Editorial: Taking the iPhone 3GS off the job market
By Joshua Topolsky 
posted Jul 10th 2009 3:10PM
posted Jul 10th 2009 3:10PM
Before I even got to the "work" part of my experience, I realized I had serious problems. AT&T's service is never anything to write home about in New York City (in fact, it's usually embarrassingly bad), but I found that my 3G connection seemed especially weak in this Manhattan doctor's den. Oh, I had five bars all right, but trying to load just the iPhone-formatted version of Engadget tested my will to live. After nurses denied my requests for assisted suicide, I resigned myself to dealing with the network issues. Honestly, a lot of what I do during the day (namely, hanging out in a chat room and commanding the team to help me pick the perfect pizza toppings) doesn't require the highest-test connection -- though I certainly put pedal to floor at times.
So, stoically accepting the fate of thin 3G, I set about firing up the apps I would need to actually tend to Engadget. First up, I required an IRC session. That's no problem, because the App Store is filled with useful tools for chatting with good buddies. I prefer Mobile Colloquy, so away I went, happily bounding into the Engadget chat room to direct the editors and get the latest gossip about Gyllenspoon. Of course, it took an exorbitant amount of time to actually connect, but once I did it's a reasonable experience... save for one big issue. The iPhone keyboard truly sucks if you're trying to type words it might not be familiar with. You know, like tech terminology which isn't exactly part of its native dictionary. Additionally, typing quickly during a conversation with lots of people is severely hampered by the inaccuracy of the on-screen keyboard.
I would have left it at that, but my work requires that I use a bunch of web tools, look at lots of news sites, and have a feed reader open... basically, things that would require some level of multitasking. Imagine the frustration of having to constantly break the connection in chat to go look at a site or work on a post. It's frustrating, let me tell you. The idea of jumping into and out of applications -- of having to actually quit an app to move to another one -- is
"We don't work like this on our computers -- why does Apple think we want to work like this on our phones?" |
The whole, painful experience set me thinking. Is this really what Apple wants me to be doing with my phone anyhow? The company has added lots of features -- like decent Exchange support -- so that its phone will appeal to enterprise and business users, but can these users really get what they need out of the device? Basic functionality, like calling people, email, and certainly document editing still feel inelegant and clunky due to the onscreen keyboard, and the lack of multitasking makes moving around through those typically important tasks difficult to say the least. The experience on an Android device, S60, the Pre, a BlackBerry, or even Windows Mobile just makes more sense. Let me say that again: those experiences make more sense. Now I'm not saying the execution of those experiences is better across platforms, but the philosophy of letting users multitask is more natural to us. The iPhone doesn't even have a method for switching between recently used or favorite applications.
We don't work like this on our computers -- why does Apple think we want to work like this on our phones?
Well that's the thing -- maybe they don't really care about how we work. Maybe they don't want us to work at all. If you take a look at the App Store, it's fairly obvious where the cash is going -- and it's not to productivity or enterprise apps. Where is it going? To Doom Resurrection, frankly (sorry, not for me -- I hate games on rails). At the end of the day, it's nice to stick the "we love business users" line into your PR, but it's quite another thing to make it real.
Keep this in mind: I'm not a Wall Street lifer -- I'm a guy in new media who needs to get things done. I should be part of Apple's target market.
So, what's the fix here? Well for Apple, the solution is simple -- the virtual keyboard problem is annoying, but not a deal breaker necessarily. The lack of multitasking is. The fact that Apple won't let end users decide to run down their battery with these dangerous, experience-ruining background tasks is galling, but the fact that the company doesn't seem to recognize how important the concept is is even worse. Giving users the option to select even a few apps to juggle would alleviate this problem instantly, but you've still got the hurdle of notifications which are difficult to manage, and an email platform which feels woefully behind the curve. Until the company finds some new paths to beat in those departments, the iPhone -- for all its apps and all its uses -- still doesn't hit the sweetspot for a lot of users who need to work.
For me? Providing this heart holds up the way doctors say it will, I'll be keeping a keen eye on Android developments. But seriously guys... put a keyboard on those things.
interesting
Very Interesting --
Josh, I hope you're reading this comment:
This editorial could naturally evolve into a very useful engadget featurette: comparison of the top feature/smartphones in terms of multitasking / work capabilities.
iPhone, Pre, Googlephone, Blackberry, etc...
Think about it -- I'd be very interesting in reading how that works for you.
And I don't mean in terms of theoretical capabilities, I mean apples-to-apples "my name is Josh T. and I'm Editor-In-Chief at Engadget" performance.
Compare each phone with what you do in the real-world as an Engadget editor on-the-go. I've read enough marketing materials to make my head explode, its hard to tell which phones actually can offer a better work experience without some sort of narrative.
I expected to see "Sent from my iPhone" at the end of this review, but I'm guessing you bailed on the experiment.
I think as a matter of principal, Josh is spot on with his feelings on the lack of native multitasking support. If Apple wishes to really take on the business market, that will need to be fixed.
As far as using the "virtual keyboard" I think it is great. I find it easier to type on than a device with a physical keyboard that needs the added (if only super miniscule) pressure to press a letter.
Oh, and when the slide out keyboard on my old HTC started sliding out on its own, that was a pain in the ass to get replaced.
Now on a side note, as the editor (let alone CHIEF editor) of a technology blog, why aren't you jailbreaking your iphone and solving your multitasking problem with Backgrounder? I understand it's the principal of the matter, but like you said, you need to get stuff done so do what you have to do to make it happen and quit bitching.
I think the keyboard beats the shit out of any mobile-sized physical keys I've used. Granted, a full-sized keyboard would be great to use, but who wants to carry that shit around?!
Paul, you have told us over and over again that the iPhone is wonderful because it does multitasking. Now you are sayng that the iPhone needs multitasking, at least as an option for 3rd party apps. So which is it, it does or does not have multitasking?
Perhaps if you actually own or use the devices that you support or slam based simply upon what corporate logo is on the device, you would be able to intelligently debate the pros/cons of those devices.
Sounds like you need a Palm Foleo, Josh...awwww snap.
iphone can easily multitask. but apple, most likely because of greed, wont let you. that feature will prolly be available on iphone Gen 5. dont be suckered thinking multitasking somehow affects battery life greatly dudes
thats what they said about bluetooth synching to other peripherals
thats what they said about... 3g connectivity.
a lot of stupid excuses for things that should have been on the phone but still hasnt. still missing features that other smart phones already have on the market.
im gonna stick to my blackberry. till something better comes along.
Obsessing over you paul???
Does it hurt having your head that far up your own ass???
Paul, get back to the basement from whence you came.
@ Paul
"A phone should never be the first and only device you use if you want to do business on the run."
Try "None of the current generation of smart phones should be the first and only device..."
Paul, I didn't know you could set auto-refresh to 0.01 seconds, but looks like you've nailed it.
Paul, if you *really* don't realize that you are a troll, you need to start reading carefully to try to understand why people don't want to discuss anything with you.
At this point, its like having a discussion with a creepy uncle who felt you up for 10 years when you were a kid. Yeah, he might be right about the sky being blue, but you don't really want to talk to him.
so how's the experience on other smartphones when doing the same tasks? i don't have a smartphone yet but looking to get one. i don't care whether or not my phone can play quake so am i better off getting a blackberry or a windows mobile phone?
"The fact that Apple won't let end users decide to run down their battery with these dangerous, experience-ruining background tasks is galling, but the fact that the company doesn't seem to recognize how important the concept is is even worse."
I don't think it's that Apple doesn't realize how important the concept is, just that it's not a dealbreaker for most iPhone users and if Apple included it, a lot of users wouldn't know how to use it and would end up complaining about poor battery life and returning the phone. I think at the end of the day Apple would rather have their device look amazing to most of its users than satisfy the few that really need multitasking.
I use it for work rarely. Mainly just for chat and email. I am a graphic designer so I obviously can't do too much on it.
I like all of the non-business apps in the App Store like Chibi Chaingun comic (www.blackhivemedia.com) and cool games like Low Grav Racer. I don't buy any enterprise apps at all, though I heard BeeJive is a great app for IM.
Paul
Whilst I may not always agree with what you say, you do present a a logical argument mostly for it.
However, this one time I think you may have missed the mark. I, and I suspect many others actually do want to see the day when I can get a lot of my work done on a phone (mobile computer). I really would like to be able to review doc.s, make quick edits and conduct business (keep things moving along) via a truly portable, mobile device.
I agree, that big things should be handled by larger devices, like a computer, but in a mobile world, you need to have access to many things any time to 'keep things moving along'.... like Josh seems to be trying.
Paul wrote: "Josh wrote a perfectly good article which deserves a good discussion and you guys can't enjoy it because you're obsessing over me."
Paul, I asked you a question to begin a discussion. A question to find out why in some of your posts you claim that the iPhone has multitasking, but here you are saying it does not. But rather than answering the question to start a discussion, you ignore it, and then attack others. Apparently you are not here for a discussion as you claim.
Microsoft Office would be much better than iWork...you know...the office suite used by 99% of the world
No, it wasn't stupid, you're just a fu** tard.
Do you think Apple has tried to persuade Microsoft to bring office to the iPhone? No. I mean seriously, do you not think Microsoft knows the iPhone is the phone for people who don't know better and want the flashiest thing? Microsoft knows to go after the biggest market. They know if Apple releases iWork for it that it might get people wanting it on their computers instead of office.
Seriously, there is Office for Mac. Who do you think makes it? Oh wait, it's Microsoft. If Microsoft was really trying to screw Apple users over do you think they would make version after version of Office for Mac, No. Why would Microsoft have a problem having office on Macs and not a mobile phone? Do you think if Microsoft made it a free app for the app store that Apple would allow it?
Stop wasting my air Paul.
Hmm.. I'd like to hear your thoughts after using various other devices as well. I'm a iPhone 3G user, but trying out the Pre seemed pretty fun and intuitive as well although there have been some talk of the Pre being sluggish when too many apps were open at once. It'd be cool to do a comparison attempting the same tasks on different phones.
unfortunately i dont think apple will take much of this to heart...which is sad because there are many valid arguments listed (and im we could all bring up a million more). but knowing how the company views its target demographic, updating and fixing things accordingly to accommodate the public isnt something done by apple that much.
going from windows mobile to blackberry to, now, S60 i dont think i could ever fully appreciate the iphone. i couldnt when at&t paid me to sell it and i still cant seem to understand the lack of functionality.
its a great toy, dont get me wrong...but i cant rely on toys for everything (unless i owned hasbro or something)
One of my big problems with the iphone is the lack of a physical keyboard, I love my G1 and I can type really fast on that, but I think I'll agree with Paul, I guess if you are used to a physical keyboard you have a hell of a time with a on-screen. One of my big problems in general is with portrait keyboards, they are just to small for my giant hands. I really liked the blackberry bold but even that felt to cramped for me. I think I may disagree with people who say they can type faster on a virtual keyboard, but it could just be I haven't met anyone thats that fast on one. I suppose the fact that I haven't seen it shouldn't dissuade me from believing its out there.
I know you are real Santa!
Paul,
Actually I said you may have missed the mark.
I wasn't quoting anyone, but simply stating an opinion.
I wasn't actually having a go at you, like everyone seems to do here, but just trying to say that buying a PC to do work is a very 20th century concept, in my opinion and that doing more 'keep business moving' type activities are expected to be done on a phone.
I happen to agree with Josh's opinion on the keyboard and multitasking and that I think more and more people will want this from their mobile devices int he future. What Apple has now is a very successful, but niche product and all the power to them. But for those folks that want a serious work tool (as you have agreed this is not) then what Josh is asking for seems logical.
Oops responded to wrong one...oh well...
I don't get it. First everyone jumps to conclusions saying "Engadget is obvious in Apple's pants. They must be getting paid to write these positive reviews about Apple" or something.
Now when they point out something negative, everyone is confused and can't comprehend what is happening.
P.S.:
@EVERYONE TALKING ABOUT PAUL
STOP FEEDING THE TROLL AND IT WILL GO AWAY. IT DOESN'T NEED TO FEED OFF OF ENGADGET'S COMMENTS 24/7.
This is a very interesting article. I agree the iPhone would do well to have full multitasking. It would be a nice feature to at least be able to turn on if needed, so that you don't slow down your phone when you don't want it. For me the main reason would be for a VPN connection app, and then to be able to run other apps independantly that connect through the vpn connection. I don't know how easy that would be to do though, even if apple increased multitasking capabilities. Session based internet apps would sure be greatly improved by multitasking as well, that's for sure. Other than that, I don't mind the sort of "save state" feature that at least most new apps support. It doesn't take long to have apps open and resume to where you were, and that might actually get annoying with a bunch of apps using your memory.
As far as the email "problem", I find that if you are running on an exchange server with multiple push folders and such that email is actually a nicer experience then on winmo (getting a nice buzz on subfolders, my god that feels good), though still not as good as BB (with a BES). Overall, the iPhone does have a pretty good email client, so long as you use a Microsoft backend product (I find this extremely funny, all things considering). Sounds like other email solutions might not be done in a very friendly manner, but I personally haven't experienced most of them, so I can't speak to it.
I also think as much as Paul might shill for Apple way too much to be taken seriously most of the time, his first post on this article was pretty well reasoned. I know that some people don't like to hear "Take a laptop with you if you want to do everything involved in your work." but often times, that really is the best solution.
Anyway, for many people's purposes, this phone does all it needs to, but I do agree that it could do so much more, and hardware-wise it's built for it.
@Josh Topolsky:
Sisyphus: "This editorial could naturally evolve into a very useful engadget featurette: comparison of the top feature/smartphones in terms of multitasking / work capabilities."
I completely agree with Sisyphus' sentiment. Josh, if you publish articles like this in the future, ones where practical usage of these phones were called into question, they would be exactly what I and many others are looking for in terms of a "product review". I want to know how these phones act in various usage situations. That's essentially getting to the core of owning one of these things!
-An avid reader
@ Paul, just to confirm, you are not going to respond to Nohone's perfectly valid question about multitasking?
To wit, Nohone's first question "Paul, you have told us over and over again that the iPhone is wonderful because it does multitasking. Now you are sayng that the iPhone needs multitasking, at least as an option for 3rd party apps. So which is it, it does or does not have multitasking?"
No response from Paul for about a half hour (but several other posts from Paul)
Nohone follow up "But rather than answering the question to start a discussion, you ignore it, and then attack others. Apparently you are not here for a discussion as you claim."
I tend to agree with Nohone. If you really want to have a discussion, please answer his question. I've been wondering the same thing for awhile how everyone else can say "iPhone has no multitasking" but you practically shouted them down saying "iPhone does too have multitasking." Which is it?
Absolutely interesting piece... I was at Costco yesterday with a buddy. Me= iPhone 3G, and my buddy = a blackberry Curve user. While my friend was texting away, checking his emails, BB-IM'ing with another buddy, loading up Costco page to check prices, all at the same time mind you, I was serially clicking on my mail, SMS, Safari app, facebook, icons one by one. He was constantly going back & forth among those apps while I couldn't click out of one app till I was sure I was done with that particular app. While he was typing at what felt like a 100mph speed, I was typing carefully on my virtual screen to make sure my lines were typo-free.
Multi-tasking IMO is an absolute must-have on any decent smartphone in this day and age. iPhone is a powerful device and I have no doubt it can handle multi-tasking well. As far as batter life with multi-tasking goes, Apple can easily add an option on General Settings page to turn multi-tasking ON/OFF. Oh and while you are at it (AND IF YOU ARE EVER AT IT APPLE), please also let me select how many simultaneous apps I want turned on. If I want to drain my battery in 1 hour by opening 6 simultaneous apps, so be it but let ME be the judge.
Virtual keyboard is not a big deal-breaker for me at all and like some have said here, you can get used to it although even after a year of typing on virtual keyboard, I still don't feel I am that fast typer.
please everyone just report all of pauls comments and move on.
anyway, i thought this was a great article. apple trolls (and poor defenseless consumers vulnerable to Apple's brainwashing ads) need to understand that their "jesus phone" has weaknesses just like any other phone (for WM it is obviously the UI).
also, i expect to see less claims of bias and anti-MS snark from commenters after this.
@paul: I think what it boils down to is what makes up a "logical argument." Sometimes I read what you have to say and it seems personally reasonable and in line with what I know to be true (on things I have experience with). Sometimes I just have to shake my head, hit the downmod button, and move on. The ratio of which way I go on this has a lot do to with what I think of a poster. You might not be happy with my opinion of the majority of your posts (which is where the "shill" comment came from), but there it is. I also think a lot of the people that respond to your posts every time in a negative manner, nitpicking away at things are out of line, and I downmod that as well when I see it, if that makes you feel any better.
@ Paul... yeah, you've had several times where you just said "iPhone does multitasking" with no distinction between Apple native apps and 3rd party apps... you just seem to be backtracking now because your original position was lame (just like your present position is). The point is, to be a useful business phone, it needs full multitasking.
Second, Nohone's comments was directly related to the article. The article talked about multitasking repeatedly. How is his question to you any less relevant than some of your comments, including the following gems from this article:
"And the iPhone doesn't have a touch screen per se, because a touch screen device usually implies one touch resistive screen devices. The iPhone has a capacitive screen and is multi-touch" (I don't recall anything in the article about the technology behind the iPhone's touchscreen, just about a touchscreen keyboard, capacitive or otherwise)
"No, that was the sound of all the Apple Haters getting a collective hard on. Negative iPhone stories do it every time, but then Apple still goes on to sell a bazillion units." (I don't know how the erectness or flacidity of people's penises have to do with anything... and moreover, what are you so fascinated with so much cock? Also, bazillion isn't a word.)
"I turn it around and totally PWN the douche nuggets responding to it, and the Haters get so mad that they bury the ownage. I FREAKING LOVE IT." (That doesn't sound like someone who is just trying to have an honest discussion to me)
Have fun trolling your way out of this one.
Paul "I always thought trolls say stuff like "FIRST" and call people names. Oh well. You can't make everyone happy and you shouldn't try."
You don't think calling someone a "douche nugget" is calling people names?
Well then, you are a huge douche nugget.
Very, Very Interesting. Apple's issue in this department is options. I'm not quite sure why Apple neglects to address this, because it's simply the underlying problem to nearly every Anti-Apple argument. I agree, the iPhone is not for "real work," almost every issue Josh exemplifies is solved in the Palm-Pre. I do know why Apple refuses to include a physical keyboard, it's because they are obsessed with simplicity. If it doesn't need to be there, it's not. This style of thinking is manifested in all their products. I can relate for your multi-tasking cry, although not for the keyboard.
Iphone 3G can multitask just fine if you hack it.
It just doesn't have enough RAM to run more than a few 3rd party apps at a time before it starts killing off the apps that have a lower priority than the 1st party ones.
The battery life excuse is nonsense.
3GS should be able to handle multi-tasking much better with 256MB
either way, i have all my music apps background enabled so i never have to quit out if I get a text or an email.
Mikey, he will not answer it, and that is the problem - his last post to Aaron proves it so. I have been called a Microsoft shill by him many times. No proof, no fact, just attacks to advance his agenda. But when somebody uses those same accusations against him, he has fits that he does not work for Apple, is not a troll, then spouts that he only uses logic and facts, laments the personal attacks, and attacks people with the "hater" label. This "people try to suppress open discussion" is a tactic of his that he uses often, and if I were to say "I am no longer going to talk with a troll", he would immediately pull out the discussion card and whine that he is being attacked - or like he did a few posts up, stalked.
Paul, if you truly feel like I am stalking you, I suggest that you press that ! button next to my posts. After all, Engadget has policies about that, and I would immediately be banned. So back up that argument - after all, you only use "facts" and "proof". Yes, I have admitted to using Google to search for you, but only on the Engadget site (site:Engadget.com), and I only do that to look up your contradictory statements you have made, and because you keep your post history private (ashamed of what you have written?). As for you saying you refuse to talk to me because I have searched, you have responded to my posts many times even after you have objected to it, so that is another contradictory statement - you don't respond to me because you think I am stalking you, but yet you reply to me quite often. Do you want discussion or not?
As for calling me a psycho, prove it, or I will consider that slander.
@Paul: I agree with you a lot of the time and think that you attempt to be fair and impartial. However, as an Apple devot you should be used to the inability to have an intelligent conversation with someone who is anti-Apple if you mention your liking for Apple in any way or form. This has carried on since the late 80's/early 90's. There is no reasoning with people like this, so I hate to see you wasting your time with it. Trust me, I'm tempted to fight zealots as well, but you can't win. There are more of them than you or I, so unless you like beating the dead horse that is most Engadget commenters, I suggest you try a more Apple friendly blog like AppleInsider or TUAW.
@ Paul "Where is your criticism for them? Oh, that's right, they hate Apple, so that makes them right. I forgot."
I was ignoring them, because responding served no purpose... I only mentioned your insults to show your hypocrisy. Don't claim you do not insult people when you call them "douche nuggets." Regardless of whether they insulted you, be a man and ignore it.
"I should just let people insult me without responding."
Yes, it's called turning the other cheek. You've said before you are a christian, so you should have heard of this. At the very least, show that you are an adult. I repeat, be a man, not a little child.
PAul,
Sorry mate, I give up.
I haven't taken offense. I was trying to have a rational discussion with you.
You just seem to be angry at all the attacks and don't seem to be rationally reading all the comments.
Any way, all the power to you.
Have a good weekend :-)
Peace.
Help! Help! I am being stalked! Paul is doing internet searches on my name!
MSM, I'm sorry about your email inbox.
I totally agree with this editorial. I split my time between my Blackberry and my iPhone. The iPhone is more fun to use, has a better browser, and some neat-o apps. When I need to get work done, the iPhone is painful to use. It's my weekend phone now.
The Blackberry will let me copy/paste EASILY, make notes while in a call easily, look stuff up quickly, and really move from task to tack quickly and without hassle.
I would love the iPhone with multitasking and a physical keyboard. Maybe I should get a Pre.
I thoroughly enjoyed this article. It is sort of a wake up call to all of the apple fan-boys out there. The iPhone is a great multimedia device, but it isn't our savior. Much of the article is opinion, but that's what an editorial is and I think that the evaluation of the phone is fair, as I can relate to the same issues with my old iPhone. Great article, and these would be nice to see more often rather than reviews and reports.
Jordan,
That Paul / Steve Jobs (Santa Claus'sh) post was just fkn gold!
Thanks for the laughs!
@Paul
Actually, I have re-read your comments from this post and they don't really seem that troll-ish. However, it seems that they contradict many of your other comments made on this site.
What's with all the hating?
This is not 4chan!
And here we were thinking Windows 7 was bad with its cheapest license only allowing three apps to run at once. At least 3 > 1.
Will someone ban Paul A. Chapel already, he ruins every single post here.