So I'm still using the iPhone after my latest foray into the world of the Google Nexus One ended with a trifecta of frustration at google/htc service, the touch screen, and the constant crashing. However, looking at the new "superphones" coming out of the CITA show that the people at androidcentral.com are reporting on really has me excited (samsung galaxy s, htc incredible, sprint evo, etc.). The specs of the phones are so incredible. Assuming there isn't a serious issue with the phones like there is with the Nexus One, these phones will pose a serious threat to Apple's iPhone unless the guys at Cupertino really make a complete redesign to both the OS and the phone hardware.
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Is the iPhone now obsolete?
- Thread starter DoNoHarm
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There will always be new specs and competition
Each user will be able to make a choice that suits them
My iPhone suits me just fine
Each user will be able to make a choice that suits them
My iPhone suits me just fine
I agree, the iPhone is getting very outdated. It was the star for a long time, but now it is not anymore.
Still, the 3G and the 3GS are not bad products, if you can live with the annoying limitations. I keep my 3G because I have free mobile internet on it without subscription (UK PAYG deal). Otherwise I would have sold it already.
I love my Nokia 6300 phone and I always used that for making calls, partly because of the 3G's poor battery life, partly because of the iPhone arrangement that I have.
For friends, I now recommend either getting an iPod Touch and a mobile or HTC smartphones.
BUT LET'S NOT FORGET THAT APPLE WILL SOON BRING OUT SOME NEW iPHONES (hopefully)... They might get the lead back.
Still, the 3G and the 3GS are not bad products, if you can live with the annoying limitations. I keep my 3G because I have free mobile internet on it without subscription (UK PAYG deal). Otherwise I would have sold it already.
I love my Nokia 6300 phone and I always used that for making calls, partly because of the 3G's poor battery life, partly because of the iPhone arrangement that I have.
For friends, I now recommend either getting an iPod Touch and a mobile or HTC smartphones.
BUT LET'S NOT FORGET THAT APPLE WILL SOON BRING OUT SOME NEW iPHONES (hopefully)... They might get the lead back.
Are you buying a phone or are you buying a desktop? Usability > Specs.
Apple does need to do some things, like a better screen, a bigger(not more megapixels) camera, redesign the notifications system, maybe even some cloud integration like facebook but completely overhauling the OS is a huge mistake. The last thing you want is the iPhone to blend into the crowd.
Oh and remember Apple has always and will always target the mainstream market. So it is not about doing the most things but doing what it does well.
Apple does need to do some things, like a better screen, a bigger(not more megapixels) camera, redesign the notifications system, maybe even some cloud integration like facebook but completely overhauling the OS is a huge mistake. The last thing you want is the iPhone to blend into the crowd.
Oh and remember Apple has always and will always target the mainstream market. So it is not about doing the most things but doing what it does well.
Great so you can carry two devices on you at once, one that cant even do anything half the time because you don't have 3g.
I already carry two devices. My iPhone 3G does not last half a day - it's not fit for purpose as a mobile phone, in my opinion. I tried various external batteries, but the best thing is just to use something for phone calls that does that well.Besides, there are mobile phones that can work as 3G-based mobile modems.
Apple do this. Watch the competition bring out new stuff, innovation if you will, then wait a while, then bring out something new to blow them out of the water. The iPhone 4g is going to be as revolutionary as the original iPhone was. It has to be. If you think about it, Apple have been designing and working on the 4g for at very least three years now, because non of the new releases have been massively different to the original iPhone. My dad has a first gen and using it side by side with my 3GS, there's barely anything different in real terms. I mean, it looks the same, has the same OS, has the same basic functionality and user experience. The 4g HAS to be a big step away from this. I predict we're at very least going to see some new hardware interaction (touch sensitive casing etc)
The fundamental problem with ALL other phones (for me) is that they are not itunes compatible. Im an apple man and the iphone has helped streamline my life. I dont need my phone to do much more than an iphone already does. I do hope iphone 4 brings afew new ideas to the table like ichat and itunes cloud and maybe social network hub. Finger crossed iphone 4 is uni body alimunimum to get some of that oooohhhh factor back.
TRIPLE THE BATTERY AND IPHONE IS GODLY.
TRIPLE THE BATTERY AND IPHONE IS GODLY.
Then your opinion is wrong. As a PURE Phone, as in no location service, no wifi, no web browsing running on 2G and only using the screen when you are scrolling the contact list; the iPhone will most certainly run for half a day.
My 3G battery was lasting 6 hours with all the above turned on. As my iPhone was out of warranty I replaced the battery myself and now it last over a day. Obviously the old battery was finished.
I dont know, I think a lot of people get blinded by specs.
Fast processors and big high resolution screens does not mean it will be a great phone to use.
The user experience is what matters.
90% of my friends wouldnt be impressed by me saying, "My new phone has a 1GHZ Snapdragon processor and high reslution OMLED screen"
It means NOTHING to the common man, so to speak.
The iphone keeps things simple and silky smooth.... and it works for me
Although, I am praying for a new notification system this summer
Fast processors and big high resolution screens does not mean it will be a great phone to use.
The user experience is what matters.
90% of my friends wouldnt be impressed by me saying, "My new phone has a 1GHZ Snapdragon processor and high reslution OMLED screen"
It means NOTHING to the common man, so to speak.
The iphone keeps things simple and silky smooth.... and it works for me
Although, I am praying for a new notification system this summer
Yep, my opinion is wrong, that's why it is an opinion.So you are suggesting that we should reduce our iPhones to ordinary mobile phones in order to get enough battery life to make several long phone calls?
That kind of defeats the whole point of having an iPhone in the first place.
I'm European and I am on the phone ALL THE TIME! Your iPhone will not last more than three hours of conversation, especially if you are driving. But switching 3G and wifi on and off all the time is just stupid and ridiculous.
Obsolete is a strong word!
I would agree that the next iPhone update will be much more than another minor update (as the 3G and especially 3GS were) and that the competition has closed considerably.
I still love my iPhone (3G, bought first day) and its battery still lasts all day after 21 months of daily use (I always charge overnight). I agree that the notifications could be better and that the push notification system is also a big disappointment but I'm out of contract now and am fully expecting to move up to the next iPhone hardware revision. None of the other phones that I've seen or used seem quite as good - sometimes better in some areas but overall not as nice. And less compatible. And my girlfriend's new 'click the whole screen' touchscreen Blackberry is a complete joke - how RIM ever got big I don't know!!! Only Android comes anywhere close.
I was the first in my office to get an iPhone - opinion was always divided but now over half my office carry iPhones (personal - our company does not approve them for IT use) and those that bought clones have since jumped on board or are reluctantly admitting their mistakes...
Still, it's not perfect, but hardly obsolete. Where would smartphones be if the iPhone hadn't come along? I dread to think...
I would agree that the next iPhone update will be much more than another minor update (as the 3G and especially 3GS were) and that the competition has closed considerably.
I still love my iPhone (3G, bought first day) and its battery still lasts all day after 21 months of daily use (I always charge overnight). I agree that the notifications could be better and that the push notification system is also a big disappointment but I'm out of contract now and am fully expecting to move up to the next iPhone hardware revision. None of the other phones that I've seen or used seem quite as good - sometimes better in some areas but overall not as nice. And less compatible. And my girlfriend's new 'click the whole screen' touchscreen Blackberry is a complete joke - how RIM ever got big I don't know!!! Only Android comes anywhere close.
I was the first in my office to get an iPhone - opinion was always divided but now over half my office carry iPhones (personal - our company does not approve them for IT use) and those that bought clones have since jumped on board or are reluctantly admitting their mistakes...
Still, it's not perfect, but hardly obsolete. Where would smartphones be if the iPhone hadn't come along? I dread to think...
I'm in the telcos industry and I've had the chance to experience many many different smart phones, as good as the specs of some of them may be they still dont come near the seemless integration of everything on the iPhone, I constantly hear people complaining about their new 'latest and greatest' HTC or Andriod or Samsung. Sure my 3G is abit over the hill, it's almost 2 years old now and it's certainly slow at times but thats largely due to jailbreaking, even so the iPhone just works, and does everything I need.
And if it doesnt...there's prob an app for that
And if it doesnt...there's prob an app for that
Seamless integration of what? It all depends on what each user plans on doing with his / her phone. If they are a heavy google user, i.e. they use gmail, google contacts, google calendar, etc., then clearly android is the way to go. Everything seamlessly syncs via the cloud, no user interaction required. The Buzz integration in Maps is great. I could go on and on.
I'm really tired of hearing people say this. Jailbreaking doesn't inherently cause a phone to be slow; it's what kind of apps you are using with you jailbroken phone that causes slowdown.
It's implied, no one jailbreaks thier phone and doesnt use any apps, SB settings and themes etc.
I dont use gmail so it suits my Yahoo requirements fine just fine.
And I had an android for a month, didnt appeal to me, screen was grubby and poor design.
the 3g maybe, but the 3gs? really? i think that considering what went on under the hood of the 3gs you could argue that its spec at the time was just as impressive as the spec of the evo at this time. the 3gs was not a minor upgrade. so we didn't get a slew of every-day-use features (compass? recorder?), the hardware was still a big bump.
i agree that the the 4th revision of the iphone will need to be a pretty hefty upgrade in both software and hardware to keep up (keep up, not keep ahead...). unfortunately apple have a habit of being somewhat mediocre recently so i'm not pinning my hopes on some uber-device this summer. i'd like them to prove me wrong, i really would, but i just don't see it happening.
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Does not last half a day? Do you play 3d games continuously? my 3GS lasts easily more than a whole day unless I'm just on it constantly. I've gotten over 2 hours of use (not games) and 24 hrs standby and been in the high 40s for battery %.
As for the original question, there are always going to be tech geeks who freak out over specs, just like in the desktop space. Most people care about the overall user experience, not some spec sheet that may or may not have to do with how you use your phone in the real world.
Following tech news can skew your perceptions of what's important to average consumers. as long as the iPhone has a great app store, iTunes integration, and most importantly a smooth and fun user experience, it's not going anywhere.
kernkraft said:
Does not last half a day? Do you play 3d games continuously? my 3GS lasts easily more than a whole day unless I'm just on it constantly. I've gotten over 2 hours of use (not games) and 24 hrs standby and been in the high 40s for battery %.
As for the original question, there are always going to be tech geeks who freak out over specs, just like in the desktop space. Most people care about the overall user experience, not some spec sheet that may or may not have to do with how you use your phone in the real world.
Following tech news can skew your perceptions of what's important to average consumers. as long as the iPhone has a great app store, iTunes integration, and most importantly a smooth and fun user experience, it's not going anywhere.
1.) The 3GS has a better battery.
2.) If you check the battery and the maximum length for making phone calls with any relevant app, you'll see that it's around 2.5-3.5 hours with a fully charged battery. I get out about 90-100 minutes with the wifi turned off. If I use it in the car or on the train/tube, it's even less than that. While moving, the handset is trying to find the strongest signal continuously, that drains the battery. It is not an issue with my 6300 Nokia, but it kills the battery life on the iPhone.
everyone keeps talking about ease of use, so, genuine question here, what is so difficult to use in android when compared with the iphone os?
my gf has a htc hero and doesn't have any issues with it (she's hardly a tech person). toggling key features can be set as home page buttons (data, wifi, etc). quick dial and quick sms buttons can be set on home pages for regular contacts. facebook and twitter integration... these all strike me as serious ease of use features (and if my gf can use them then anyone can). is android really that difficult to use or is it just a myth?
my gf has a htc hero and doesn't have any issues with it (she's hardly a tech person). toggling key features can be set as home page buttons (data, wifi, etc). quick dial and quick sms buttons can be set on home pages for regular contacts. facebook and twitter integration... these all strike me as serious ease of use features (and if my gf can use them then anyone can). is android really that difficult to use or is it just a myth?
Is the iPhone 3G obsolete? Close to it. It's definitely very old now compared to newer phones.
But the 3GS? Nope.
I doubt any of these devices will be released before the next iPhone. Look at these things almost like the slate devices at CES - everyone is trying to get something out that could compete with the unknown Apple device that's in the pipeline.
But the 3GS? Nope.
I doubt any of these devices will be released before the next iPhone. Look at these things almost like the slate devices at CES - everyone is trying to get something out that could compete with the unknown Apple device that's in the pipeline.
definitely not obsolete
agreed there are some really tempting phones coming out on android as well, its a tuffy but i really like the APP Store it's what keeps me "
iphone"
i think andriod are a way off competing with apple on the app front but that may well change.
im not a fanboy in any way for me its just that my works laptop/main comp is a mac and i use itunes so it just fits.
i have windows pc's as well and i spose if i used them all the time i would look at HTC phones with a lot more interest at the moment
still happy with the 3gs atm
agreed there are some really tempting phones coming out on android as well, its a tuffy but i really like the APP Store it's what keeps me "
iphone" i think andriod are a way off competing with apple on the app front but that may well change.
im not a fanboy in any way for me its just that my works laptop/main comp is a mac and i use itunes so it just fits.
i have windows pc's as well and i spose if i used them all the time i would look at HTC phones with a lot more interest at the moment
still happy with the 3gs atm
No Android is not difficult to use at all. It's just different and some people don't adapt to change well. I would say anyone who could pick up an iPhone and learn to use it well could do the same with an Android phone. There is very little difference in ease of use.
It's not difficult, it's just different.
Part of what's happening is what was predicted back when the iPhone first came out, and what is always true with devices:
As users get familiar with its capabilities, some will want more control, options, customization, functionality and even choice in form factors. Many others will not.
Apple has to tread carefully in order to keep the iPhone's primary market happy. They can no longer make huge UI leaps, unless it's on a different device. However, the iPad's UI indicates they're wary of change even then.
Apple is now trapped, just as every other smartphone maker was, in a legacy UI that can only be extended, not radically changed... unless they want to pull a Microsoft WPS7 move and alienate lots of current users.
Nothing inherently wrong with that, of course. Their target is the I-don't-want-to-fiddle user market, and it's a big one.