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3G iPhone Going Into Production In May
A few folks noted the rumor mill churning over 3G iPhones coming soon. Apparently they might be going into production as early as May, and announced somewhere in the 2nd quarter. Hopefully they manage to stick a GPS and another 16 gigs of memory in this one.
Because the iPhone was a flop outside North America.
A few folks noted the rumor mill churning over 3G iPhones coming soon.
But my iPhone already has 8 gigs!
If it did, I'd buy it at any cost!
I don't think it is so soon. It's already almost been a year since the original came out.
This isn't Apple's other electronic markets, cell phones are updated almost the time, and usually it's not just a "slap a stick of bigger memory on it and call it a day" sort of revision. They need and should be adding more features to compete with the rest of the market.
With that said, I don't understand why the hell people keep begging for GPS, I just feel that there are so many other better self GPS only products that get the job done that Apple shouldn't bother with that market. Besides, if you're shelling out hundreds on an iPhone, I have a feeling you may have a GPS system of some sorts already.
Never underestimate the power of the 'coolness' factor. Also, you write off the nicer interface as if its somewhat insignificant. That's the CORE component of any consumer electronic market. The public is going to interact with the most part through the interface, if it sucks, they're not going to spend the time to learn it.
Like it or hate it, you got to admit that the iPhone has a pretty nice interface and it's not too hard to learn. When my mom and aunts, who are in their 40s and not very technologically adept, decided to pick up iPhones and can use them as well as me, you know they're doing something right.
Isn't this a day early?
Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
Also note, that in countries where the telecommunications system is in a stranglehold by a company dedicated to obsolete standards (NextG anyone?), the few providers of 3G are the only usable cellular data method, there is not EDGE so...
:)
Or as you said, if a flip flop saves a flop, well, meh.
I stick to my nokia (edge, 3g, gsm, 802.11g) I think
...
It all boils down to this: what the iPhone does it does well.
:-)
I have used other smart phones such as the Motorola Q and the Blackberry, but the iPhone is the simplest to use for what I want: easy to access and read e-mail and web browsing and a phone. It also does simple things like work as my calculator, a calendaring system, take notes on it, do alarms, stop-watch, stock quotes, weather and whatever else you download for it now. And oh yeah, it is my iPod too and I synch it with Bluetooth to my car for use as hands-free.
As someone else already pointed out, the ease of use and interface are the key things that a good smartphone really needs - and Apple succeeded quite well with their first try. Yes, it didn't have 3G or GPS built-in for the first pass at it, but future versions most certainly will. Once they add the rest of those features, i'll be surprised at what people will find to complain about it then. It will probably never have enough memory for the complainers and i'm sure the DRM and device lock-down are also something to continue to complain about, but i'm happy with the phone now just as much (or more than) I was when I bought mine back in September after they lowered the price on it. Now if only AT&T could get some better coverage around where I live
"To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield." - Tennyson
The other reply got modded flamebait, but the spirit of the answer was correct - consider how it's not just marketing from Apple themselves, but from phone shops that promote it, and news media from Slashdot to the BBC. What's this - a news article not about the release of Iphone, but simply a new version supporting a feature that's long been a standard? Most phones don't get a story at all.
Apple appear to be taking advantage that many people are unaware how almost every phone (even cheap ones) can do Internet access as standard, so they are able to promote it as a new and wonderful thing (even on Slashdot, I see this happening).
(And it's not clear it has "succeeded" apart from in the sense of not flopping? Sure it's succeeded, but so has the Treo and many other phones, but if you mean been a success above all others, that's not clear at all to me.)
My blog
We're tired of...
"Three PDAs for the Elven Lords
Seven cell phones for the Dwarf Lords and their halls of stone
Nine MP3 players for the
Three Cell Phones for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven PDAs for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine MP3 players for Mortal Men doomed to die,
We want...
One Gadget the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Gadget to rule them all, One Gadget to find them,
One Gadget to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
***
(ie: I don't want a separate cell phone, PDA, MP3 player, GPS and batman utility belt. Especially NOT when the technology is available to easily have all 4 in a single device. And the only thing stopping it from happening is BS marketing idiots.)
- AutoFocus/Flash for the Camera
- 3G
- GPS
and I'm set, getting rid of a bunch of electronics for just one deviceWhat else do you guys think could be added?
Why the original iphone didn't get all these features I'll never know
Cost. The thing is already $400-$500. Imagine if you added all of those "features"...
"When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade. Make life take the lemons back!" -- Cave Johnson
Why would you want a standard 3.5mm headphone jack? You wouldn't be able to take calls on the earphones. The jack still works for regular headphones already, so what's the problem.
Because a GPS that network enabled is a great tool.
Traveling? Want to find a restaurant? Just use your cell with GPS and you can even dial the number and make reservations. Yes auto GPS systems have that but do you carry them in your pocket? When you travel you may or may not have a GPS in your rental car. Yea you could take your portable one with you but what if you don't have a rental car and are just walking? What if you are riding with someone that doesn't have a GPS?
Again it is always in my pocket. It is the same reason that I have web browser on my phone and a media player.
It is always with me and it is small and light.
See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
Such is the case for most of the connectivity technologies that see more rapid adoption overseas. There are large areas of the USA that are simply not densely populated enough to justify the expense of rolling out cutting-edge networks there. It isn't a matter of the US simply being behind the technological curve, as some like to assume.
Pardon the PHB nature of this next statement, but these are the types of differences that turn a 3 year ROI into a 10 year ROI, and slow down adoption.
Given your suggestions, I think we'll see the following on the 2G Apple iPhone:
1) 3G high-speed data download support through HSDPA (which AT&T is implementing in major metropolitan areas).
2) Maximum flash memory increased to 32 GB, the same as the top-line iPod Touch.
3) Improved onboard camera with 4-5 megapixel capability.
4) Bigger capacity battery (though this will increase the thickness of the iPhone about 2-3 mm).
5) Improved transceiving antenna, very necessary for HSDPA connections.
6) Optional software GPS support, using software sold through iTunes Music Store.
The iPhone could be equipped with a perpetual motion machine and a love ray that instantly seduces any woman it is aimed at, and some people would still complain that it doesn't support MMS, and thus they would rather have their free flip phone.
Don't underestimate the power of the dark side.
"by that I mean people who don't sit on slashdot all day wondering why everyone else isn't building robots" DECS
The interface is just about all that matters in a cell phone. I am sick and tired of cell phones with user interfaces that SUCK. The iPhone has a pioneering full-surface touchscreen display just like I envisioned. It rolls a great mp3 player in. It's thin enough to fit in a jeans pocket without anyone noticing, thinner than most phones. Those are all killer features. Smartphones? Barf. A rehash of Treo? Get out of here.
I'll definitely be getting a 2nd gen...
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I'm sure they're also attracting the people that have tried out the browsers on their phones, and found them so painful to use that they've just given up. I'm one of them - I never use the browser on my Samsung Z560 unless I really have to. In contrast, I'll browse the web on my iPod Touch quite happily - it's not as good as a desktop browser, but it's not that far off.
In fact, I was ranting to my boss just now about the fact that my phone browser forgets cookies when the browser is closed (which happens every time you close the clamshell, annoyingly). It's particularly apparent when using PayPal Mobile, which shows you a regular login page by default. You can opt to log in using your mobile number and a PIN, and if you've got the cookie you'll be automatically redirected. Mine, unfortunately, forgets the cookie.
the locate feature is absolutely useless to me. there aren't enough wi-fi access points to be any good.
Besides i don't want GPS built in. As GPS uses a ton a battery power. I want a Bluetooth, or other dongle that occasionally sends GPS data. Why can't I get a car dock, with a built in GPS receiver? Just plug the iPhone in I can listen to tunes, hook up the bluetooth to my car's bluetooth headset, and have driving map to go by all from one device.
Unfortunately the SDK, and Apple's EULA's prevent exactly that from ever happening.
i thought once I was found, but it was only a dream.
I do already have GPS but I really hope the next iPhone has it and is available soon. If the first version had GPS I would already own an iPhone and I probably wouldn't have a normal suction cup GPS. I would instead be suction cupping my iPhone to the windshield.
Now that I have a good car GPS system to save me from getting lost all the time, I want one in my pocket. I can think of a few times when I have been out in a city on foot, and had to worry about getting lost. It would have been nice to have GPS in my pocket whith the confidence that I would never get lost again. Knowing that you will never get lost makes you free to explore. This is as true in a car as on foot.
I think the main reason that the iPhone doesn't have GPS is that it is a tough feature to really get right. All the GPS systems I have owned have had their flaws. I can understand why you wouldn't want to introduce all that complexity and accompanying scrutiny when you are trying to get an already compelling (to some people) product out the door. I'm still basing my next cell phone purchase on GPS capabilities.
I have a Garmin nuvi 660 and a Nokia E70. Both are fine devices. But there are MANY times when carrying my GPS is impractical (basically anytime I'm not in a car) and having a phone with even a subset of the Garmin's abilities would be handy. I can do the google maps thing same as the iPhone, but it is not very useful especially compared with a real GPS. Personally I don't listen to much music but a GPS built in to my cell phone (again, with appropriate navigation software) would be a huge win for me. One of the reasons I did not buy an iPhone was because it didn't have any built in GPS capabilities and I found a way to get my Nokia to integrate (via bluetooth) with a compact GPS. Not a perfect solution but a good one. Should the iPhone get some good GPS capabilities that would make it a LOT more attractive to me.
I don't have an iPhone, but according to the Apple FAQ:
How does the Maps location based service (LBS) work?
LBS provides your approximate location using information based on your proximity to known cellular network towers and Wi-Fi networks (when on and available). The more accurate the available information, the smaller the circle identifying your position on the map. The feature is not available in all areas. Known Wi-Fi networks are predominantly in urban areas. In order to provide your location, data is collected in a form that does not personally identify you. If you do not want such data collected, do not enable the feature. Not enabling the feature will not impact the functionality of your iPhone.
I'm assuming you have cell towers near you. Sure, when driving you'll need more accurate information than the LBS provides. But on foot, a map of the surrounding area should be good enough for most.
Has anyone seen an FCC approval filing for this yet ?
Surely since they had to pre-announce the first iPhone to protect against the FCC announcing it for them, we could expect to see a similar request before a 3G iPhone comes into being ?
That sounds like a physical problem, not a standards problem unless a standard 3.5mm jack is required to have a certain amount of space around it.
So - what is the reason for not having 3G on the east and west coast of USA? I would guess the population density there is comparable to most of Europe.
And don't think we have 100% 3G coverage over here(Denmark) - far from it. I would guess by area we're around 40%(Complete guesstimate), but coverage by population is at least 80% - I see nothing that prevents USA from doing something similar.
"What a lot of North American readers (like yourself) don't seem to understand..."
I fail to see anything in the parent post that suggests that he doesn't understand. In fact, it's likely that he understands all too well. Perhaps rather than take an argumentative tone in response, you simply add your point to further reinforce the his.
Now, if such large areas in the US can't justify 3G then how could they justify WiFi as an alternative? That is, after all, the Apple position on the matter.
Maybe that's the problem with the cell phone market. Too many new "features."
My girlfriend just got a new phone to replace her two year old one that broke. The new one is almost imperceptibly smaller, the camera is slightly higher resolution, and the default ringtone is more annoying and more difficult to change.
Apple has done very well by resisting the urge to cram more "features" into their devices. Most famously, the iPod.
I'll give you several
1: Ease of use.
2: High quality software - few software bugs
3: Ipod
4: Very good web browser
5: Some very nice third party software (if you jailbrake it)
I've also have a Nokia E90 - so I'm able to compare my iPhone to a more feature full phone. This is a phone that has almost all the features that you could imagine. 3.5G, GPS, SIP client, multi megapixel camera, keyboard and etc. This is similar to other expensive Nokia phones.
The problems with the Nokia phones are:
1. Several different confusing menus - the series 60 is awful to use
2. Lots and lots of bugs, several that freezes the phones
3. Terrible multimedia software
4: Good web browser with bad user interface. Nokia calls it Safari (webkit) based, but the interface is miles away from the iPhone
Yes my Nokia E90 has it bright spots. For example I bring it along on my travels because of it's GPS and its SIP client. Additionally the keyboard makes it nice using ssh to check problems with servers and etc. And it's really nice to have 3.5G Internet access. But since it's awful to use as a day to day phone it's mostly left at home.
BTW: I live in Oslo, the main capital of Norway. An area with very good 3G and 3.5G coverage. So I know what I'm missing with just the EDGE network.
Most providers do offer it in major metropolitan areas. AT&T Wireless, the carrier for the iPhone, for instance, shows their data coverage here. A subset of these areas supports 3G, as shown here. It's pretty easy to take a look at the data map, though, and get a feel for where there is population density that supports the rollout of the tech. If you go here you can see a similar coverage map for Verizon Wireless -- click "Broadband & V CAST" and look at the dark blue areas.
Why do iPods outsell other MP3 players? You can tout their UI or iTunes, but I honestly believe it comes down to the fact that they look cool and, perhaps more importantly, many folks who buy them are trying to also make a fashion (or cultural) statement. No longer does one need to have an opinion on individual issues...or evaluate the superiority of a specific product. No...all you need to do is grab a brand and slap it on your forehead.
Someone mentioned that the iPhone is essentially a sexed-up Treo. As a long-time Treo owner, I very much disagree. It isn't even close to a Treo...at least in terms of functionality.
I love my Treo. Is the PalmOS dead? Almost certainly. Is the Treo hardware innovative? Not anymore. Not even close. So why do I prefer the Treo over an iPhone? Countless reasons, 3G and multiple carriers aside (and those are fairly large issues to set aside).
Start with the fact that I can install whatever software I want on my Treo...and do - MP3 players, streaming internet radio players, video players (and recorders), a JVM, games, eBook readers, an RPN calculator, PDF readers, DocsToGo to both view AND create Microsoft Office documents, third-party phone dialers, third-party web browsers and email clients, third-party IM clients...whatever I want...and they are not AJAX applications. They are rich client-side applications with access to the full range of phone functionality.
Memory is another issue. How much RAM does an iPhone have? My Treo? It has infinite storage...since it accepts SD cards. I just came back from vacation...and I brought about 30 hours of video, including full length movies and content from my TiVo. I also brought several thousand MP3s and hundreds of eBooks. SD cards are dirt cheap and extremely portable...and essentially allow you to have infinite storage on the go...and obviate the need to upgrade every time that you have gigabyte lust.
Is the Treo UI sexy? Hell no. Sure, you can change it in many ways with third-party applications, but in general, the iPhone kills it in this regard...but the UI is also very FUNCTIONAL. I can enter an appointment in one click, have a global find function, can cut and paste, can search for a contact by typing a few letters and have it match either first name, last name, occupation, or company (using TakePhone). I can delete (or mark read) multiple email messages at once. I have a real keyboard with tactile feedback and ten other fully programmable hard buttons...and a D-pad. I have utility applications that can change phone behavior in almost anyway - how lights flash for various events, when the phone rings, how it rings (for example, different ring tones for different people...or times of day). I even have a utility that allows me to send a specific SMS to the phone and have it perform any one of a number of functions, include lock, wipe memory, or wipe memory and SD card. The real issue is that the platform is OPEN for development. Applications developed with the iPhone SDK will be crippled...and will have to live in tightly defined sandbox.
Oh well, Palm is all but dead...but that doesn't make my 3G Treo any less valuable...at least until something better comes along. I will admit, the iPhone's 320x480 screen (50% larger than my Treo's 320x320 screen) looks AWESOME...and I would love to have it. Safari also beats the pants off of Blazer and Opera Mini...and WiFi would be killer in certain situations. Thus, I am keeping a very close eye on the next iPhone...and developments in the iPhone SDK world...as I am with Android. I seriously doubt my next phone will be Palm-based...and I am no longer on contract so I am ready to jump platforms...but I have just not seen the compelling reason yet.
Your mileage may vary.
BTW, whatever phone you have, this software is an excellent way to get video on to it - http://www.pqdvd.com./ I am not affiliated with them in any way. I am just a very happy customer.
cheers,
Steve
The Treo did succeed and it would be more successful now if its software wasn't of such poor quality. The iPhone does many things better than the Treo even ignoring the Treo's stability problems.
The Treo concept remains a desirable one so you answered your own question. The company that does the best job with this type of device will succeed. Right now it is Apple (among others).
as a former treo 700p user it's because.....
you don't have to reboot it 5 times a day and it doesn't have interface lag switching between networks.
Oh the web browser is actually useable.
Forget 3G. I'm curious if it'll have Michael Uy's Fly Eye Camera. The patent is a couple of years old. I wonder if Apple is just sitting on the patent or if they're actively developing it.
A key benefit of the camera is if you're on a video conference, your image will be looking straight at the camera instead of off screen.
then MAYBE you'll have a decent argument about why maps are superior in every way. Maps are useful to be sure but GPS devices do a lot more than just show where streets are located. I use my GPS almost daily. Bet you I get a lot more value out of my GPS than you do from your map.
I already have a 3.5G phone with a full WebKit-based browser, multi-tasking, and full programmability. It has a standard USB modem, GPS, a full Bluetooth stack, and tons of software. I can use as a tethered modem, via Bluetooth, and even use it as a WiFi access point using 3.5G for Internet access.
The iPhone has crippled software, crippled hardware, and crippled contracts. There is no reason on earth to buy one.
No, but it requires a high power receiver. GPS signals are some of the weakest ones you can actually use with consumer gear and it takes a lot of work (battery power) to get them.
Worse, because GPS signals require so much work to read, receivers typically require several minutes to achieve a usable result from a cold start, so the option of leaving it off for the 99% of the time you're not using it is less appealing because staring at a busy cursor on your phone for 5 minutes sucks when you just want some quick directions.
That said, cell tower location approximation systems are pretty lame. I tried using one on my phone and in some areas (dense urban areas) it would do ok, mostly, but once you got out into the burbs your error bars start expanding rapidly. It's not completely useless (you can find the street name you're on and only have to look in the circle on your phone most likely), but compared to a real live GPS system it's rather unsatisfying.
I read the internet for the articles.
Dude.. You live in Chicago, it's a grid, lucky you. Try to find your way around Houston or New Orleans without help sometime. It's a bona fide nightmare. New Orleans has streets that are parallel in one place and intersect in others, they call it a the "Crescent City" for a reason. It also has streets change names at random places for reasons that, while historically interesting, make no navigational sense. New Orleans is a bit unique by any standard, but most of what I like to call the "post-WW II Southern Cities" are huge sprawling things with little planning and often several "downtown areas" interspersed with residential subdivisions and bedroom communities. I've been to New York and Chicago, their well planned grid and awesome public transportation are things to be envied... Most of us do, because we don't have them.
I don't need a million points of light, just two points of multi-mode fiber and a 10 Gig-E router.
This isn't true anymore. About 83% of the U.S. population lives in cities. We just aren't a rural country anymore. The simpler answer is that we have a de facto telecommunications monopoly in this country, and we all know how much monpolies love innovation.
I am a believer of momentum and curves.
Perhaps this will be what it takes to bring the phone into Canada? 2 of our 3 major providers are 3G (Telus, Bell), so it the 3G iPhone would make perfect sense as a starting point for a Canadian release.
It's almost cruel how little Apple has said about a Canadian release (nothing). They haven't even hinted, nor have Telus, Bell, or Rogers. Only recently have we gotten a sign a 'something' in that there's a "French - Canadian" language seeting in the new 2.0 software.
Sigh, I'll keep waiting.
Not only that, but the iPhone is free of all the crap that the networks insist on putting on your phone.
T-Mobile UK have intentionally made my Samsung Z560 more annoying to use. The most infuriating example is the web browser's bookmarks list. At the top of the list are two bookmarks for 'T-Mobile Favourites' and 't-zones'. You can't delete them, or even move them to another position on the list. The worst part is that the phone only shows three bookmarks on the screen at a time, you have to scroll to see more. So when I open my bookmarks menu, I see one of my bookmarks, and two that T-Mobile want me to see.
So basically, I'm buying an iPhone as soon as a 3G model comes out.
My old Motorolla V551 took a hard hit and was knocked out cold. I needed a phone - fast... I walked into the Cingular/AT&T store, asked to see a phone that would do more than just be a phone... So I looked at Palm... Been there, done that, have the t-shirt from Handspring... *yawn* --- I looked at Blackberry... too fruity for me... --- I then took a serious look at the (then) top of the line Windows Mobile device... sleek, sexy styling with turbo handling, all the business needs rolled into a nice, convenient package, NATIVE support for Exchange, Word, Excel, full apps, not just viewers, the quintessential Solitaire and more... and then... the price tag... $500 --- I told the sales punk, "I might as well buy an iPhone." So he showed me the iPhone. He turned it on... Ooooh! Aaaah! Here's my credit card. Wrap it up nice and pretty for me, OK?
Several months later, here I am... frigging iPhone doesn't sport ActiveSync, email is a throw back to the dark ages (I think Pine had more features), friggen OS X without copy/cut/paste - WTF?!?! Edge Wireless? That's all? You're kidding right? No voice dialing? No Bluetooth tethering? The list of gripes goes on... But Oooh... it's so pretty...
I love my iPhone - (under my breath: frigging under-developed piece of...)
that does everything the iPhone plans on doing (and more):
http://www.wireless.att.com/businesscenter/atttilt/
You can even change the system look and feel to have it look and behave like an iphone... for 1/3 the cost.
I have the palm version of the Treo. It is complete shite.
Form factor first, it is heavy and the antenna sticks out. The stylus fell out of the pocket long ago and they charge Apple prices for a replacement - $20 for three pointy sticks. I am now on my third replacement in two years. Some people I know have been through six.
The browser is crud. It does not have a cache so you have to reload every page even if you only just navigated there. The javascript is buggy.
The bluetooth implementation is poor, there is no WiFi. The command set is illogical, half the time you press the place call button to dial a number, but not always, sometimes that is cancel.
Unlike the iPhone it is at least unlocked. But the downside is that if you do put a third part app on it the chronic unreliability is likely to get worse.
The iPhone is the only phone on the market today with a web browser that does not completely suck. The fact that it is a really nice Web browser is kinda superfluous.
Looking for an Information Security student project suggestion?
Try http://dotcrimeManifesto.com/
IMHO, Despite the iPhone's initial shortcomings, Apple got several things right out the gate - Google Maps has proved invaluable to me many a time, even more so with the Locate Me feature that's been recently added -- it's a poor man's GPS of sorts. The Address Book is by far the best I've seen on any phone (compared to Treo, Blackberry, etc.) especially with its tie-ins to the camera/photo library. The iPod ain't shabby either, albeit, 8 GB is a bit slim for my audiophile tastes - so I keep my regular 60 GB iPod handy. The SMS client, while lacking in the MMS dept. is much easier to navigate overall. And since I don't use SMS for MMS purposes, it's no bother to me. But I can see how a person could be bothered by it - especially when receiving MMS on the iPhone - that's no trite task, especially with the lack of copy/paste. The calendar is a God-send, especially with the ability to set multiple alarm structures for a single event and tie in to the telephone features. And the phone itself couldn't be more intuitive when merging/dropping calls, etc. Only thing that does bug me is the inability to poke around in the address book while on a call. Jailbreaking solves this problem, however, not everyone jailbreaks.
Overall, the iPhone is rock solid. However, as a competitor in the corporate arena, the iPhone still has some growing up to do. Blackberry and MS Phones have the edge there. Time will only tell as Apple has recently licensed ActiveSync for Exchange and who knows what else will come to fruition. I for one look forward to the iPhone future, especially since I have a vested interested; being an iPhone owner and all.
Take hands-free dialing for example. The State of California issued several press releases about the impending law stating that cell phone use while driving would require hands free, yet, within less than a year of said law taking effect, the iPhone was released without the ability to voice dial, ergo, not being truly hands-free. You think Apple would be up to the task of do-diligence by making sure their user base is able to adhere to local and state legislation. There are alternatives... don't use your phone while driving or only answer calls using a headset. Alternatively, Motorola offers (for about $200) a device that connects to the iPhone and facilitates hands-free voice dialing. The problem is, it's an expensive add-on that should never have been needed in the first place.
Instead of focusing on stock tickers (can be had through the web browser), weather information (can be had through the web browser), and YouTube services (can be had through the web browser), I think the Apple dev team would have spent their time more wisely by addressing real-world issues such as tethering the phone to a BlueTooth laptop for use as a modem, fine tuning the email app so it's not so cludgy (have you ever tried deleted more than 20 emails in a sitting) - I think I have carpal tunnel in my tapping finger... but I digress...
Yes, I understand there will be plenty of items left on a to-do list at the end of a 1.0 release cycle. Many things end up on the cutting room floor. But why cut out common, everyday, key features that just about every modern (cell) phone already supports and leave your customer (and potential fanboy base) high and dry with the "So Sorry" schpeal?
And before you say, "Well, you bought into it anyway" - Yes I did. I know I did. I don't regret that I did. But now that I am here, I am noticing things that could have been done better - just like everyone else who owns an iPhone.
However, I must give Apple props - on a whole, out of the gate, they did quite well. I think Apple was wide to eliminate the 4GB model as well as cut the price of the 8GB model. And the end user experience has been beyond anything I ever found with any other phone...
You make some valid points there, although I don't think it's possible to build a complex consumer device that's "perfect" from everyone's point of view. When something like the iPhone is announced and hyped to death, I feel fortunate if it doesn't just outright suck.
:-P
When I want to use the phone while driving -- which is rare -- I just do it, the same way I'll drive 65 in a 55 zone when I feel like doing that. Yay for individual judgment.
And I rarely use the phone for email. I was (un)lucky enough to be one of the first GMail users, so I had my pick of user names. I picked a short one with a variant of my (relatively-common) name. Now I get an impractical volume of misaddressed email that renders the account useless, although amusing. So, since I don't delete anything or otherwise make any effort to manage the mailbox, the email UI is fine for my purposes.
Yes, Safari crashes fairly often, and no, the telephone itself is not exactly the best out there. And I definitely agree that the built-in specialty apps are either superfluous, or full of forehead-slapping missed opportunities. But the fact that the iPhone does so much stuff, and does it at least reasonably well, means that I'm pretty sure I'll never live without one unless forced to by extreme poverty or disease.
That hasn't been my experience. I've used a Garmin pretty extensively. When I leave it on all the time, it usually knows where it is seconds after walking outside. When I turn it off and drive a good distance away, it takes maybe 30 seconds to reacquire enough satellites to get its bearings. It may not get all of the satellites that it wants right away, but it's always been spot on after 30 seconds.
I've been looking at getting a Treo for years - the thing that stopped me was actually the keyboard, because all I ever really wanted was a Treo with a large screen and graffiti (Jot) support instead of a keyboard. And also (perhaps as a result of the keyboard) the Treo was always just a little too bulky to suit me, when I always loved the form factor of the classic Palm V.
But Palm never shipped that phone - Apple did. And so now I am an iPhone user. Palm abandoned the core of what made them great, lost their way somewhere along the path of mobile integration and schizophrenic PalmOS/Windows Mobile development.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley