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What Do You Want In iPhone 2.0?
Ian Lamont writes "The predictions about the iPhone being a bust have so far been way off the mark, but that doesn't mean the device is perfect. Besides the dependence on the AT&T Edge network and the lack of an iPhone SDK, there are a boatload of UI, software and hardware issues that should be addressed in the next-generation iPhone. Some complaints include GPS functionality, allowing iPhones to be used as hard drives, adding RSS support, and turning auto-correct into auto-complete. What would you want to see in the next generation of iPhone?"
GPS functionality? How about moving to this side of Y2K when it comes to cellphone technology first? I don't know, maybe start with MMS?
We just went through months and months of iPhone discussions. Then we re-hashed half of those details in the way that the iPod Touch is a little disappointing. A lot of progress has been made in terms of getting unofficial 3rd party apps installed to the device. Do we really have to talk about this already?
Here's the thing: Apple, and Steve Jobs, will do exactly what they want and nothing more. We may get iChat support, we may get video at some point, but we're probably not getting an official SSH client. We're probably not getting VOIP, even though Apple has made obvious their disdain for the cell industry.
Once a product is launched, Apple tends to make small, incremental improvements. I don't see the iPhone 2.0 as a huge step up. In his "Steve Takes Europe" tour, the timelines for a 3G iPhone seem to be pointing more towards the end of next year, not sooner.
Be happy with your iPhone now. I won't be getting one, but that's okay. But I *am* done thinking about the iPhone, because for me it really is short of the mark. I'm in love with the interface, the form factor, and the degree to which Apple was able to think very differently than the rest of the industry. But, Apple's self-imposed product limitations are too annoying for me. It's just not going to be the device I really want.
- SW: Todo list.
- SW: WiFi SIP phone application that I can use with any SIP provider.
- SW: Dev kit. (Partly so I can implement/port these if Apple or "official 3rd party developer" doesn't.)
- HW: HSDPA (3G).
- Service: Wireless sync calendar/contacts over WiFi or Edge/3G.
I was one of the naysayers, but I ended up buying one of the $300 4GB models a couple weeks back to try it out. Now, it's "from my cold dead hands." Web browsing and email on the iPhone are simply leaps and bounds better than what I had on my Samsung Blackjack.
There are 0x40000000 types of people: those who understand 32-bit IEEE 754 floating point, and those who don't.
Hardware keyboard
Funny, the lack of a software keyboard or renewed form of Jot was the reason I never purchased a Treo.
After you use a virtual keyboards, and you find that it changes to symbols that make sense for the context you are in... I never ever want to go back to a real keyboard. Even desktop keyboards I find annoying in the rigidity they offer, especially when playing games.
UNIX apps? Already got 'em.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Yeah, you can have your HDSPA. My Nokia N95 needs to be charged twice daily due to how badly 3G sucks down the battery. Jobs & them are waiting for the less power hungry 3G, and sticking with what works for now.
That's the excuse Jobs is giving you, yes. Of course, when the iPhone inevitably gets HSDPA, the extra power usage will be glossed over ("We knew consumers wouldn't be satisfied with a mere 7 hrs talk time instead of 8, so we intentionally limited its capabilities.").
Funny how battery life on 3G just isn't that big an issue on other phones. Personally, I'd rather have the choice, and just switch back to GSM if I need the extra life. But that's not really the Apple way, is it?
Why would anyone engrave "Elbereth"?
#2) Does it work well as a phone ?
#3) Does it work well as a phone ?
Precisely and the thing that was actually amazing about the iPhone is that it is the first PDA phone that has not been a half baked POS. I have had a Blackberry, an iPaq and a Treo. They all suck. They crash, they drop connections, they are unreliable. The Treo is a vast improvement on the iPaq but its still a POS.
The iPhone on the other hand is competently engineered and actually works. What would it take for me to buy one?
For me to buy one for my personal use it would have to be really, really good. It would have to be good enough for me to carry a second phone around with me for a start. If it had GPS capability and I could use it to auto-navigate in the car that would make me buy it. In fact I would even buy one if there was a GPS adaptor kit available that I could fit in the car and then plug the iPhone in when I am driving the car without a GPS.
For the phone to be acceptable as a work phone it would have to meet two particular requirements. First it has to synch with Exchange email and calendar, either natively or through a third party plug in like Goodmail. Second the email capability must provide for a 'reset' facility in the case that the phone is reported lost or stolen. Without that capability I can't use the phone for work.
Those 'must have' items apart, I would like to be able to use my iPhone as a remote control for arbitrary devices in my home. I would also like to be able to use it as a one time password token.
Another very nice to have feature would be to be able to use the iPhone as a VOIP phone when in range of a suitable WiFi source. I doubt that will be an option until sometime after the AT&T exclusive deal expires though.
My list of nice to have is not actually very long, I don't want my phone to do absolutely everything. I don't even care about having a camera on my phone. But I certainly would like to see the way phones are sold change so that instead of having to buy the phone through my network provider I buy the phone and then decide what network to use it on. I want to see the phone become a commodity communications device.
If that happens then instead of having one phone and many batteries I would be just as happy taking a second phone with me on a trip. If one phone goes flat I switch to the other. I should be able to receive calls from either my home number or my 'mobile' number when I am out of the house and the phone should be able to reconfig itself to my wife's preferences if she needs to use it when I am out.
Instead of buying one phone per person I buy one for every room that currently has a telephone handset.
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