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More Official iPhone Reviews
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Okay here is the way the iPhone is being reviewed.
Imagine for a second that you were transported back to the introduction of the iPod (which was a much calmer even). Humor me for a minute....
Oh, my god. The ipod (iPhone) doesn't have a removable battery, THIS is a "Deal breaker for me"
The iPod only has a little interface! This will never be popular (never mind the fact that the state of the art then, as now is TINY little black buttons). The real beauty of the iPhone is that Apple will come out with a horizontal keyboard upgrade, via software upgrade and those people with "big fingers" will be out of excuses. I actually heard one reviewer complaining on CNBC that they couldn't drive while typing on an iPhone. Let's hope that's the case, buddy. Because as a fellow motorist I don't want you typing while driving. Put down the damn phone a drive, idiot.
There will be a better iPod in another year!!! Yes, and there will be a better flat screen and a better digital camera, and a better BMW sedan, and a better (insert any consumer product here) anything in another year. The fact is that this blows everything away here!!! and the better phone in a year will be... you guessed it another iPhone, not a blackberry.
The iPod screen will get scratched? Hello, guess what, we are all going to get old and die. It's called life. To quote Harrison Ford in Raiders "It's not the years, it's the mileage." The initial reports on the iPhone are that the screen is very durable. So your iPhone may not show the mileage.
The syncing (EDGE Network) is so slow, no one will put up with it. Is EDGE slow? Yes, no one is arguing that. But if I'm in my car and need a quick google search it will be plenty fast. Or a Google directions with traffic conditions. Once again plenty fast. 95% of the time I am within the range of a very fast Wi-Fi network, so a slow network that I'm only going to use 5% of the time is not a factor. But if you listen to the reviewers it's a "deal breaker" which is about as overused in our society as the work "absolutely" A faster network that I use 5% of the time would have been a major battery drain and THAT would have pissed me off.
The iPod is missing X feature and Y feature and Z feature. Well guess what folks, Apple can add X,Y,Z and ABCDEFG with software updates in the next coming months. Let's see blackberry add features in the coming months.
My iPod doesn't hook up with my work network. Hello people, this will come with updates, but just take a second to listen to yourself. This is what you are saying "I can't continue to work for the man while I'm on my private time..." My boss called me from his vacation so I could help him connect his XP machine to the local Wi-Fi network so he could check his email. I told him to step away from the computer and go down to the pool and hang out with his kids, and forget the email. It would be there in TWO DAYS when he returned to the job.
For Gosh sake people, for now this iPhone is a consumer aimed device. Remember free time, leisure time??? Fun Time? Do you remember when you first loaded up your iPod and spent an afternoon reminding yourself how much you enjoyed music?
The only negative things that Apple cannot fix with a software update is the speed of the data network. For me it's fast enough as is. The keyboard is a non issue. The battery is a non issue (same as ALL the iPods). The surface is a non issue. Scratch resistant and very user friendly. All the I.T. issues can be address in the coming weeks with software updates. And they will, for those who want to spend THEIR FREE TIME working for and staying in touch with THE MAN.
Many people have been waiting for the perfect product. This is happening a lot in Big screen TVs as well. Well, guess what folks, if you continually wait for perfection, you'll never get there. This phone makes life much more livable as is. And I for one am going out Friday and joining the 21st century of cell phone technology. Blackberry users may continue to think that their blackberries are the only way to get email. And that's fine. But email is just a small part of my life. I'll take a product that does many things extremely well, over a device that does one thing good, any day.
Is it perfect! No, but it's 90% on the way to perfection, with another 2-3% coming in the next few weeks with updates.
I for one am glad that Steve Jobs and the good folks at Apple have created such an amazing new product that blows the doors off anything in its category. Thank you!
Imagine for a second that you were transported back to the introduction of the iPod (which was a much calmer even). Humor me for a minute....
Oh, my god. The ipod (iPhone) doesn't have a removable battery, THIS is a "Deal breaker for me"
The iPod only has a little interface! This will never be popular (never mind the fact that the state of the art then, as now is TINY little black buttons). The real beauty of the iPhone is that Apple will come out with a horizontal keyboard upgrade, via software upgrade and those people with "big fingers" will be out of excuses. I actually heard one reviewer complaining on CNBC that they couldn't drive while typing on an iPhone. Let's hope that's the case, buddy. Because as a fellow motorist I don't want you typing while driving. Put down the damn phone a drive, idiot.
There will be a better iPod in another year!!! Yes, and there will be a better flat screen and a better digital camera, and a better BMW sedan, and a better (insert any consumer product here) anything in another year. The fact is that this blows everything away here!!! and the better phone in a year will be... you guessed it another iPhone, not a blackberry.
The iPod screen will get scratched? Hello, guess what, we are all going to get old and die. It's called life. To quote Harrison Ford in Raiders "It's not the years, it's the mileage." The initial reports on the iPhone are that the screen is very durable. So your iPhone may not show the mileage.
The syncing (EDGE Network) is so slow, no one will put up with it. Is EDGE slow? Yes, no one is arguing that. But if I'm in my car and need a quick google search it will be plenty fast. Or a Google directions with traffic conditions. Once again plenty fast. 95% of the time I am within the range of a very fast Wi-Fi network, so a slow network that I'm only going to use 5% of the time is not a factor. But if you listen to the reviewers it's a "deal breaker" which is about as overused in our society as the work "absolutely" A faster network that I use 5% of the time would have been a major battery drain and THAT would have pissed me off.
The iPod is missing X feature and Y feature and Z feature. Well guess what folks, Apple can add X,Y,Z and ABCDEFG with software updates in the next coming months. Let's see blackberry add features in the coming months.
My iPod doesn't hook up with my work network. Hello people, this will come with updates, but just take a second to listen to yourself. This is what you are saying "I can't continue to work for the man while I'm on my private time..." My boss called me from his vacation so I could help him connect his XP machine to the local Wi-Fi network so he could check his email. I told him to step away from the computer and go down to the pool and hang out with his kids, and forget the email. It would be there in TWO DAYS when he returned to the job.
For Gosh sake people, for now this iPhone is a consumer aimed device. Remember free time, leisure time??? Fun Time? Do you remember when you first loaded up your iPod and spent an afternoon reminding yourself how much you enjoyed music?
The only negative things that Apple cannot fix with a software update is the speed of the data network. For me it's fast enough as is. The keyboard is a non issue. The battery is a non issue (same as ALL the iPods). The surface is a non issue. Scratch resistant and very user friendly. All the I.T. issues can be address in the coming weeks with software updates. And they will, for those who want to spend THEIR FREE TIME working for and staying in touch with THE MAN.
Many people have been waiting for the perfect product. This is happening a lot in Big screen TVs as well. Well, guess what folks, if you continually wait for perfection, you'll never get there. This phone makes life much more livable as is. And I for one am going out Friday and joining the 21st century of cell phone technology. Blackberry users may continue to think that their blackberries are the only way to get email. And that's fine. But email is just a small part of my life. I'll take a product that does many things extremely well, over a device that does one thing good, any day.
Is it perfect! No, but it's 90% on the way to perfection, with another 2-3% coming in the next few weeks with updates.
I for one am glad that Steve Jobs and the good folks at Apple have created such an amazing new product that blows the doors off anything in its category. Thank you!
I have used cell phones for 11 years and have yet to send a single MMS message...There shouldn't have to be work arounds...
MMS messages are standard, and its sometehing EVERYONE with a cellphone has grown acustomed to. Having to work around it is silly.
No, but the iPhone isn't coming to Europe in 2006 but in 2008. A LOT has changed in a couple of years regarding 3G coverage and services here.
And the 85% you're talking about aren't phones that cost 600 euros and more so Apple isn't even competing with that sector of the market.
Sorry, but not all of those points are accurate.
The sound quality is said to be "good but not great". Now look at a reviews of your favorite cell phone. The RAZR is described in most reviews I have read to have poor to fair sound quality. "Good but not great" is the most positive description of cell phone sound quality that I have ever read.
The battery has reduced capacity after 300 charges, it is not dead.
The EDGE network is slow, but WiFi is not, and only a handful of phones out there are WiFi enabled. Those that are have prices similar to the iPhone.
Most reviewers have stated that after a few days, the keyboard is at least as easy to use as the mini thumbpad keyboards are.
I agree, the storage is only 8 GB, but this is as much as any current flash-based MP3 player AFAIK.
I would certainly like to see some missing features, such as search and voice commands, but these can be added as software updates.
The most glaring omission, from my selfish perspective, is that the iPhone has no timeline for availability in Canada.
Dear Europeans, we appreciate your concerns, but please stop bitching about American cell phone products and networks. We realize yours are better. When the offical European iPhone specs/launch date are announced THEN you may bitch. Until then, your worries are speculative. Thanks.
Signed, your American Mac compatriots.
Signed, your American Mac compatriots.
Dear Padriac, this is a rumour site, speculating is to be expected.
Signed, The Forums
I am bitching about being forced to pay for a data plan that I don't want to use. By most (reviewer's) accounts, the AT&T network is painfully slow. I will just use WiFi. If the data plan REALLY had value then I should want it ....right? - so why force it on me. You and I both know it is being forced on customers because the phone-nazis don't want you having the convenience of WiFi without them getting your pound of flesh. Yeah, I am going to bitch about paying $480.00 (over the course of a 2-year contract) and hundreds more over the expected life of a device for something I don't need. Think about it, you are paying a tax on this thing FOREVER! It is not like in the future you can say "Oh gee, I just want to use it for all of its features, except the phone." sometime down the line.
You are not typical, though. I use MMS and find it very useful. It's astonishing that the iPhone doesn't have this standard capability.
I'm pleased that I can't be tempted to buy a MkI iPhone because I think it's a product that needs to mature. In short, it needs:
MMS
3G
Video recording/calling
High-res camera
Ability to buy iTunes music directly (someone needs sacking for overlooking that revenue earner!)
When the Mk2 arrives in the UK, I could be tempted. We'll see...
Here's the really good news which I feel has been overlooked
The hardware is sound!
The actual hold in your hand technology 'bit' works so flawlessly as to be rendered virtually invisible...
And so whilst some may express concern over the learning curve for the 'software keyboard; you have to remember that they are running this entire thing by multi-touch which from the clips has become so 'automatic' as to not even warrant comment!!. A casual finger flick here and a casual finger flick there...it's so fluid!
I bet navigating with those crappy joypads on say the Nokia' kit will no way close to make up for the so called 'ommsision ( deliberate)' of a real platicky keyboard.
...and that's great because it means just about every single so called 'gripe' can be resolved by a software update.
Fortunately the iphone's is synched to itunes which also makes this zero effort!
I bet there'll be a major software update within 4 weeks of launch...
The hardware is sound!
The actual hold in your hand technology 'bit' works so flawlessly as to be rendered virtually invisible...
And so whilst some may express concern over the learning curve for the 'software keyboard; you have to remember that they are running this entire thing by multi-touch which from the clips has become so 'automatic' as to not even warrant comment!!. A casual finger flick here and a casual finger flick there...it's so fluid!
I bet navigating with those crappy joypads on say the Nokia' kit will no way close to make up for the so called 'ommsision ( deliberate)' of a real platicky keyboard.
...and that's great because it means just about every single so called 'gripe' can be resolved by a software update.
Fortunately the iphone's is synched to itunes which also makes this zero effort!
I bet there'll be a major software update within 4 weeks of launch...
So the next model needs for me -
3G
GPS
Stereo Bluetooth
Screen capture/shot
Cheaper entry level plan - say an hour voice and unlimited data for $40 or less
3G
GPS
Stereo Bluetooth
Screen capture/shot
Cheaper entry level plan - say an hour voice and unlimited data for $40 or less
Where are you getting 2008 from? Apple has said Q4 2007.
The 3G market is expected to grow to 20% for the CY 2007. Nothing has changed. What are you basing your thoughts on? The mobile internet hasnt taken off because of the shoddy browsers in most phones, and not because of the lack of 3G. 3G doesnt make the mobile experience magically better for 99% of people in Europe. The quality of the browser on the phone does.
Granted, I do believe the iPhone should have 3G (even more so for a $600 device) - but you are speculating that the phone wont have 3G by the time it is released in Europe. Lets wait and see huh?
iPhone does seem flawed...
It's obviously worth the hype and looks like it should and, provided there aren't some hardware issues, most people will probably fall in love with their iPhones.
Still, that call quality is only average and depends on AT&T... I suppose a lot of that is the carrier's problem, and that it might be a shortcoming easily made up for by the rest of the iPhone, but I can't help thinking that it's a bit crippling for a phone hyped as being so excellent a device might turn out to be only average at phone stuff. And what is up with Apple and making it so hard to replace batteries? They could have set up their own proprietary replaceable batteries they could sell, but no, it has to be a hassle for the consumer and even costly to Apple. Why?
It's obviously worth the hype and looks like it should and, provided there aren't some hardware issues, most people will probably fall in love with their iPhones.
Still, that call quality is only average and depends on AT&T... I suppose a lot of that is the carrier's problem, and that it might be a shortcoming easily made up for by the rest of the iPhone, but I can't help thinking that it's a bit crippling for a phone hyped as being so excellent a device might turn out to be only average at phone stuff. And what is up with Apple and making it so hard to replace batteries? They could have set up their own proprietary replaceable batteries they could sell, but no, it has to be a hassle for the consumer and even costly to Apple. Why?
Don't worry about it. battery on my ipod is still going strong after 3 years!!plus I guarantee within 2 days of release someone will have cracked the case and demonstrated it's just a plug in lithium like in the ipod, and I've personally never replaced a battery on a cell phone yet!
but above all that...Your going to be upgrading in 2 years to Iphone 2 so you really won't care at all...
Don't let the fears of those who are 'never happy', 'never satisfied' or are unable to recognize 'insanely great' when they see it put you off owning a piece of the finest Apple Tech ever created...
...The choice is yours...but make no mistake about it 2007 is 'the year of iphone' - you can be part of it or sit by and watch ( and listen to those who elected not to join the party sit and gripe and tell you how joystick browsing on an N95 is just as much fun and tap and zoom is overrated - haha!!)
Just enjoy the moment!!!heck, sure it's not perfect - NOTHING IS!!! NOTHING!!..but it's pretty much the closest anyone's ever got yet......
Brilliant!
Exactly. 3G is SIMPLY NONEXISTENT in more than 90% of our world. Get real and stop complaining; the iPhone is simply THE BEST phone out there, period.
EXCELLENT BATTERY LIFE
EXCELLENT SCRATCH-RESISTANT SCREEN
EXCELLENT SOFTWARE
THE BEST EMAIL AND BROWSER
THE BEST MUSIC PLAYER
THE MOST USER-FRIENDLY UI
GREAT KEYBOARD
Other points:
EDGE is more than enought for basic browsing...nobody is gonna heavy-use it while driving or walking anyway.
NOBODY sends MMSs or similar crap (apart from SMSs); I've never sent one in more than 1 year using my Motorola, and got only 2 from a friend sending pics.
What else do you want? Wanna compare it to puny Nokias and Blackberries? Come on...those companies are already trembling with the prospect of disappearing revenues...they are history.
Ok..I have the prefect analogy ;
Not getting an iphone because its not got a replaceable battery is like sitting around in 1977 and saying to your buddies Hey, Im not going to see Star Wars cos I dont like wookies and I suggest you all do the same. Sure I love what Ive heard about Han, and the Falcon, Leia, luke and obi, and the story sounds way cool and the effects look amazing and well everything seems awesome but I just REALLY DONT LIKE WOOKIES..I mean, come on surely they could make a mini-wookie maybe call it an ewok or something...yes, thats it...when they got ewoks Ill go see it!!I'm boycotting that movie until Lucas shrinks the wookies to a more reasonable size.
Not getting an iphone because its not got a replaceable battery is like sitting around in 1977 and saying to your buddies Hey, Im not going to see Star Wars cos I dont like wookies and I suggest you all do the same. Sure I love what Ive heard about Han, and the Falcon, Leia, luke and obi, and the story sounds way cool and the effects look amazing and well everything seems awesome but I just REALLY DONT LIKE WOOKIES..I mean, come on surely they could make a mini-wookie maybe call it an ewok or something...yes, thats it...when they got ewoks Ill go see it!!I'm boycotting that movie until Lucas shrinks the wookies to a more reasonable size.
I'm a very loyal mac user, but this phone rubs me the wrong way. It's beautiful, has a wonderful UI and a nice feature set, but the conditions you have to agree with to have it are just pushing things too far. Also, not being able to change the battery when you need juice is crazy in a modern phone, not to mention having to be without your phone when the battery eventually dies. Stupid design decision and even more stupid business-wise since a lot of people NEED to use a spare battery when they're out travelling or whatever.
I WANT one badly, but not at this price (cost, restrictions, battery, locked). Apple, I love you, but you're pushing the limit of arrogance in this case.
If you think waiting 1 min to open amazon or NYtimes is acceptable, then more power to you, but we are living in 2007. No one is arguing that the iPhone is a kickass phone, it certainly is. What is not okay is paying 20$ extra on your plan to get ISDN-like speeds.
That's a pretty good idea... If I understand correctly, you would set it up so that the last (empty) row of 4 icons would be pics that dial the associated person... or you could have more than 1 row of 4 and scroll them.
Another approach would be to:
1) Allow the user to setup a page of these icons
2) thru settings, allow the user to specify that this page is the default page when the phone wakes up (the home button is pressed).
3) Tapping the home button from this page (or double-tapping home) would take you to the standard home page.
You could use the same approach for texting, emailing... whatever, if that's where you spend most of your time... and be able to change it as your needs change-- that business trip out of town, etc.
In other words, customize the phone for your particular needs at any particular time.
Apple could/should do this with a software update.. it would be relatively easy (for them).
My real point is that you have a valid need and it would be simple to implement on the iPhone... not so, on any other device.
So, Apple hasn't missed a "perfect opportunity"... they have created a device that gives them the "perfect opportunity" to do this anytime, at no real cost or inconvenience to them or their customers.
Now, If I can only get Sir Charles to put me in his Hot Five....
Addition:
Someone asked what the phrase "Deep-Six" means & I didn't see an answer...
It means to kill & bury... a grave being six feet deep.
AIR, it came into popular use during the Nixon/Watergate hearings where G. Gordon Liddy used it (taped) in reference to destroying some evidence.
HTH
Wow, Fan Boi post of the day!
The markets that do have 3G, Europe and Asia are the largest phone markets... markets were Apple just cannot afford to fail. 3G covers more than 10% of the planet... if you think that the whole world doesn't just consist of the u.s. Maybe its 10% coverage in the states?
Depends on your needs. The iPhone isn't for every one.
LOL. A bit over the top, don't you think? "Puny" Nokia - you do realise they have over 50% of the smartphone market don't you? They phones aren't as expensive as the iPhone on contract. You can buy them outright for the same price OR LESS as the iPhone and they are very functional phones. Oh, Nokia supports 3G too...
Blackberries are mainly for business users. iPhone is consumer only. Different markets.
The markets that do have 3G, Europe and Asia are the largest phone markets... markets were Apple just cannot afford to fail. 3G covers more than 10% of the planet... if you think that the whole world doesn't just consist of the u.s. Maybe its 10% coverage in the states?
Depends on your needs. The iPhone isn't for every one.
LOL. A bit over the top, don't you think? "Puny" Nokia - you do realise they have over 50% of the smartphone market don't you? They phones aren't as expensive as the iPhone on contract. You can buy them outright for the same price OR LESS as the iPhone and they are very functional phones. Oh, Nokia supports 3G too...
Blackberries are mainly for business users. iPhone is consumer only. Different markets.
.[/QUOTE]
I agree that the iPhone does seem amazing, based on these reviews but it still has problems. Nearly every "high-end" phone here in the UK (and Europe) is 3G. In fact there's even a network (3) that ONLY offers 3G phones. Yes most phones are not 3G but that's because most phones are cheap bare-bones ones. The iPhone is a very high-end phone and will be expected to have 3G in the EU.
People who don't use MMSs are silly, because they're brilliant and much better value than standard SMS. A MMS costs the same as four SMS messages, but in it you can put over ten times as much text along with images and sound. It's FAR better value than a SMS for big messages. And it works on all phones unlike email.
Text messaging isn't a big thing in the US, but it's HUGE in the EU and MMS isn't as insignificant as people may think.