode" gave me sensible results which informed me.)

@@ Line 104: / Line 104: @@
 ; Infinite customization (home screen icons no longer snap to grid)
-: iOS 14 offers new features such as widgets on the home screen and changing of app icons, allowing for customization on a level not seen before on the platform. Here though, the "customization" hinges on a technicality, specifically of permutations: On a phone with, say, one million pixels, the number of ways one can place 20 icons is P(1000000,20)=9.998x10^119, an absolutely enormous number, but most people would not call two home screens where the only difference is that one icon is one pixel over a different configuration. Plus, not being able to snap the icons to a grid would be incredibly unsatisfying, as it would make it very difficult to get icons lined up with each other.
+: iOS 14 offers new features such as widgets on the home screen and changing of app icons, allowing for customization on a level not seen before on the platform. Here though, the "customization" hinges on a technicality, specifically of permutations: On a phone with, say, one million pixels, the number of ways one can place 20 icons is P(1000000,20)=9.998x10^119, an absolutely enormous number, but most people would not call two home screens where the only difference is that one icon is one pixel over a different configuration. Plus, not being able to snap the icons to a grid would be incredibly unsatisfying, as it would make it very difficult to get icons lined up with each other. Even if the icons snap to a grid, one would have 20!=2.43x10^18 possible ways to arrange them. If the icons could be placed in any grid, the number of possibilities would increase to C(24,20)=2.585x10^22 ways (assuming a screen can fit 24 icons).
 ; Dark mode (disables screen)

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:53, 8 April 2025
Line 154:		Line 154:

	:"The only phone you'll ever own"®™		:"The only phone you'll ever own"®™
−
−	~~==Viewers==~~
−	*Amazon.com
−	*eBay

	{{comic discussion}}		{{comic discussion}}

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:36, 8 April 2025
Line 154:		Line 154:

	:"The only phone you'll ever own"®™		:"The only phone you'll ever own"®™
		+
		+	==Viewers==
		+	*Amazon.com
		+	*eBay

	{{comic discussion}}		{{comic discussion}}

@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 The note about the xkcd Phone 12 and the xkcd Phone 12 Max (only for people named Max) is a joke about the different models of iPhone 12: iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max. The xkcd Phone 12 Max would be expected to have a larger screen, but it seems that this phone is also only for people with the name Max. If the phones are respectively placed, Max's (Maxes'?) phone is the smaller of the two models.
-The tagline '"The only phone you'll ever own"' could be interpreted as something of a threat, which is believable given some of the purported features. It is similar to the phrase ''"The last suit you'll ever wear"'', describing the black suits worn by the ''Men in Black'' in the movie of the same name. The slogan has the "registered trademark" symbol, which appears to itself be trademarked, which is highly unlikely.
+The tagline '"The only phone you'll ever own"' could be interpreted as something of a threat, which is believable given some of the purported features. It is similar to the phrase ''"The last suit you'll ever wear"'', describing the black suits worn by the ''Men in Black'' in the movie of the same name. The slogan has the "registered trademark" symbol (&reg;), which appears to itself be trademarked, which is highly unlikely.
 Multiple features are labelled on the phone that are common when advertising other products, but highly unusual in mobile phones, for comedic effect.

@@ Line 94: / Line 94: @@
 ; Shake for factory reset
-: A {{w|factory reset}} is often possible on electronic devices and is usually accomplished either by pressing a button that is often well-protected against accidental contact, for an extended period or closing an electrical bridge. This one works like an {{w|Etch A Sketch|Etch-a-Sketch}}, which would not be preferred, as [http://www.ahajokes.com/com045.html slight disturbances] could easily cause massive losses of data. In the other hand, given that it weighs at least 600 lbs, it will probably not be shaking due to a user intentionally trying to delete their data.
+: A {{w|factory reset}} is often possible on electronic devices and is usually accomplished either by pressing a button that is often well-protected against accidental contact, for an extended period or closing an electrical bridge. This one works like an {{w|Etch A Sketch|Etch-a-Sketch}}, which would not be preferred, as [http://www.ahajokes.com/com045.html slight disturbances] could easily cause massive losses of data. On the other hand, given that it weighs at least 600 lbs, it will probably not be shaking due to a user intentionally trying to delete their data.
 ; Norton MacAfee protection<nowiki>:</nowiki> if you're ever attacked by John MacAfee, Peter Norton will come out of retirement to defend you

@@ Line 30: / Line 30: @@
 ; Built-in 600 lb magnet for magnet fishing
-: {{w|Magnet fishing}} is an activity for searching for objects that can be pulled in by a strong magnet. A 600-pound magnet can lift a 600-pound (272 kg) object (at Earth's surface). This would tend to make the phone stick to any iron or steel objects (such as refrigerators) and be impossible to remove with human strength, and only the strongest humans could pick up the phone even if it were properly insulated. It would also be impossible to separate two phones without destroying one of them if the interlocking feature were used. This feature would also erase any credit cards the owner puts in the vicinity of the phone, meaning this phone could not be put in one's pocket with a wallet. There is also a possibility that this is a reference to Apple’s {{w|MagSafe}} accessory. Assuming the magnet is a {{w|neodymium magnet}} then, given an approximate density of 7.5g/cm^3, it would have a volume of roughly 36 liters, far larger than practical for any mobile phone.
+: {{w|Magnet fishing}} is an activity for searching for objects that can be pulled in by a strong magnet. A 600-pound magnet can lift a 600-pound (272 kg) object (at Earth's surface). This would tend to make the phone stick to any iron or steel objects (such as refrigerators) and be impossible to remove with human strength, and only the strongest humans could pick up the phone even if it were properly insulated. It would also be impossible to separate two phones without destroying one of them if the interlocking feature were used. This feature would also erase any credit cards the owner puts in the vicinity of the phone, meaning this phone could not be put in one's pocket with a wallet. There is also a possibility that this is a reference to Apple’s {{w|MagSafe}} accessory. Assuming the magnet is a {{w|neodymium magnet}} then, given an approximate density of 7.5g/cm<sup>3</sup>, it would have a volume of roughly 36 liters, far larger than practical for any mobile phone.
 ; Oral-B partnership<nowiki>:</nowiki> hold phone against teeth to ultrasonically remove plaque

@@ Line 54: / Line 54: @@
 ; Extended release charge cable
-: Electronics manufacturers support standards to reduce time to fully recharge, e.g. Qualcomm {{w|Quick Charge}} standard. This is a reference to {{w|Modified-release dosage|"extended release" medication}}. It's unclear what purpose would be served by charging a phone slower than normal.
+: Electronics manufacturers support standards to reduce time to fully recharge, e.g. Qualcomm {{w|Quick Charge}} standard. This is a reference to {{w|Modified-release dosage|"extended release" medication}}. Some phones have a setting to charge slower than normal so that if plugged in at bedtime it will be full by morning, in order to conserve the battery's long-term capacity.
 ; Closed timelike curves

@@ Line 78: / Line 78: @@
 ; CDC partnership<nowiki>:</nowiki> when in an indoor space with too many people, phone begins playing "We Like To Party! (The Vengabus)" at slowly increasing volume until everyone leaves
-: An allusion to the COVID-19 pandemic. CDC stands for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States public health institute. In [[2284: Sabotage]], Randall "promised" to bring an annoying karaoke song to a party to hopefully discourage people from attending, but this phone will apparently do so automatically. "{{w|We Like to Party! (Vengaboys song)|We Like To Party! (The Vengabus)}}" is a 1998 Eurodance/techno hit by the Vengaboys, and is perhaps most familiar to Americans from a series of {{w|Six Flags}} ads.
+: An allusion to the COVID-19 pandemic. CDC stands for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States public health institute. In [[2284: Sabotage]], Randall "promised" to bring an annoying karaoke song to a party to hopefully discourage people from attending, but this phone will apparently do so automatically. "{{w|We Like to Party! (Vengaboys song)|We Like To Party! (The Vengabus)}}" is a 1998 Eurodance/techno hit by the Vengaboys, and is perhaps most familiar to Americans from a series of {{w|Six Flags}} ads. This is probably a reference to [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QxWNlGHb7Y&t=35 this segment] from episode 398 of the podcast {{w|My Brother, My Brother and Me}}, which Randall is a fan of, as shown in [[2312: mbmbam]].
 ; Sacrificial anode

@@ Line 112: / Line 112: @@
 ; Screaming mode (self-explanatory)
-: The phone screams. Reference to the screaming-while-falling [[1363: xkcd Phone|xkcd Phone]], and a play on ''streaming'' mode, a feature of software where sensitive materials are hidden from view when hosting a video stream.
+: The phone screams. Reference to the screaming-while-falling [[1363: xkcd Phone|xkcd Phone]]. There is also a trend for modern games to have a Streaming (or Streamer) Mode, which suppresses the playing of licensed soundtracks so that streamers (those who promote the game by live-streaming their sessions) don't potentially fall foul of automated 'take-down' orders on behalf of the originators, and potentially also various display optimisations suited to the medium.
 ; Coherent ultracapacitor-pumped emission (please let us know what this setting does; we've been afraid to try it)