The means of communication would include pneumatic mail tubes, telephones, telegraphs, radios, and mechanically composed newspapers. -- Howard P. Segal, The Technological Utopians, in Joseph J. Corn (Ed.), Imagining Tomorrow: History, Technology and The American Future (Cambridge: MIT Press, 1986).
The magnetic interference can also cause problems with NFC performance on the new iPhones, and Apple has now started warning manufacturers in its MFi program with accessories supporting the devices to avoid magnets or metal.
Misconception explained: Magnets only attract certain types of metals (ferromagnetic material) other materials such as glass, plastic and wood aren't attracted. Metals such as iron, nickel and cobalt are attracted to magnets.