Video: iPhone copy and paste is a 'pretty incredible thing'... for 1999

Look Apple, your copy and paste feature is pretty intuitive and all but let's face it, you're late to the party. About two full software revisions late we'd say. And listing it as one of the "pretty incredible things" in your latest ad about the iPhone 3G S iPhone 3GS is kind of silly since it's available on your previous models too. Maybe you're just being ironic?

[versionII @ Jul 1st 2009 8:17AM]

wow.... so unique, so revolutionary

[Freakin Ijit @ Jul 1st 2009 8:29AM]

Gosh, does this mean whenever the Pre gets copy-n-paste we can expect an article saying "...for 1999", too?

Yeah yeah yeah, I know, the Pre probably won't be getting copy-n-paste.

[htowngator @ Jul 1st 2009 8:33AM]

@freakin

What does the Pre have to do with this? WinMO phones have been doing C&P for years as Engadget was likely pointing out. It's not something that Apple just added as a "pretty incredible feature". LOL

[Kevin @ Jul 1st 2009 8:36AM]

@Freakin...

Huh??

Pretty sure the Pre came with copy-n-paste our of the box:

http://mypre.com/palm-pre-copy-and-paste-feature-200917229

[pedro @ Jul 1st 2009 8:45AM]

Just LOL....

Well done Engadget for making my day by poking fun at this absurd, oops I mean increbile thing. Watch out, AAPL may ban you from future events.

Also, LOL@Paul trying to justify the increbile claim.

[Henry E. @ Jul 1st 2009 8:49AM]

@Paul
I don't know how the copy and paste is for the Pre but I don't see anything unique about how Apple implement the copy and paste is unique at all. It's the exact same way WinMo and Android has been doing it.

[Freakin Ijit @ Jul 1st 2009 8:55AM]

@kevin - you would be wrong.

[Freakin Ijit @ Jul 1st 2009 8:56AM]

@htowngator - what does winmo have to do with this?

Lol!

[Paul a. Chapel @ Jul 1st 2009 9:14AM]

LOL, notice that no one can dispute the video I've provided. If you watch the Pre's implementation of copy & paste or Windows Mobile implementation of copy & paste and compare it to Apple's commercial, it's obvious that Apple's copy & paste is a huge leap forward.

I mean, anyone watching this commercial can go out and buy an iPhone and immediately know within seconds of activating it, how to do copy & paste.

If they buy a comparable WinMo phone or a Pre, they have to read the manual. That in itself is why this commercial is going to sell more iPhones. In fact, I feel sorry for someone who goes to Best Buy or a Sprint store and asks a service person how to do copy & paste. I guarantee that most of the teenage staff won't know how to do it. Of course, when I was in Best Buy, they didn't even have a working model of the Pre.

These commercials are effective because they are essentially showing people how to use the phone while amazing them at the same time. And that my friends, is great marketing.

[bighit24 @ Jul 1st 2009 9:42AM]

@ Paul Chapel

So does Steve ever bother to give you a reach around every now and then? Would be totally mean if he didn't. Sorry, but someone had to say it. Stop making everything out like Apple invented the wheel or made things revolutionary just because it is done through OSX mobile. Your proclivity along with other Apple fanboys to make the simplest functions other companies have done for years seem amazing and new as well as smug is what makes other people sick of Apple's fanbase. It does look nice, but in the end it gets the job done and that is all we care about, as those of us who really have needed copy and paste these years instead have been using Blackberry's and WinMo at work. Seriously, stop drinking so much Apple flavored Kool Aid.

[Eddy Munn @ Jul 1st 2009 9:27AM]

LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, Did I miss something?

[Amon @ Jul 1st 2009 9:31AM]

+1

[Kevin @ Jul 1st 2009 9:40AM]

wait... how am I wrong? I do not have a Pre, but I'd say the video of a palm pre doing copy and paste pretty much validates what I said...

[Fred Garvin @ Jul 1st 2009 9:41AM]

Thomas Ricker is a pretty incredible idiot.

I mean if this is what the guy really looks like (http://images.shareordie.in/uploads/2008/02/2246976.jpg) he has no business criticizing anything ... ever.

[MONKEY @ Jul 1st 2009 9:44AM]

Hey paul -

If there is a video about it, apparently is isn't a given that everyone knows how to do it. Especially considering the average iPhone owner is severely technically challenged.

Oh, and go check out copy and paste on the Storm. It's been out for quite awhile and guess what? It'a c&p uses multi-touch and is super intuitive.

[Paul a. Chapel @ Jul 1st 2009 9:48AM]

Your comment makes no sense.

[Duke @ Jul 1st 2009 9:52AM]

Paul, paint it however you want but its just copy and paste. There is nothing special and unique there - just copy and paste. I saw the commercial last night and found it embarrassing. Honestly, as a fanboy you should choose your fights better. Not every issue is one that Apple is right on.

I like my iPhone, but this copy paste issue/commentary is a joke.

[Paul a. Chapel @ Jul 1st 2009 10:03AM]

The problem with most of the people here is that the commercial is not directed toward geeks. It's directed to people who've never used a smart phone, which is why the commercial is so effective. My mother could watch this commercial and essentially be on the same level as hardcore geeks. I think that's why so many people are pissed about the iPhone.

Apple is taking what is essentially a geek thing, the smart phone and giving it to the masses, like the Gutenberg printing press.

You may know how to do this on your Blackberry or WinMo phone or Pre, and you may even be proud that you had this feature years ago, and even learned it when the implementation was terrible, because hey you're a geek and that's what geeks do, but now grandma has found the keys to the club house.

Man, that has got to hurt.

[Fluk3 @ Jul 1st 2009 10:08AM]

Put down the hate stick and think for a moment.

Everyone has been bitching, moaning and blogging about how the iPhone lacked c/p. Now that they have it, of course they want to get the word out. And yes, they dared to showcase the ability to copy not only plain text, but rich text, images maps, and how simple it is to do so. Do *ALL* smartphones copy more than just plain text?

And if you listen carefully you'll note that they never, ever, even once said they *invented* copy & paste. I swear to god, they really didn't claim that - please don't project and lie for the sake of sensationalism. It just makes you a liar. Do you really need to lie to build a case against them?

And finally, try to remember that Apple entered the smartphone market years after winmo and palm did, so it's not all that surprising that they didn't have every feature the previous smartphones had developed over the years. Heck, they didn't even have apps or an SDK when it came out!

It's a new product for them, it is expected that older products were there first. Duh!

[Quix @ Jul 1st 2009 10:18AM]

Wow, the WinMoBots are seriously going to gloat over copy/paste when the rest of their OS is a dusty old relic? Hilarious.

I can't wait until WinMo 7 so you tools can wax joyous over swipes and gestures (since WinMo 7 will surely look much like the iPhone).

WinMo = no one cares anymore. Deal with it.

[Paul a. Chapel @ Jul 1st 2009 10:18AM]

They won't put down the hate stick. The EXACT same people who flamed Apple for two years and who said "Touch screens suck" and that "Multi-touch was a gimmick" and said that they would never buy a phone that didn't have video or voice dialing or who hated on the iPhone for not having Flash support; these are the same people who now love the Pre, even though it doesn't have many of the same features.

The same people that bashed Apple for NOT having copy & paste are now bashing Apple for having copy & paste. You really expect the rational from these people?

[FitFan @ Jul 1st 2009 10:18AM]

C&P is a hardcore geek thing? My sides are starting to hurt.

Apple has a history of patting themselves on the back for copying other people's designs and acting like they've innovated. (e.g. - GUIs)

[jakem @ Jul 1st 2009 10:30AM]

Paul, the first thing that WinMo users learn when they first switch their phone on is how to copy and paste. It's in the initial setup screen and couldn't be easier. In fact, it works the same way on tablets as Microsoft have standardised across all their products.

If you'd ever used WinMo you would know this.

[DarKlar @ Jul 1st 2009 10:39AM]

@Quix: Actually, I think you'll find it's the Apple Fanboys who are gloating over their "incredible/newly discovered/revolutionary" copy and paste function... everyone else isn't gloating, more like pointing out how ridiculous it is to use copy and paste as a marketing strategy. If the advert had never been made by Apple no one would be talking about copy and paste, it would be like texting, another function that every phone has and doesn't need discussing.

@Paul: Who wants the same phone as a ten year old girl? The fact that kids have no idea what the TG01 is actually makes it more attractive to me, not less.

[jakem @ Jul 1st 2009 10:49AM]

Sorry Paul but that's not the point. You made a specific claim and when proven wrong you just come up with some other crap.

Here you are bashing Microsoft but the truth is you've never even used their product. Nevertheless, you happily criticise the way they do copy and paste and when called out on it you turn to your niece for support. Give me a break. Nobody's interested in your niece and nobody's interested in your pathetic arguments.

[Quix @ Jul 1st 2009 10:54AM]

"Paul, the first thing that WinMo users learn when they first switch their phone on is how to copy and paste." - jakem

I thought the first thing WinMo users learn is how to reboot their phones? :P

@ DarKlar:

Who is "gloating" about copy/paste? It's *ridiculous* that it took Apple two OS revisions to finally add this functionality. Absurd, really. That said, I'm glad to finally have it.

The Apple haters are running out of ammo though. They'll always have the virtual keyboard and non-removable battery to gripe and moan about, I suppose. Until the ZunePhone is unveiled with both, at which point they'll conveniently forget both complaints and start kvetching about Steve Jobs' turtlenecks again.

It's not easy being a Microsoft apologist these days...

[DarKlar @ Jul 1st 2009 10:56AM]

Paul, I know what your saying, but I think you're looking at it from the wrong perspective.

Just because a product has the most sales doesn't make it the best. I don't think ten year olds would really be looking at processor speed and RAM when buying a phone, they would want what is seen by the consumer world as being the 'in' item at the time irrespective of functionality.

[Freedom Town @ Jul 1st 2009 11:45AM]

Oh, a Apple post!!! Quick, Paul A. Chapel is going to start posting about how, regardless of what light the blog post puts Apple in, he is going to faithful defend it, to the bitter end, no matter how idiotic.

Too late...

Leave it to Apple PR machine to spin copy/paste as a revolutionary concept, they might as well claim they invented copy/paste. And leave it to Paul A. Chapel to defend it.

This has nothing to do with Pre, WinMO, Microsoft, etc...Nothing, so I don't know why people are brining them into this blog post. It is about Apples insane PR and Marketing; hell, even Engadget of all people had to show how ridiculous this was.

[DarKlar @ Jul 1st 2009 11:54AM]

Paul if you agree then aren't you just contradicting your previous point regarding sales? Personally I judge every device I choose to use ON ITS OWN MERIT. I actually prefer Apple computers to PC's, however like I said (and you agreed) you can't use sales to argue that the iPhone is the best phone, nor should you blindly just buy everything a brand is throwing at you.

I have no loyalty to Apple, I just want the best device to suit my needs. Apple laptops suit my needs. The iPhone doesn't. Had this been the third incarnation of the 3GS we might be somewhere by now, in my opinion there was no need for the 2G or the 3G.

[Anthony M. @ Jul 1st 2009 12:00PM]

Looks like he's starting to break guys... Maybe you should go easy on him.

[Ayle @ Jul 1st 2009 12:01PM]

@Paul:

when you turn on your Window Mobile Device, after settings the time, it gives you a tutorial on how to do copy and paste, no need to open the manual.

[Josh @ Jul 1st 2009 12:19PM]

Does anyone else find it funny/offensive that apple had to actually make a commercial showing how to copy and paste? Is it that hard?

[DarKlar @ Jul 1st 2009 12:23PM]

Paul I'm not an Apple hater. I do have a grudge against the iPhone though, and with good reason.... it could soooo easily have been so, so much better. However if everyone avoided a brand because one of their products didn't suit them no one would sell anything!

Your facts are straight, you get flamed because you make ridiculous points and come across as an iEvangelist by not seeing that even with your facts being right, the iPhone is not the best (judged on memory, speed and function) phone, unless the best phone for you is one with semi decent functionality and a very good UI.

So, even though you're right, you're wrong.

[Josh @ Jul 1st 2009 12:27PM]

Its good there isn't a perfect phone for everyone if everyone loved the same phone and one worked for all competition and innovation would be gone. Each phone has strengths and weaknesses. Its best that way.

[Alejandro @ Jul 1st 2009 12:36PM]

Wow... wellcome back to the future!!

http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/1313/ppvsai.jpg

Regards,

[DarKlar @ Jul 1st 2009 12:41PM]

@ Alejandro: LOOOOL!!!

Another point that people do not often point out is the lack of delivery reports for texts, which I rely on not only for work. It's so useful to be able to tell the second a text has been delivered.

[roach @ Jul 1st 2009 12:46PM]

Since the iPhone does not have multitasking would it be annoying if you have to copy several section of one app to another and having to constantly start at the beginning of the page? It seems limiting.

[Josh @ Jul 1st 2009 1:04PM]

"The commercial has the same effect as bringing a bag of ice to a primitive African tribe in the Sahara. Just because you've seen ice doesn't make it anymore less magical than someone who hasn't. Would you complain if someone made an ice commercial targeted toward people who had never seen ice?"

Are you saying that you think people don't know about ice/the freezing process and that people have never seen copy and paste before?

[---- @ Jul 1st 2009 1:10PM]

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[DarKlar @ Jul 1st 2009 1:12PM]

@Paul: Again I see where you're coming from, I just think that in this (engadget) environment people expect more than the average consumer... If apple want to make a 'smart phone lite' that can easily be used by people who aren't that technologically minded then thats all well and good, it will bring in lots of $, a large proportion of the community will buy one and be able to use it. Fantastic for them.

However....

On these threads you HAVE to expect a device like that to get ripped apart, as most readers are VERY tech and just want the most advanced and cutting edge item there is, not because they hate apple but because they hate the fact the iPhone doesn't or didn't have some very basic features that a lot of us rely on. On the same token you can't argue a point like 'the copy and paste is better' on these threads without getting burned because it is irrelevant how easy it is to do, any one of us could use the most awkward copy and paste routine a couple of times and it would become second nature. The fact that it is simple/nice is just window dressing, not a selling point for us.

[patriotsn1 @ Jul 1st 2009 2:11PM]

Paul, most people aren't Apple haters, they are YOU haters... please read my previous post in an article in which a LOT of reasonable (not you) iphone users bring up complaints about their phones. NO ONE said anything about how apple sucked, they had a rational discussion. The ONLY thing missing, was you. Get a life, you hurt Apple more than you help.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/30/iphone-os-3-1-beta-now-available-for-developer-community/comments/19808468/

[Brad @ Jul 1st 2009 2:29PM]

Actually, Paul, most of them are quite fond of Apple. Just take a look at any of the surveys that Engadget puts out. A disproportionate (relative to the general market) number of Engadget readers are Apple users.

The thing is that you say really inflammatory (often untrue) things, piss off people who normally wouldn't say ANYTHING AT ALL, and then they point it out. Then you respond to them, and someone else joins in the fight. The problem is you're so zealous in your devotion the other Apple users on the page don't exactly want to join in on your side. So here you are, talking about delivering ice to people in a desert, and trying to defend that six clicks to paste a chunk of text is "revolutionary" - and no one wants to openly agree with you, even if they do.

So I reiterate - it isn't that Engadget (or their readers) are "Anti-Apple" or "Pro-whoever-apple-is-competing-with", it's just that you attract the comments from the most extreme opposing views.

Go read an article that you DON'T comment on, and see just how badly everyone bashes on Apple. You'll find it's nearly non-existent when you (or the handful of other users like you) aren't involved. I believe that you are, ostensibly, the cause of the anti-Apple bias you perceive.

[apeguero @ Jul 1st 2009 2:34PM]

I know. Apple should've just included this in their list of bug fixes not enhancements or "Incredible Things".

[Kevin @ Jul 1st 2009 3:29PM]

Don't forget the voice dialing. I have seen that same dumb commercial ever other minute.

Great you have voice dialing, a little late to the party, but thanks for showing up.

[IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII (BarCODE) @ Jul 2nd 2009 1:49AM]

i've been able to copy and paste since the earliest days of DOS on old IBM XT in like 1982.

[Cassini @ Jul 4th 2009 5:20PM]

Apple, sometimes you're like the dumbest smart people I know.

[Chad Padilla @ Jul 1st 2009 8:17AM]

I love my iPhone, but this no way in hell qualifies for innovation.

[Paul a. Chapel @ Jul 1st 2009 8:52AM]

It's innovation if you're used to this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVnYwTnrII0

Seriously, you need to read a user's manual to understand copy & pasting in something like Windows Mobile. On the iPhone, you just take your fingers and do it. That's a heck of a leap forward.

[derX @ Jul 1st 2009 8:53AM]

Listing the implementation of C&P on the 3rd generation of phone as a feature THEN making a commercial about it. That's innovation.

Imagine the 30-minute infomercial they'd shoot if they ever decide to make that battery removable...

[borland502 (SDF Macross) @ Jul 1st 2009 9:06AM]

"Imagine the 30-minute infomercial they'd shoot if they ever decide to make that battery removable..."

Alas, Billy Mays wasn't answering their calls.