Why The iPhone Will NOT Be My Next Phone
Written by Jamie Hunter • Mar 24th, 2008 • Category: Editorials And Opinion, Top StoryAbout every 7 or 8 months I begin the search for my next handset. My last one was a Nokia N95, and prior to that I was kicking it with a Nokia N73. You might say I prefer the high to mid tier devices, and I’m a huge Nokia fan because of their quality and unique designs. Note that I said I am a “huge fan” not a devoted one. If a better handset comes along I am more than willing to give it a shot.
Enter the iPhone. Sexy and sleek, the new kid on the block sure has the looks that turn heads. And what’s not to like about it? Apple practically perfected the touch screen interface, cover flow is innovative and fun to use, the Safari web browser is one of the best on any mobile device, and even though the phone has been around for close to a year it still has that “wow factor” when you pull it out of your pocket. Heck even Al Roker is sporting one! Now, if that doesn’t scream “mainstream” I don’t know what does. Yes, the iPhone has arrived and it’s here to stay. So why am I not ready to jump on the bandwagon and jailbreak an iPhone?
One of my biggest concerns was the lack of support for Microsoft’s Exchange Server. While this appears to have been addressed recently I am still curious to see how it performs. I need corporate email, and while I could use a Blackberry I hate how my IT department locks the device down. Another issue is a lack of third party support. Sure there are a few apps that come with the “jailbreak” hack, but I don’t feel comfortable investing that much money into a device that forces you to “hack” it just to get third party apps to run. I am never switching to AT&T, which means I would constantly be playing cat and mouse with Apple. The lack of a real keyboard is also a deal breaker for me. My next phone must have a full keyboard, which by the way rules out my beloved N Series phones from Nokia.
I have tried typing on the iPhone and it just doesn’t do it for me. Perhaps if there was some type of vibrating feedback it could work, but the fact that Apple included predictive text with a full QWERTY keyboard tells me they knew the spacing of the keys would be a problem for most users, so why didn’t they simply spread them out even more? The lack of a stereo Bluetooth profile is yet another reason why I will not purchase this phone. Why this feature would be left off of a device that is supposed to double as an extension to your multimedia library is beyond me. Some people are saying “The feature is in there, but Apple has it locked.” If that’s the case why hasn’t anyone unlocked it? Surely if the hacking community could find a way to unlock the phone for use on other networks they could find a way to unlock such a useful feature as Bluetooth.
And my final reason why the iPhone will not be my next phone? Because Al Roker has one! Call me a phone snob but I just hate having the same phone that every other person in town has! I can remember when the Moto Razrs came out. For the first 5 months it was cool to carry one because not many people could afford it. A year later my father had one, and that’s when I knew it had run it’s “coolness course”. Coincidentally this is one of the reasons why I don’t own an Apple Ipod.
I will more than likely hold out for an Android based phone later this year, but if it doesn’t live up to my expectations I see a Windows Mobile device in my future. I am not bashing the iPhone. In fact I think it’s a pretty sweet device for what it is, but it’s just not for me.
Jamie Hunter is a self professed gadget geek. You can often find him playing with a new mobile device.
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If you want the best of all worlds you should be saving up for the Sony Ericsson Experia.
http://www.sonyericsson.com/x1/
Windows Mobile-based, but with eye candy up the wazoo, full QWERTY keyboard, but also hardware accelerated 3D graphics, 800×480 screen but still completely pocketable.
It will never be as ubiquitous or hyped as the iPhone, but thats good too.
What is the point of this article? Who cares what your personal preference is? The hot air you produce and that produced by others like you causes Global Warming.
So, you like to be different from mainstream. Thats nice. Most many mainstream things start off that way. Then they become popular and you move on, or they don’t and they disappear and you move on. Being different is more of a personality trait than anything else.
“i wanna say something, I wanna say something” OK you said it…
…and the point of this article is?
Wait. Let me guess You have some form of magnetic haptic interface type of screen that one saw Tom Cruise in Minority Report? No? How about a smoke-stack those Native Americans use? No? . . wait a second. . . you’re using a standard blog format, a regular computer. Where’s your individuality here? Be consistent with your snobbery, please. . . -grins- . . . Well, can’t this particular philosophy spill over to the iPhone? Especially with the 2.0 firmware in June. Anyway. . . it would be kinda shooting yourself in the foot if you did end up embracing the iPhone. . . after all you’re the “androidguys.com” blogger. . wouldn’t look good for the site to be pimping the iPhone when you’re supposed to be pimping the Android. . . which is also ironic in itself since not even a single phone that runs Android has been released, yet you’re pimping N95 and future variations. Pimpin’ is hard. . . ask Snoopy.
Wow, I thought peer pressure influencing purchasing decisions went out in high school.
Well, I really don’t care which celebrity owns an iPhone. I bought it because of its incredible UI and underlying technology. That technology is about to be exploited big time. Exciting for me and most users the 2008 and beyond.
Sir. I have to ask. Are you an IPHONE hater? Lets give Steve Jobs some respect here. He has taken Apple from a small box maker of computers and made them into a global power to the likes which we have never seen. Why would you not want the current IPHONE? If I gave you an IPHONE and paid for your plan. Guess what. You would use it? Is that not correct? Would you care to dispute that? Of course not because you would take one. The Blackberry has run its course. They have no innovation at RIM. Their product has been the same since they came out with a color screen 4 years ago. As far as the exchange server goes. Who cares? All ISP’s have pop settings don’t they? Apple did say there were implementing exchange server also don’t forget. You don’t need corporate email. You want corporate email. If you practice typing with the IPHONE it goes quicker than the Blackberry even. That just comes down to patience to learn a new product. You call yourself an early adopter. I bet you have an opinion on Blu Ray vs. HD DVD also??
And bluetooth stereo? WTF is that? That is how important that is. Al Roker has an IPHONE because he likes a phone that won’t crash, won’t lockup, can surf the internet, play movies, play music, listen to audio books etc…
Bottom line is this. Android is an unknown. For all we know it is vaporware. There is nothing that Android does that the IPHONE cannot and do it better. The IPHONE is made by APPLE.
Enough said!
I think you did what any phone buyer should do: determine your needs, evaluate the products available and make the best choice. When I did that I decided that the iPhone was a perfect phone for me. The lack of a “real” keyboard has proven to be the best feature as it allows me to type with one hand, very quickly and without errors. In fact, this is the only phone i’ve ever owned where I could use one hand to operate every feature.
As far as your last point, who cares if it is cool or not? I don’t buy things because they’re cool, I buy them because they do what I need, and in the case of the iPhone, it does what I need and it’s better at it than any other phone I’ve used.
I see the Apple Defence Force has arrived.
You have to be a luser to buy a phone with so many holes in functionality as the iPhone. But then lusers often need kindergarten interfaces to make things “easy” for them.
Lets see some of the most shocking - No Voice dialling. No video recording. No Dial up Networking.
Is the iPhone 10 years behind or what?
WTF? surur is here?! So, it appears you DON’T have a life after all. What do you do, pop around to just about every board? Are you NSA or something?
As for this guy not wanting an iPhone, eh, not everyone does.
But saying he admires the Finns, well, that just disqualifies everything that appears afterwards.
Mike, I’m here and you are right behind
Anyway, not only does the writer not want an iPhone, most people dont. They prefer to be able to bluetooth each other funny videos recorded on their cells and texting while driving. An iPhone would cramp their style.
Mind if I use your outhouse. I’m sure you don’t have an indoor toilet because they’ve gone mainstream. I’m just joking. I do respect your choices for not owning an iPhone. You’re not a drone and you choose what you like to use, and that’s exactly how it should be. However, most people don’t have an iPhone, even in NYC. I see a fair number, but really not that many people have them. People usually get subsidized phones.
If you can’t deal with a touch keyboard, nothing is going to change that except tolerance and practice. So I’m not leaving a comment to zap you for not using an iPhone. I just read your laid-back article and felt like shooting the breeze. We all should make our own choices and live with it until we decide to make new choices.
So, your next phone won’t be an iPhone, but maybe at some point in the distant future you might choose to get one. You never know what the future holds.
Some dude asked what’s the point of your article and who cares about personal preferences. Please, don’t pay any attention to anyone like that who disregards other’s personal opinions.
Note to Surur. You are an unimformed person. To say that most people don’t want an iphone makes you sound really silly. The iphone is currently the #2 smartphone in the world when it comes to marketshare. Only behind the blackberry. And they are gaining. So someone wants it out there. I an glad you don’t have an iphone.
Thanks
Sent from my iphone.
Last week, while driving through LA area my wife suggested chinese food. I asked what restaurant… PF Chang’s Bistro she replied. I suggested she Google that restaurant chain to find locations in the LA area. She noted a city along the way had one. She then used Google Maps to enter the address, pushed the current location button and the iPhone draw us a Map. She returned to Safari pressed on the restaurant’s phone number and called ahead for a reservation. 20 minutes later we walked in the door like we were locals. It was more difficult to find the restaurant after we parked the car in the mall parking lot than it was to find the location in the first place.
Now to a geek that might sound pretty easy. But to my wife, who absolutely hates technology, it was a breeze. I suggest you hand any Brand X phone to a typical phone user and ask them attempt to do the same. Then hand the same person an iPhone and repeat the drill. Ask the non-geek which they prefer.
That is only one of dozens of features that shine, shine, shine. You enjoy your phone. I’ll enjoy mine.
Solid Snake
“iPhone is currently the #2 smartphone in the world….
Sent from my iphone”
- no surprise
Actually the iPhone is number 4 worldwide, Waay behind Symbian, and also WM and RIM.
Its only in provincial USA where its close to being a competitor. Or do you think USA, with a tiny % of the cellhpone market, is the world? Who’s uninformed now?
http://ce.tekrati.com/research/10050/
Surur,
So nice of you to leave another comment. Since I live in the U.S.A. and don’t hold a right wing view as you probably do. I do not concern myself with with things outside of the states. I bet you are European or something based on your attitude of superiority? We IN THIS COUNTRY like the iphone. I also loved this comment from your post above:
Lets see some of the most shocking - No Voice dialling. No video recording. No Dial up Networking.
Is the iPhone 10 years behind or what?
Who cares about those items above? Dial up networking? What is this 1995?? Who is 10 years behind there chief??
Solidsnake says
“Who cares about those items above? Dial up networking? What is this 1995?? Who is 10 years behind there chief??”
The people who want to do real work on the move, and use their cellphone as a dial up modem for their laptops care. Of course at EDGE speeds it will be dogslow, but with an iPhone you dont even get that.
Of course the iPhone makes a nice toy…
>>>Of course at EDGE speeds
In NYC, EDGE is actually just about as fast as WiFi. Pity for those who live outside the circle of civilization.
No. No way in he** EDGE comes close to Wifi. Max EDGE speed right now in use is 200kbps, Wifi is up to over 30mbps with a Fios connection.
I use a macbook pro and I started my career on an apple IIe. I still will not buy an IPHONE simply because it does not a have a solid keyboard!. I have tried using the touch keyboard - No way dude. I am waiting for sonyericson xperia I think it is a better product. Currently I use TREO 680.
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