Everyone knows about the iPhone 6 launch; it's one of the biggest tech releases of the year.
Apple's original iPhone revolutionized smartphone technology and subsequently put the entire industry in a chokehold. For years now, the iPhone has dominated the holiday shopping season, with Apple already shattering its own records from last year, announcing that 4 million preorders for both models of the iPhone 6 have been made. It's likely that, given the absolutely massive demand for the device, the iPhone 6 may be in short supply for some time.
If only there were an alternative, something that cut all the fluff out of the iPhone experience, something that truly represented the purest form of communication possible.
Introducing: the iCups.
The Kickstarter project describes the iCups as "the apex of high fashion and high technology. No screen, no buttons, no apps. Just simple, pure communication."
It's exactly what it looks like: a pair of cups tied together with a piece of string. It's a hilarious tribute to childhood make-believe communication, though the Kickstarter is asking for real money to fund the project.
With an asking price of $10,000, the iCups seem awfully expensive for what appears to be a joke product. The team behind the project promises the costs are necessary, citing warehouse space, bulk purchase and logistics support as the main reason for the iCups price point.
As with every Kickstarter project, there are a number of different rewards for pledging support. A $7 donation nets supporters a set of the iCups ($10 for Christmas-themed), with another pair of iCups added on for all subsequent pledges up to $75. For $100, donators will receive autographed iCups, and for $699, supporters will receive a whopping 100 iCups. Finally, the $1,000 package (for those with far too much money to spare) includes the 'Silicon Valley Time Capsule,' in which the team will bury a picture of the donator's face, name and a short bio for future generations to discover.
For those that would doubt the quality of the iCups, it seems that Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has received an early edition of the iCups, and well, the picture speaks for itself.
The iCups Kickstarter is currently sitting at just over $2,100 (roughly 1/5 of the necessary funds required) and is scheduled to close on Oct. 8. So, if the iPhone is just too needlessly complicated, why not try something a bit simpler?
