Some consumers getting rid of all gadgets - and replacing them with iPhone

One of the holy grails for consumer electronics manufacturers has always been to produce a single device that is good at so many things that customers don't need a whole collection of gadgets -- just one. The perfect example of this has been Apple Inc.'s (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhone. It makes calls, allows web browsing and email, can play music, TV and movies, and do about a jillion other things.

It's not the first device to try and be a jack-of-all-trades, but it's arguable the first to be the simplest and coolest at everything it does. Customers are apparently noticing, as they are dumping other gadgets in favor of carrying and using just one - the iPhone. And we're not talking middle-income families and consumers either, but those with incomes below the median.

This is music to Apple's ears -- its device is being used by all demographics for everything from telecommunications to video and music to web browsing (possibly being the first "portable" computer for many). ComScore stated that iPhone ownership spiked 48% from June 1 to the end of August among households earning between $25,000 and $50,000 a year. Need Apple say more? Not really.