When everybody has an iPhone...

[netdog]

...is it going to lose something? That obscure object of desire might lose something in the process.

I was given a V3 Razr during the first week that they were available in London. It seems like half the people in London have one now, and the V3 definitely lost its sex appeal quickly.

Once every other guy on the bus has an iPhone, are people going to find that they really don't want Internet on their phones that much, nor email nor music, and that the iPhone is actually a little big and, besides being buttonless, not actually that beautiful a design?

I am really starting to think that the hype around this phone has triggered our desire, but that the marriage won't be as great as we feel now. In our wake, we may find that we are just stuck with a $600 phone and a two year contract with AT&T, a provider that has spotty coverage at best.

Just a thought.

 

[siurpeeman]

i'm buying the iphone for the user interface and the internet in my pocket. combining my ipod and iphone together and having free yahoo push email make it worth $600, regardless of how many there are or how saturated it becomes.

 

[netdog]

i'm buying the iphone for the user interface and the internet in my pocket. combining my ipod and iphone together and having free yahoo push email make it worth $600, regardless of how many there are or how saturated it becomes.

I understand that it may serve the needs of a number of people who really use the Internet a lot as the interface is great, or as great as I can imagine on a 3.5" screen given the format of materials generally published via HTTP. It may very well be just the phone for you.

I just think a lot of people are going to find that they seldom browse the Web on their iPhone, prefer texts to having their email box on their phone, and prefer their iPod to having their music on their phone. As an iPod, honestly I don't use coverflow at home. I use the browser option in iTunes which is much more useful and not possible on a 3.5" screen.

We'll see. I am not sure that Apple has cracked the paradigm for what makes a great mobile phone which is not to say that the iPhone isn't a fascinating and sexy attempt at that. Having worked in interactive TV and Internet development from 1994 to 1997, I watched a lot of companies get it wrong with what people were sure was the next big thing because, at the end of the day, people didn't take to the model.

While I am reasonably certain that the iPhone will be a huge hit and sell untold millions, I am not entirely convinced that it is going to prove to be what the consumer ultimately adopts as the model for a mobile pocket device.

 

[AppleIntelRock]

Would I prefer my iPod: no, this is the best iPod ever created- plain and simple

Would I prefer not to have to internet in my pocket: no. you may not use it a ton, but it's sure convenient when you do need it.

Would I prefer not to have email on the go: no way! I think the whole email on your phone thing has already proven itself: people want it.

Would I prefer not having a beautiful 3.5" display: no.

Would any of the above change if tons of people had an iPhone? Hell no.

It would be like asking me if a ton of people had Apple computers... would I not want one anymore... the answer would be NO! of course i'd still want one!

 

[Gonzlobo]

...is it going to lose something? That obscure object of desire might lose something in the process.

Perhaps you shouldn't get one. We'd sure hate to tarnish your purchase.

 

[walangij]

I was given a V3 Razr during the first week that they were available in London. It seems like half the people in London have one now, and the V3 definitely lost its sex appeal quickly.

I agree completely, having a Razr when it was brand new was like a great experience when they were brand new. Receiving a call in public would always lead to people staring or even saying "DUDE! You have a RAZR?!?! Its so tiny!!!". But now, everyone and their mom, dad, brother, and sister have RAZRs, people even shy away from them and ignore the upcoming RAZR2 and KRZRs coming out b/c its just not trendy anymore.

While I am reasonably certain that the iPhone will be a huge hit and sell untold millions, I am not entirely convinced that it is going to prove to be what the consumer ultimately adopts as the model for a mobile pocket device.

I think that the iPhone may eventually become what the consumer adopts as a mobile pocket device, in America at least. I don't see it selling that well here in Asia.

My prediction is that by 2009, a lot of people will have iPhones, iPhone nanos, minis, whatever Apple comes up with and the market will be super-saturated with them just like the iPod. Basically, they'll be trendy and they'll work, everyone from my cousin who'll be a entering junior high and all his little friends to the new Paris Hilton/famous brat will have one. (This is Apple's goal btw)

I don't think that the American consumer is ready for all the cool iPhone features either. Most users will not use them all, like you said, most will still utilize their iPods and MP3 players, and will not be browsing as much as they thought they would. But these features are welcome features, I cannot wait until a subsidized phone in a few years has visual voicemail, and a good web browser or its equivalent.

For the next few months, lots of people will have the "DUDE!!! an iPhone!!!!" experience, but soon it'll just be like seeing someone use a cell phone. I hope that the soon-to-be-minted iPhone users enjoy this experience.

 

[netdog]

Would I prefer my iPod: no, this is the best iPod ever created- plain and simple.

Why it's better than my 80GB 5.5 or my Shuffle escapes me, other than it is an Internet device and phone of course. Coverflow is cumbersome.

Would I prefer not to have to internet in my pocket: no. you may not use it a ton, but it's sure convenient when you do need it.

Granted. It may prove great to have Internet in your pocket. While the iPhone will work way better than other pocket devices with HTTP-served material, it may still have a lot of shortcomings as well. We'll see. The jury is still out on that.

Would I prefer not to have email on the go: no way! I think the whole email on your phone thing has already proven itself: people want it.

You may love having your email with you at all times. The people I know who have Blackberrys don't have their email because they want it, they have email with them at all times because that is how their employer wants it. Giving work one more way to always get a hold of you, and to expect you to respond right away, is not always a blessing. The advent of the Internet and the mobile phone have tethered us to our offices in a way that is sometimes less than desirable.

Would I prefer not having a beautiful 3.5" display: no.

Of course.

Perhaps you shouldn't get one. We'd sure hate to tarnish your purchase.

If I were in the USA, I probably would have gotten one on Friday. As it is, I am sort of glad that I can see how it goes, and how iPhone 2 shapes up. I bet that people will both love their revision A iPhones and have a huge number of complaints about them. We'll see.

Interesting that no one seems to share my concerns. Perhaps I am entirely wrong here.

 

[Doylem]

Well, lots of things are more exciting the first time... then they settle down. People who want an iPhone to stroke and fondle, or to make their friends jealous when they whip it out, will quickly lose interest, as they eye up the next bit of expensive gadgetry.

I've used a Palm PDA for years, for contacts, diary and plenty more. Don't laugh: it's served its purpose very well. I've got an iPod, too, and a mobile phone. Now that Apple have shoe-horned my three gadgets into one - and added email and web-browsing - I'll be in the market for an iPhone when it's eventually released in UK.

Yes, there'll be a mild frisson of pleasure when I take it out of the box... but I'm looking for a long-term relationship with the iPhone... not just a one-night stand.

 

[walangij]

I am really starting to think that the hype around this phone has triggered our desire, but that the marriage won't be as great as we feel now. In our wake, we may find that we are just stuck with a $600 phone and a two year contract with AT&T, a provider that has spotty coverage at best.

Just a thought.
[. . .]

Interesting that no one seems to share my concerns. Perhaps I am entirely wrong here.

I share similar sentiments, as right now I'm in SE Asia and will not be able to get an iPhone and also many of my friends stateside are actually turned off that you'd have to camp to get one on Friday. They parallel it with the PS3 and Wii, saying that it's immature to want it so badly because part of being an adult is the ability to wait. But that's their opinion.

I think that the marriage analogy is fairly good. Like Doylem said, it'll feel great initially, then it'll just be another gadget. After the honeymoon, it's commitment (at least for 2 years here) which means the potential of missing out on a better, sexier, iPhone temptress in the during the marriage. It also won't remain the so called "God phone" after the launch. Lots of people will love it, lots of people will not, and we can expect the reviews to be mixed and looking at the recent press, biased more towards the negatives of the phone since Jobs has so clearly already shown us the positives.

 

[0098386]

I agree completely, having a Razr when it was brand new was like a great experience when they were brand new. Receiving a call in public would always lead to people staring or even saying "DUDE! You have a RAZR?!?! Its so tiny!!!". But now, everyone and their mom, dad, brother, and sister have RAZRs, people even shy away from them and ignore the upcoming RAZR2 and KRZRs coming out b/c its just not trendy anymore.

Even I have a RAZR now

But I don't go for this whole "Paris Hilton" style attitude of must have the most beautiful gadget. I get iPod for the interface, capacity and build quality. I got a RAZR because its slim and has BT. It doesn't have to be exclusive for me

Similarly I wouldn't want a 3.5" screen either. Bigger screen and brighter backlight = eats up power. I want a longer battery life thank you.

 

[walangij]

Even I have a RAZR now

But I don't go for this whole "Paris Hilton" style attitude of must have the most beautiful gadget. I get iPod for the interface, capacity and build quality. I got a RAZR because its slim and has BT. It doesn't have to be exclusive for me

DUDE YOU have a RAZR?!

The "Paris Hilton" style attitude is . I've met many people who "hate" iPods b/c it doesn't work with Windows Media Player? !!!
They just got it b/c everyone else was and the stylish headphones and the exclusivity of getting the 1st batch of 1G nanos lol. Sadly, these will be the same people who'll purchase an iPhone or whatever new stylish phone Apple and not really know how to use any of the features.

 

[zgh1999]

The price of the iPhone indicates that not everyone will be able to afford it, even if most people want one.

If you are that concerned about others having the same phone as you, rather than the substantive merits of the phone, then you should not buy the iPhone.

You should go buy a Microsoft Surface Table and haul it around with you where ever you go. I can guarantee you that no other person on the street will have the same piece of equipment as yours.

 

[Taylor C]

In my honest opinion, the fact that video content for iPods can now be played on a much more eye-friendly display in addition to iPhone's other useful features is enough to make it worth it for me.

 

[LoganT]

I think the problem with the Razr is that it's actually a really crappy phone. Don't know if the iPhone will be the same, but if it isn't, then it doesn't matter.

 

[kamiboy]

razr was s*** to begin with and had nothing to fall back on once the prestige of having one was nullified. The iPhone runs on a very sophisticated OS and its software will continually be improved as features are added. In other words unlike the other phone manufacturers that squeeze out dozens of different phones every year and drop them like a brick as soon as they have launched Apple has made ONE phone and has put everything it has behind it, and will continue to support for a long time to come.

 

[ghall]

Well, everyone and their uncle has an iPod, and I still love mine, so no, I don't see anything like this happening (with me anyway ).