And the reality slowly sets in about what the
iPhone is and is not. Noted analyst and Engadget pal Michael Gartenberg stated that the iPhone is first party software ONLY -- i.e. not a smartphone by conventional terms, being that a smartphone is a platform device that allows software to be installed. That means hungry power-users -- you know, those people ready and willing to plunk down $600 for an 8GB musicphone -- won't be able to extend the functionality of their phone any more than Apple (but thankfully not Cingular) dictates. Other unfortunate realities about the device:
- No 3G. We know you know, but still, it hurts man.
- No over the air iTunes Store downloads or WiFi syncing to your host machine.
- No expandable memory.
- No removable battery.
- No Exchange or Office support.
posted Jan 9th 2007 9:41PM
It is not a smartphone, it is a small MAC... just lacking : a HardDisk and a keyboard... Apple Computer Inc is not gone, 200 millions vs 1000 millions /year,
just following miniaturization (of hardware not functionality).
The main pb I see : the touch screen seems "touchy" and a business will start selling something you put on your thumb to use it with only one hand, or many users will buy stylus...
Hey ThinkOutside now iGo : when is your small keyboard companion ? Half one Matias Style ?
lgs@tikilabs.com
Think it is appropriately named because unfortunately it is just a phone within the walled garden. As predicted here:
http://blog.nextblitz.com/blog/2007/01/iphone_steve_jo.html
And described in better detail here:
http://blog.tomevslin.com/2007/01/apple_fails_to_.html
Apple missed the chance to reinvent another industry.
But it doesn't wipe your butt when you're done in the bathroom. L A M E
(my god -- what is it with expecting the moon and then some with first generation products? this thing is absolutely fantastic and will sell like hotcakes now even without your money. it sparkles with potential. think of what the original iPod was like compared to what it is today.)
Hi complainers! You know, some people are just going to nitpick because it makes them feel high and mighty. HAS ANYONE HERE EVEN SEEN THE PRESENTATION FROM YESTERDAY, MUCH LESS HELD ONE OF THESE THINGS? Here, I'll answer that: NO! Shut up, wait until June, then say something. Also, it's not unheard of for Apple to upgrade products in between the time of announcement and the release and there's plenty of time between now and June for that to happen. Think about it, as with any other products that Apple launches, they start out with a new product with room to upgrade in subsequent versions, pricing, etc. That's just smart business. As for the ability to develop apps for the iPhone, one word: Cocoa. If you don't know about it, look it up. Here: "Cocoa provides the best way to build modern, multimedia-rich, object-oriented applications for consumers and enterprise customers alike."
"What we're criticizing isn't the device so much as all the people that think its the best thing since sliced bread when it is just a pretty rehash of stuff that was around years ago...
What kind of a idiot can draw that conclusion and keep a straight face?
BTW, your betamax is STILL better technology than VHS but thanks to uninformed morons like you we got to enjoy VHS for a decade.
This is crazy all the negative comments it is a truly amazing bit of technology i can ditch my N90 ...(total rubbish)..blackberry ...and ipod in one go and fully have a hand held soloution.
3g who cares i live in london and i,m in a massive wifi cloud i,m sure some clever person will get VOIP working on this
no sync via wifi the cable was always quicker any way an minor problem
i,m sure there will be some kind of expansion with that 30pin socket on the bottom
office exchange i dont want this any way but som clever person will eventual write connector i,m sure
the fundamental thing is no product is perfect but this is closer than anything yet
well done apple
Just so you know:
They didn't say there is OR isn't wireless sync yet. There's still time for them to add it and I wouldn't doubt they do.
Do you REALLY need more than 8 GB? And how much can you add? A 4GB SD Card?? Not worth it. Suck it up.
No iPods have removable batteries. Get used to it.
THIRD PARTY APPS!!!
Here's the deal:
1. Widgets - If it uses widgets, you can AT LEAST get those third party.
2. They haven't released anything because it was JUST announced. Give them a month or so and you'll see an SDK.
3. Apple has already informed developers to start making their software resolution independent. This can either be for those with MacPro/PowerMacs using 5" LCDs (not likely) or because they plan to make them uploadable to the iPhone.
You be the judge.
"Do you REALLY need more than 8 GB? And how much can you add? A 4GB SD Card?? Not worth it. Suck it up."
Yes, I do. I don't want to - while travelling - have to be constrained by a measly 8gb of video content. I suspect that enterprising Koreans and Hong Kong residents will figure out ways to make it do everything that *I* need it to. Other than that, it is a solid base device. Obviously, it WILL either be 3rd party capable at launch or a hack will be out shortly after to unlock it. But until one of those two occurances happen, I won't be buying it. Some people are happy with proprietary closed systems they cannot tweak. Some aren't.
I am one of those people, so yeah - I DO need more than 8 gb, because I want this one device to replace several devices - a DMP, a phone, an imagetank, an ebook reader. I don't want to spend every day or so doing data shuffling to decide what data I MIGHT need on a particular travel cycle. I want to stick everything on a big ass external drive (seeing that NAND flash big drives are around the corner) and access that drive via a widget through the dock connector. Seeing that 2 gb SD cards are about 12 bucks, that could be as much as 30gb of available storage for $180. That price is likely to fall further still.
I also want to extend it to be several other devices - a travel companion/translator, a WiFi webcam/video podcaster, and whatever other fun mobile concepts I can dream up.
add these features and video conferencing, I won't be able to buy it fast enough.
We have 6 months left until its released!! Do you really think Apple has announced everything yet? Even Apple has said that all the software has not been fully developed. Stupid engadget...
"That means hungry power-users -- you know, those people ready and willing to plunk down $600 for an 8GB musicphone -- won't be able to extend the functionality of their phone any more than Apple (but thankfully not Cingular) dictates."
Basically, if true this would kill it for me. I really want this phone/dap/whatever - but if they lock it down where I cannot tweak it myself and develop my own widgets, then it is not getting bought until it is either hacked or that is fixed.
Also, if the device cannot be extended via external hardware through the ipod dock (read - flash readers & external usb drives), I similarly will not buy in. I mean really - a video ipod with only 8gb of storage that is not expandable? No thanks.
Thankfully, this may all turn out to be bullcrap and we may still learn that custom widgets and external storage may be - if not directly supported - at least developable.
"That means hungry power-users -- you know, those people ready and willing to plunk down $600 for an 8GB musicphone -- won't be able to extend the functionality of their phone any more than Apple (but thankfully not Cingular) dictates."
Basically, if true this would kill it for me. I really want this phone/dap/whatever - but if they lock it down where I cannot tweak it myself and develop my own widgets, then it is not getting bought until it is either hacked or that is fixed.
Also, if the device cannot be extended via external hardware through the ipod dock (read - flash readers & external usb drives), I similarly will not buy in. I mean really - a video ipod with only 8gb of storage that is not expandable? No thanks.
Thankfully, this may all turn out to be bullcrap and we may still learn that custom widgets and external storage may be - if not directly supported - at least developable.
"BTW, your betamax is STILL better technology than VHS but thanks to uninformed morons like you we got to enjoy VHS for a decade."
:) This is my point exactly - however much better a BetaMax may be than other antiquated technology, it still just doesn't compare to modern technology.
""What we're criticizing isn't the device so much as all the people that think its the best thing since sliced bread when it is just a pretty rehash of stuff that was around years ago..."
What kind of a idiot can draw that conclusion and keep a straight face?"
Umm, how about the feature list that looks like it applies to my MPx200 from [years] ago?
Michael Gartenberg is a well respected analyst working in the mobile phone and technology space who is usually extremely well informed by and often consults for large technology companies. His opinions are usually well informed and often accurate.
Having spoken to him on a number of occasions I'm certain that he is very smart and far from being "dumb".
I've seen some discussion about battery life claims here. My assumption is that 16 hours music is with the phone, WiFi detection and all the other goodies switched off. If they get that battery life with all that stuff switched on, I'll be very impressed.
The fact that this phone is subsidized by a carrier will usually mean that the carrier will try their hardest to limit changes to it or cripple features that they don't want to support. So even if Apple develops an upgrade to the iPhone's os that does everything you want, Cingular can choose not to release it. And what if the iPhone came with zero widgets and you have to rent them from Cingular like ring-tones.
"And what if the iPhone came with zero widgets and you have to rent them from Cingular like ring-tones."
Exactly. If they did this, I wouldn't buy it. Gadget History is replete with examples of proprietary tech that didn't take off because of unwanted and unneeded lockdown from the folks in marketing and legal. It also has shining stars that became very popular because of - not in spite of - their openness or at the least simple unlockability.
Many will remember the earliest Apex DVD players. Nothing really special about them, except for the remote accessible "secret menu" that allowed me to watch imported discs region-free. What did this cost anyone? Nothing. Apex took off like a rocket, and I was able to watch a wider variety of entertainment.
If the iPhone can be user extended in the end, then I will be excited. If it is locked too tight to be extendable, then I'll be sad - because there is no way I'll buy a $600 device that has been PURPOSEFULLY crippled rather than crippled because of a technical limitation, no matter how beautiful and elegant it is.
Everyone acts like this is the final iPhone.
There will be a 3G version, eventually. There will be a way to unlock it. (I mean, is T-Mobile really that much better, at least until they support the advanced voicemail?)
It's missing things. But the essence of what the iPhone is is wonderfully new and filled with potential. The bells and whistles that everyone else has can be added later.
I had started to regain some faith in Apple, I should have been more cautious.
will probably go the way of the initial OQO...but I still have my Newton 2000. as someone with early adopters disease, I'll wait for gen2.
I think people are letting them get their emotions in the way of good critical thinking here. I think Apple makes a few great products and a few bad products. I think they make mostly good choices for their products but also just a couple of really crappy ones too.
I have a smartphone on Cingular. I click compile in visual studio, I sync the program over to my phone, install it on my removable miniSD card, I run it, and I see it running.
Anyone trying to clear Apple's name before it's officially confirmed that 3rd party apps won't run by blaming Cingular is being purposefully ignorant. Cingular is unique among the carriers in my opinion because they do not make the phone manufacturers cut features out of their phones. They let the manufacturers deliver the best products they can. That's the whole reason I switched to Cingular and they've delivered on that.
Anyone who thinks that compared to the "evilness" of Cingular, Apple is such an open company needs to wake up. Apple's trademark is taking a product that is too loosely decoupled, tightly integrating it by making everything themselves from the hardware to the software, shedding unnecessary features and only doing the basics and a few nifty things REALLY well.
The iPhone most likely will be no different. Allowing other people to run 3rd party apps on the iPhone might take up memory, or slow down the cool picture sliding into the email effect. I don't believe Apple will tolerate this.
That being said the only revolutionary thing about the iPhone is the idea of non stylus, multi touch screen. And until we get to play with it I don't think any of us can judge this as either "doing away with the classic gripes of touchscreens" or "going to be a complete disaster"
Everything else on the phone has been done before, just not as slickly in such a great slim package.
Most complaints will get either dealt with in v2 of the iPhone (3G, possibly more carriers, etc). Or in firmware upgrades (more VPN support, email, etc), or in features that might already there and Jobs just didn't have time to show them off (works with bluetooth GPS)
I'd say the biggest gripes that most likely won't get solved are: No 3rd party app support, no removable battery, no removable flash memory (I still don't think this is really a big deal though)
For me the only deal breaker is the no 3rd party apps support. But even still, the device looks amazing and tempts me to want to give up the flexibility of my smartphone as it will many people.
Every remarkable product (iPhone, xbox360, ps3) gets hit with a few gripes because when they get announced usually the companies do a good job of explaining why the product is so cool. We don't need 1000 forum rats to reiterate just how cool the thing is, we saw for ourselves in the keynote. This thing is really cool!
Instead of adding yet another opinion on the iPhone's feature set to this post, I'd like to instead point out why there seem to be so many complaints with the iPhone:
With a $600 price tag, the iPhone is in the same price range as other smart phones such as the Blackberry and Windows Mobile devices. These devices historically have very large feature sets and flexibility - almost like portable mini-computers - and are used by techie types and business users on the go. These users will easily drop down $600 for a device that does everything they need, because they know they'll get alot of use out of it that will make the high price worth it. Unfortunately, the iPhone falls short here - it just doesn't have the full feature set demanded by these users - hence the cries of lacking features coming from our smart phone touting friends.
The problem isn't that the iPhone is a poor design, it's just designed more for the average user that wants to make phone calls, play music, and browse the Internet. This is where the iPhone stands out and excels. Unfortunately, this group of cell phone users generally won't be willing to spend $600 on a cell phone, so they complain that the iPhone has too many features, and wish for a more stripped down version (or in most cases, an iPhone without the phone) that would be more cost effective for their purposes.
So what market does the iPhone cater to? High-income average users that want to show off how cool they are by carrying around expensive gadgets with an apple on the back. Are there enough of these people to meet Apple, Inc's projected 1% market share? Probably.
And I will be one of those individuals that does that. I work hard for my money, don't do a ton of biz on my cell phone, and am totally about the experience - not the features. I am a geek, but there are somethings I can do without to have a more eye appealing UI. I just am just more of a Rev. B guy than a Rev. A. We shall see once I and get a hands on with it.
It will be interesting to see if the new iPhone is an iPod or a Newton. At the least it signals to me that Apple is all about the end consumer and not about the enterprise customer. They will sell their millions of units to their current, affluent, “gotta have the latest Apple toy” customers but it won’t help them in getting Apple technology into the enterprise or into the pockets of executives. The reasons; pretty simple – only sourced from one carrier, no connectivity to Exchange, and the no removable battery. It will also be interesting to see how well the first version of this new touch UI works out. I’m sure it will need to mature and it will be interesting to see how the whole idea of constantly touching the screen is accepted. Screens on current phones already get pretty nasty after a few calls. If you add touch dialing and navigation I can see a downside. There will be a quick follow-on product opportunity for convenient wet wipes to clean things up. I love the innovation that Apple creates through their bold design moves but I don’t see the iPhone having near the impact the iPod had. Too expensive, not enterprise friendly, and limited features.
Check this out: PPC-6700
- 3G EVDO
- Wi-fi
- Bluetooth
- Media player
- Unlimited flash storage via removable 4gb-8gb card
- Removable bettery
- Syncs with Outlook
- Pocket Word, Excel, Powerpoit
- HTML/javaScript web browser
- Camera still/video vith flash
- Voicerecorder
- Hundreds of third party aapplivations avalable
- Large touch screen with stylus
- Large sliding keyboard
- Released a year ago
http://www.sprint.com/business/products/phones/ppc6700_allPcsPhones.html?origref=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%3Fei%3Dutf-8%26fr%3Dslv8-%26p%3Dppc-6700
I love the caption underneath the photo. very clever
1. Don't care
2. Don't care
3. Don't care
4. Don't care
5. Don't care
"If Steve Jobs was smart, he would have created a touch screen ipod with bluetooth headphones and called it a day." I know I'm paraphrasing that commenter's post, but that is the funniest thing I've heard in a while.
Some knucklehead sitting around with not much better to do than comment on a product that hasn't even been used by the masses, and giving advice to Jobs is a bit silly.
The masses really thought the iPod was a joke when it came out as well. In 3 years, Steve Jobs and his team at Apple has likely forwarded the concept of mobile communications further than most of us could do in a lifetime.
With all that said, I wonder how Apple will make this device usable for the blind without physical buttons?
Let's say it again.
IMAP DOES NOT EQUAL EXCHANGE ACTIVESYNC
Great, you can imap pull some inboxes into it. What makes Exchange different than virtually every other POP/IMAP server is the PIM sync, Calendar,Contacts,Notes,Tasks.
Exactly, and one of the main reasons people aren't going for those phones is due to cost and battery life and a more complicated interface.
If apple's interface isn't as easy as their ipod to use, particularly phone features like dialing, contacts etc. then it won't be received very well.
Yup, I'm definitely with you that the iPhone isn't ready to compete. I wrote a blog entry about my feelings on it; you guys might want to check it out:
http://iphonesucks.blogspot.com
no removeable battery? I assumed it would have that with its 5 hour battery life.
5 hours may be gone before you even take off from the departure city. when you get on the plane to watch that movie you downloaded, it will be dead. at the very least, it will be dead when you arrive and try to call your mom to pick you up at the airport.
i really hope this is false.
also, i hope that developers can put software on this, at least in the form of Widgets. If not, this is not a geek-friendly device.
to be honest i was amazed when i first read this, but then i read the spec sheet and read more in-depth about what it was lacking and i realized.
...
IT WAS ALL LOOKS AND NOTHING ELSE. like implants basically.
As for the people comparing the iPhone to other smartphones on the market: Yes, there are devices that have similar feature sets and they have been available for quite some time -- but I doubt that any of those have managed to blend all those software and hardware features with the smooth elegance and user-friendlyness of OS X...!?
As for those being worried about scratches on the device: As SJ has pointed out, it is coated with Zirconuim, which is extremely durably and probably really tough to scratch, even if you tried...
Has anybody even watched the keynote before making all kinds of assumptions...?!
For all the Mac Fanbois and everyone with undying faith in Apple, here's the deal about 'OSX' on the iPhone and 3rd party apps from the Gizmodo interview:
"The OS: It isn't OS X proper, as you'd expect. And like an iPod, it won't be an open system that people can develop for. Remember, this is both an iPod and a Phone."
Now, besides the Linux hacks, how many people have developed apps for the iPod? I think this seals the deal. The Jobs marketing speak is getting everyone confused about what this iPhone is about. Even if it uses 'Widgets', you can't just program one as you would on a Mac, and so whatever functionality you have, will be limited to whatever Apple/Apple sanctioned parties can put in.
It will still sell like hotcakes, because most people won't know any better, and Mac Fanbois will buy Job's turd wrapped in foil, but make no mistake about what this thing is; a sleek, full-featured phone, but a smartphone it is not.
Uhhhh, the information regarding iPhone’s inability to install 3rd party applications is not correct. What people mean to say is that the iPhone cannot install native OSX applications on the iPhone. The iPhone in fact has the capability to install 3rd party apps that are scaled down to its OSX “CE” operating system. Developers can that can develop OSX 3rd party software will be able to develop software for the iPhone. The base of the OS is the same OSX of Macbooks.
Steve’s claim to battery life is actually true since the processor is in my opinion underpowered for the device. After running 3 applications, the iPhone will experience lag. The other issue is MS Exchange synchronization to the iPhone which will be less than spectacular for smartphone users. Not all data on Exchange will synchronize to the iPhone. The iPhone however isn’t intended to be a replacement for MS Windows Mobile devices but is a direct competitor to mp3 player/cell phones such as the Nokia N80, Samsung I-300, and the Sony Ericsson W950i. In these respects, the iPhone excels in the category. The touchscreen is also no replacement for hard keys. Those of us in the know, require tactile feedback because we don’t look at the screen, we look at what the next screen should show. The iPhone isn’t meant for the stuffy businessman, it’s meant for the average consumer that wants music and calls. The average consumer doesn’t mind pecking away at a screen because they have time when it’s personal time. For this reason, the iPhone is a great product. Jobs goes for what he knows and trusts, not what he hopes and dreams.
No, it has not..!
http://feeds.tuaw.com/~r/weblogsinc/tuaw/~3/73620052/
White Rabbit, the problem is that even the OSX "CE" is not open to developers, or at least not at this time. I'm not sure if there's an SDK for the iPod, but I don't see any 3rd party software for it that's not a hack, unlike the other Smartphone systems. If the iPhone is supposed to be akin to the iPod in this aspect, we'd be expecting only new functions, or 'Widgets' if Apple sees fit to do so.
I am a long time Apple products user. My intuition told me that this iPhone will rule the phone market.
It's so funny when some people bashing that why is there no 3G? not 5M pixel camera. Hey this is 1st affort it's it's super excellent as a 1st phone by Apple. Did Nokia and SE get such excellent result when they made their phones?
please note that Exchange synchronization will be an option as showed in the presentation. As for extra software to be installed. As widgets are supported, i 'm pretty sure extra software will be supported. I can't wait to get my hands on the iphone to see if i can modify some os X widgets to run on the iphone.
They stated that the iPhone touch screen technology eliminates "inadvertent" touches; can anyone elaborate on this "new technology"?
No removable battery is a big deal: if your iPod goes dead, you just can't listen to music; if your phone goes dead, that's a really big deal. And it seems like battery life will be an issue, so at least allowing people to swap in a new battery would be ideal. I do that with my Nokia N70 when out of the house for a while and taking many pictures, using the web and maps, talking on the phone, etc.
Steve said in the KeyNote that you can program for the iPhone in Cocao and any other available OS X programming language. Anyway, the premier of a new product is alays a bit less than the perfect imaginable dream that that product can develop into. All in all this is breakthrough "killer app" stuff and once again Apple takes the lead in consumer application electronics!
Ha! The very first time Steve runs his finger down the phone, it leaves a smeared streak. The light catches the light perfectly and reveals the ugly smudge. Now that isn't to say that it couldn't be wiped off, but what you're saying is completely false.
There are three big showstoppers with this phone:
1. Without a replaceable battery, you are really stuck in a meeting, on a hike, on a bike, subway/train unless there is a way to add an external battery or swap the battery. An Ipod dying in mid meeting, etc is not an issue ... I don't want to be stuck without a spare battery. While it makes the devices smaller that they would be without more electronics shrinking, this is not a great tradeoff for an essential device -- the Ipod isn't.
2. The touchscreen doesn't replace a keyboard unless they put some tactile cues on the screen or support voice dialing like almost all of the cheapest phones support so that it can be used without looking at the screen while driving.
3. Their needs to be a protection program for signing up. Surely during the 2 year, cingular exclusive period, if not later, you will want to have some way to get the improved iphones (which seems to be implied by their comments)with at least some relief on the 2 year contract and the discounted rate. Someone using the initial Iphone will be very unhappy with its limited by sometime in 2008--you don't want them to hate you. No non-corporate user is going to forgive a $600 device purchase and $600-1200 contract commitment if it looks stupid half way through the contract.
Whats the big deal about this iPhone?.. well its nothing but hype.. if people really knows about their phones.. they would of known that Nokia has a better phone N95( not even out in the U.S yet). 5.0mpixel, with Carl Zeiss optics, 3x Optical Zoom…you can even connect your Nokia to a compatible TV using direct TV out connectivity or via Wireless LAN and UPnP technology…and not only that.. stupid touchscreen iphone wasn’t the first one to have that..just check out the W950i by SONY ericsson.. and don’t get me started with iTV.. damn such a bitter from SONY (LF-B20) LocationFree Base Station…
Should one make definitive statements about the very first device of a series? Future high end video iPods are going to look like this, minus the phone. In June, in all likelihood there will be a 20gig iphone. Maybe next macworld there would be a superior tablet computer that leverages the technologies in this device. Steve's elves must be finishing the next "one last thing" already
gosh, i love apple. but if it ain't smart (or bundled with enough apps to make it really useful), then i'll have to pass on this phone. it's the height of marketing spin to rave about how you can see the ny times in its full beauty but you can't download and view a simple pdf.
i'm interested in a single, all-powerful gadget to carry around. the treo is that today. maybe by gen5, the iphone will get there; but it's equally likely it'll never get there.
I didn't have time to read all the way through this so I don't know if someone posted this info already, but those who feel this price point is too high don't even know the half of it. They keep saying "with a 2-year contract agreement" because you either need to be new to cingular or have an upgrade option to get the price they're advertising... I talked with a cingular rep yesterday who said while they were unaware of what the "retail" price would be, you can expect it to be $100-$200 more than the price they're advertising with the agreement. I think this will further the frustration for people to buy one... is this phone worth $600-$800?? no. Are people going to buy out of their Verizon or Sprint contracts just to get an iPhone? no. I still think it will be successful, but it looks as though the excitement around it slowly dies more and more everyday.
Let's look at the past of Apple.
Steve jobs, ever since he has taken the company over again in the late 80's, has created products based on people's demand and suggestions.
So instead of criticizing a genius who brings your childhood dreams to reality, just suggest away at apple.com, and you will see very soon your dream come true, unless it was for an ipod that can give you a back rub, but who knows?
Sure i see a few things i would like in iPhone, but the invention is so cool that even though 600$ is a lot for me, i will definitely support Apple to keep going in the evolution of their great ideas and great taste in designs.
Palms and blackberrys and other pc based products, do some of these things but by the time you figure out how it works, you already gave up the idea, because of all these unfriendly buttons and procedures.
Think different, you'll need less, but you'll have style and simplicity.
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