Do You Want An iPhone?
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[Editor's Note: Chris actually wrote this yesterday (Tuesday), but it didn't make it into the newsletter version of Windows Fanatics on time. We apologize for the delay!]
Can you hear me now? I just got home a few hours ago. It’s been a long day for Ponzi and myself, having just spent over eight hours flying cross-country. Our layover was in Atlanta this afternoon, and there I happened to catch Apple’s latest announcement on a news broadcast. Steve Jobs is finally entering the mobile communications (read: cell phone) market. They announced the iPhone today at MacWorld:
iPhone combines three products - a revolutionary mobile phone, a widescreen iPod with touch controls, and a breakthrough Internet communications device with desktop-class email, web browsing, maps, and searching - into one small and lightweight handheld device.
The problem is that we won’t be able to see (or use) it until June, largely due to FCC paperwork. I flipped through the digital brochure and really didn’t find anything terribly compelling or revolutionary there. Sure, widgets would be a welcome addition to my phone - but if the iPhone doesn’t sync with Outlook easily, then it simply won’t make a good replacement for my Smartphone (or any Windows Mobile device, for that matter).
iPhone also introduces an entirely new user interface based on a large multi-touch display and pioneering new software, letting you control everything with just your fingers.
Ah, I’ve had nothing but terrible experiences with touch screens phones - and I have no reason to believe that the iPhone will make that experience any better. For instance, when operating my Pocket PC Phone, my skinny finger would inadvertently tap “55″ or “45″ - instead of the intended “5″ digit. Touch screen buttons are nothing more than annoying, as they lack the tactile feedback that physical keys readily provide.
Dunno. I’ll reserve final judgment until I can see one in person. I happen to be a Cingular subscriber, too. The Smartphone has been very good to me (I’m currently carrying a Cingular 2125 device). A Windows user using an Apple phone - could such a thing ever happen?
[tags]iphone, cingular, cell phone, mobile phone, communications[/tags]
6 Comments
Dan Gray
January 10th, 2007
at 4:03pm
I’m slobbering over it, but will reserve final judgment until after I’ve demoed it. Even better, until after it’s broken the 1.0 barrier … I’ve learned to live without the arrows in my forehead.
So June turns into August … heck, I’ve been living without a real mobile phone for so long it hardly matters, until I have to hit the road again …
Chuck Whitaker
January 11th, 2007
at 10:02am
Saw the demo at MW Expo. had the same experience with touchscreen phones (and home theater Remotes) and am not thrilled about that aspect. But several of the features are novel and very cool:
see a list of your voice mails rather than having to listen to them all (wait, on this voicemail is it 3 to skip to the next message or is that delete???). And, if you want togo back and repeat something in a message, you poke at the progress bar at the bottom like you would with you iPod to move back or forth in a song… Individual and multiple call handling is very cool,
The contact list features were good too, it is supposed to synch with your computer contact list and I think they even mentioned Outlook.
Not exaclty sure what they mean by “the best iPod we’ve ever made” and the photo managing bit would be wasted on me, but the browser looked way better than my blacberry (and iPhone supposedly does push email with POP accts and others), the screen is huge, and automatically changes screen orientation from portrait to landscape when you physically rotate the phone.
The touchscreen techniques require two finger action–e.g., pinch fingers together to zoom out (or maybe that was zoom in–I couldn’t see well from where I was standing)
When they get the name thing straightened out, and assuming it doesn’t have major glitches, I’m betting it will rock their rather meager sales projections…
roving cowboy
January 12th, 2007
at 11:18am
i hate to burst everyone’s bubble.
but the iphone will only work with xingular, when it comes out.
but sisco has already posted a lawsuit since they had the name iphone
copyrighted years ago.
also AT&T the parent company of Xingular just announced yesturday that all cell phone customers will be moved from Xingular brand to At&t brand and Xingular will be dead in about 3 months.? just when the new phone is to hit the market?
Dhensli
January 15th, 2007
at 5:10am
Battery life on a 640×320 screen? Five hours isn’t going to happen.Text entry with your finger? They tried that before, it tanked. No 3G connectivity? Oh please. 2 Mp camera? Whose lens, guys? Apple content protection? No thanks. It looks very nice, but these issues are dealbreakers for me, and this time round the competiton will be ready to ship before Apple, count on it. Over to you, Korea.
The iPhone is Going to Kill ~ Chris Pirillo
January 19th, 2007
at 11:31pm
[...] So, here’s what my brother (who wants to start blogging at some point) had to say about Apple’s iPhone: This is one of the coolest pieces of technology to come out in a while… it’s like having a mini-laptop in your hands. The ultimate media device. The catch? Cingular has the rights at this point in time (they have the worst wireless phone service). If Apple had any brains, they would get this product in the home of every American family. After 6 months of exclusive rights to Cingular, they should release an iPhone on Verizon, US Cellular, every wireless provider. [...]
dad
October 27th, 2007
at 10:36am
im with verizon and i am a fan of nothing but the phone but geuss
what there making there own vreion so in your face cingular