Phone Modification 101 : It’s Time to Get Creative

The technology market has been one of the fastest growing sectors in the last 30 years. Advances are continually being made in just about every sector. The most obvious of these is perhaps the mobile phone and how it has changed over the last 20 years. From a “portable” phone that was the size of a house brick to the slimline handsets of today, the  pace has been rapid . The average smartphone that you can (just about) hold in your hands these days has more technology than NASA did when they sent the first man to the moon.

Back in the 90’s independent mobile phone shops had a fair crack of the whip. These days the market is sewn up by the big operators, realising the didn’t need a middleman.

The last few years has shown an explosion of independent shops selling mobile phone accessories and offering repairs. This market has seen extensive growth in the last few years. Even booths offering replacement screens in shopping centres do a roaring trade. The broken screen is a bane of modern life. So few phones have actual buttons these days unless you’re still hooked on your Blackberry! If you have managed to make it past 2009, then you’ll know that the cracked screen is probably the number one repair needed by smartphone users.

Now even these shops may be facing a setback. Apple has installed an update that would appear to render your iPhone into an unusable brick. The technology giant has been as elusive as ever and released little information about this update. More and more iPhone users are receiving an “Error 53” message after DIY repairs or those carried out by non-Apple authorised agents. This leads to doubts from customers over Apple’s claim that is just an update to help keep their personal details secure. They’re desperate as ever to keep hold of their market share. Alphabet, the parent company of Google, has just nudged Apple off the top spot to become the world’s biggest tech company.

So, selling mobile phones is a dead duck, repairs could be iffy, so what’s next? The latest big trend in phones and gadgets is customization. Starting with simple coloured covers, businesses have been popping up all over the place. And now they are expanding their offerings all the time. You can now get custom phone cases made using your favourite photographs! Of course, there’s licensed merchandise from celebrities. At the top end, you can have your phone Gold plated for the ultimate in bling.  Many entrepreneurs have taken advantage of commercial plating services to resell at a healthy markup.

One modification that is halfway between the two spectrums is the trend for jewelled customizations. This is possible with just a small outlay and priced according to the type of gems used. Swarovski stones are one of the most in demand for “blinging up” a phone.  Many ambitious individuals have found success through selling them purely online and via social media. Local For Sale sites will usually list at least one business offering simple cosmetic modifications.

No one knows what will be the next big trend in phones, but customizations are here to stay. More and more people seek to express themselves by making their gadgets individual.