In a bold effort to wrestle with the growing concerns surrounding excessive smartphone usage, entrepreneur Cat Goetze has introduced a nostalgic solution—a landline-style phone that has quickly proven to be a sensation in the market. Within just three days of its release, this innovative device has generated a remarkable $120,000 (approximately ₹1 crore) in sales, signaling a broader trend towards minimizing screen time in our daily lives.
The genesis of Goetze’s journey can be traced back two years, sparked by her personal struggle with smartphone addiction. The constant pull of notifications and the endless scroll of social media left her feeling overwhelmed and yearning for the simplicity of traditional landline conversations. “I was kind of just sitting around [thinking] it’d be so cute if we still had landline phones and you could twirl the cord and talk with your friends. That just felt nostalgic and chic to me,” she shared in an interview with CNBC Make It.
Realizing that re-establishing a landline connection would necessitate a new phone number and the burden of service fees, Goetze decided to take matters into her own hands. She embarked on a creative project to repurpose a vintage pink clamshell handset, making it Bluetooth-compatible. This whimsical creation soon became not just a novelty but a staple within her home, allowing her to easily interface with her building’s security system and place calls directly from the elegant device.
The transition from personal project to commercial venture began in July 2025, after Goetze showcased her creation online. To her astonishment, the response was overwhelmingly positive, drawing a flood of interest from potential customers. Anticipating modest demand, she prepared to receive around 15 to 20 preorders. However, the reality quickly exceeded her expectations; her venture, now branded as Physical Phones, raked in $120,000 in just three days. By the end of October, sales had surged past 3,000 units, bringing in more than $280,000 in total revenue.
“It literally felt like we had captured lightning in a bottle,” Goetze recalled, marveling at the rapid success of her unique product.
Understanding the Mechanics of Physical Phones
Currently, Physical Phones provides five distinct handset designs, with prices ranging from $90 to $110. Anticipating high demand, Goetze has teamed up with an electronics manufacturer to scale production efficiently, and the first shipments are set to begin in December. These innovative handsets easily connect to both iPhones and Android devices via Bluetooth, ringing in response to incoming calls from various applications, including WhatsApp, FaceTime, Instagram, and Snapchat. Users can make outgoing calls by either dialing numbers manually or by utilizing the star (*) key to activate the device’s voice assistant.
Goetze attributes the striking success of her product to a growing cultural movement that opposes excessive screen time and tackles digital fatigue head-on. Observing how the pandemic intensified smartphone dependency, she notes that many individuals are now actively searching for ways to disconnect and reconnect with the world around them. “Our attention spans are shorter. We feel more anxious. We’re less present and unable to enjoy our lives. We’re going through a total loneliness epidemic,” she asserts, capturing the essence of this societal shift.
Moreover, Goetze emphasizes how people are beginning to take a stand against the overwhelming influence of technology. “People are now starting to put their foot down and realize, ‘You know what, I actually don’t want this, and I’m going to go ahead and choose a different future,’” she contends, hinting at the transformative power of a mindful approach to technology use.
While she recognizes the myriad benefits that technology brings—advancements in medicine, global connectivity—Goetze advocates for a balanced relationship with these tools. “What brings us sustainable forms of energy and vaccines and a bunch of really good things for the world, but it’s like, OK, how do we live in harmony with it?” she asks, challenging all of us to ponder how we can integrate technology into our lives without sacrificing our well-being and connections to others.