So many people are already disappointed with the iPhone already (or maybe it isn't that many people) as if they can see one year into the future.
Here is what is in my mind right now:
* Is the price so hard to believe? An 80GB iPod is $349 and people don't have too much beef with paying that, but the moment they hear $499 for a phone they complain that no phone has ever cost this much. Yes, it's a ton of money. But nothing can make Windows Mobile good or other phones have the sort of software as this phone. I've had a T-mobile SDA for a year or so and it's fairly useless. The IE browser cannot load and scale pages properly - it is crippled by its lack of RAM. A generously sized webpage will practically crash the phone. I'd pay anything for a phone that is comfortable in its own skin. Yeah, my phone can run Doom. But I've never been happy with it.
* Do you honestly think that the iPhone won't be hacked, modified, stuff done to it? It will be a matter of days before what's in the iPhone is extracted and studied, and people learn how to put their own stuff on it - it isn't impenetrable. A closed platform means nothing...however Apple loads stuff onto the iPhone people could study to figure out how to do it themselves.
* Are you really unsatisfied with the day-1 featureset? Let's face it, Apple has already put up the most useful stuff...browser, email, maps/directory, weather, stocks, music, videos and other multimedia, calendar, address book. They did this because this is the main stuff people want and need. There will always be stuff that some phones run that this phone won't - but no phone or PDA is truly suited for doing things such as editing Excel and Powerpoints. Everyone prefers to do these things on laptops although some demand it all. Although I did once have fun with my Jornada PPC and foldable keyboard and mobile-Word (until I bought a powerbook, that is). In any case, if this phone can run Gmail through Safari, it will probably be able to open Word and Powerpoint through Gmail's built in capabilities.
* iChat functionality is coming. If someone doesn't make an AJAX frontend for AIM/MSN, apple will have their iChat port out by the fall. Who actually thinks that Apple will sit back and not put any more apps on the iPhone. This is only round one.
* AJAX and Web 2.0 BS has some potential for some simple apps that don't exactly tap the iPhone's potential but can fill in a few nooks and crannies, but that is surely a stopgap. Soon enough Steve will get an SDK out and just like adding widgets, people will be able to put content on at their own risk.
* 3G would be nice. It's ***** expensive and not that many cities have it yet, and Apple will add it when they think the time is right, although its financial and battery cost is high. Edge plans already cost an arm and a leg. So much of the world is blanketed with wifi right now (most people's houses, entire college campuses, restaurants) that less and less people really need a data plan. I am debating whether I'd actually use an Edge plan when I'm rarely anywhere besides work in my lab and my apartment. A minimum of my time is spent in places without access to wifi. Those that will miss 3G are those that are really on the go. Hopefully ATT will cut us customers a deal on iPhone data plan prices. Unlimited for $20 I would buy. Unlimited for $40 not so much.
* I challenge anyone to make a conclusive case for another phone over the iPhone for any reason besides price.
In summary, this is just about the smallest device running (most of) OSX's code, so if any mobile device has hope and a future and true potential, it is the iPhone.
Here is what is in my mind right now:
* Is the price so hard to believe? An 80GB iPod is $349 and people don't have too much beef with paying that, but the moment they hear $499 for a phone they complain that no phone has ever cost this much. Yes, it's a ton of money. But nothing can make Windows Mobile good or other phones have the sort of software as this phone. I've had a T-mobile SDA for a year or so and it's fairly useless. The IE browser cannot load and scale pages properly - it is crippled by its lack of RAM. A generously sized webpage will practically crash the phone. I'd pay anything for a phone that is comfortable in its own skin. Yeah, my phone can run Doom. But I've never been happy with it.
* Do you honestly think that the iPhone won't be hacked, modified, stuff done to it? It will be a matter of days before what's in the iPhone is extracted and studied, and people learn how to put their own stuff on it - it isn't impenetrable. A closed platform means nothing...however Apple loads stuff onto the iPhone people could study to figure out how to do it themselves.
* Are you really unsatisfied with the day-1 featureset? Let's face it, Apple has already put up the most useful stuff...browser, email, maps/directory, weather, stocks, music, videos and other multimedia, calendar, address book. They did this because this is the main stuff people want and need. There will always be stuff that some phones run that this phone won't - but no phone or PDA is truly suited for doing things such as editing Excel and Powerpoints. Everyone prefers to do these things on laptops although some demand it all. Although I did once have fun with my Jornada PPC and foldable keyboard and mobile-Word (until I bought a powerbook, that is). In any case, if this phone can run Gmail through Safari, it will probably be able to open Word and Powerpoint through Gmail's built in capabilities.
* iChat functionality is coming. If someone doesn't make an AJAX frontend for AIM/MSN, apple will have their iChat port out by the fall. Who actually thinks that Apple will sit back and not put any more apps on the iPhone. This is only round one.
* AJAX and Web 2.0 BS has some potential for some simple apps that don't exactly tap the iPhone's potential but can fill in a few nooks and crannies, but that is surely a stopgap. Soon enough Steve will get an SDK out and just like adding widgets, people will be able to put content on at their own risk.
* 3G would be nice. It's ***** expensive and not that many cities have it yet, and Apple will add it when they think the time is right, although its financial and battery cost is high. Edge plans already cost an arm and a leg. So much of the world is blanketed with wifi right now (most people's houses, entire college campuses, restaurants) that less and less people really need a data plan. I am debating whether I'd actually use an Edge plan when I'm rarely anywhere besides work in my lab and my apartment. A minimum of my time is spent in places without access to wifi. Those that will miss 3G are those that are really on the go. Hopefully ATT will cut us customers a deal on iPhone data plan prices. Unlimited for $20 I would buy. Unlimited for $40 not so much.
* I challenge anyone to make a conclusive case for another phone over the iPhone for any reason besides price.
In summary, this is just about the smallest device running (most of) OSX's code, so if any mobile device has hope and a future and true potential, it is the iPhone.