I think a lot of people believed that Apple would break the death grip that carriers have on cell phone manufacturers with the iPhone. They had everything lined up including offering a GSM world band phone (huge market with an expectation for openness at least outside the US), a strong feature set, and a strong linux based OS. They also have an amazing brand with the leverage needed to help the carriers 'see the light'.
However, it would seem that Apple gave in to the money machine and went the way of every other device manufacturer by locking up the iPhone and crippling its ability to function in the way that so many people expected it to.
Just think of what would have happened to the market if Apple sold the iPhone unlocked, unbranded, and with open software development. You could choose to use it on any GSM carrier, with any rate plan, with or without data, and so forth. That would have been worth the $600!
-D
Originally Posted by samab
Considering that the iphone doesn't even have DUN for the cable (let alone on the BT) --- it is as crippled as it gets. If you believe your theory, then Verizon didn't cripple the V710 at all --- because they were the first carrier in the world to launch this product (so no actual uncrippled version had ever existed).
Steve Jobs had demonstrated the virtues of connecting the mac os x computers with cell phones (by other cell phone manufacturers) by bluetooth --- for the last few years. When it's Apple turn to manufacture cell phones --- suddenly those profiles disappear.
Iphone 1.0 is missing some important features but has room to improve
Everyone has good points on the bad vs. the good of the Iphone. Steve Jobs probably did not choose all his words correctly when he compared the iphone to Windows Mobile and Blackberry devices (all business devices). The Iphone is a 'smartphone' but is not a business smartphone. For a 1st gen device i will give it props for working out the box much better than the RIM 950 did (the 1st gen Blackberry), the Windows Mobile device (it was crap until the very latest version of WM 5/6 came out) as well as the phone models from last year (I own an 8525 unlocked).
The Iphones software features and OS can be vastly improved with firmware updates (like all Smartphones- the Windows Mobile phones are just getting good with WM 6) and the only hard thing to do will change out the 2.5G radio chip with a 3G chip (i'm sure Apple has them for testing and soon enough a 3rd party supplier (like the one that changed out the memory for my HP Ipaq 4700)will probably do it. I agree that a phone released in 2007 should have basics such as 3G, video recording, mms (i rarely use it) and voice dialing.
Once Apple realizes that the Web apps feature is severly limited (who wants to always launch Safari, then drill down their bookmarks list to launch an app that does not cache itself locally on the disk) they will have no choice but to open it up for developers. I'm all for limiting which developer can create/install apps that run locally on the Iphone but it a necessary evil. Java is one of those things that even WIndows Mobile uses that should be installed. I'm sure Apple already has (or is working on) a certification program for Iphone developers and this would 'soften' sticker shock for customers.
hmm speed dialing takes 2 presses on my WM phone... oh wait thats if im dialing the 99th person in my speed list.. nvm , but yes if the phone application is open, you press and hold 1 for voice mail, 2 for your GF/BF 3 for etc…
to email something to your friend that has number 5551234 etc, you need to have his full 10 digit number plus the extension for his carriers emailing address
im not going to remember over 200 carriers and lined them up with your number prefix (first 3 numbers) how the hell can you remember so many numbers and email domains?
i only know my own is @pcs.rogers.com, im screwed if i have to email my friends telus number, i dont know when im on the road or in a shopping mall. also if i look at his profile on my x01ht, it will have his REAL email address which his phone cannot check becuase he has a regular phone as do... oh EVERY FRIEND i have, they dont want to bother spending the money on a phone when they got theirs for free because of the subsidization.
IMO the camera is TOO idiot proof, even my dad's free nokia, he has the ability to change light sources (auto adj, sunlight, incan light, etc), he also can zoom in and out even if its digital, he can adj exposure time, he has options for night shot as well as high speed shutter (day pictures for fast objects), he can add a filter on like mosaic, black and white, sephia, etc (some ppl do use these.
on mine i have a crazy amount of features
1) regular 2MP photo, i can choose size (S, M, L, 1MP, 2MP), quality, (Basic, normal, fine, super fine), Metering mode (avg or user select) storage location (save where i want like on ext storage, you need a FILE BROWSER FOR THIS), self timer 2 and 10s, flash on and off, white balance (the sunlight, incan light etc), filter (sephia, grayscale, negative, etc) , Capture format (choose between jpg and some others), shutter sound ON or OFF (shutter sound is friggin lame, even though I can CHOOSE a sound I want, I just turn it off), Grid (easier to center objects) backlight adj, review duration (choose between a couple seconds, forever, etc), flicker adj, filename prefix adj, counter reset, contrast, saturation, hue, sharpness,
2) Video I can record in MP4 to a the maximum space I have on my CARD (7 hours of video it says on mine)
3) MMS Video (records like above but in 3gp for mms messages)
4) contacts picture (goes straight to contacts to insert picture into profile)
5) picture theme (choose between a couple fun templates) sure I don’t “need” this but its FUN to have. Iphone users know what FUN is right?
6) panorama (I can stitch photos together right on the phone, really cool)
7) sports (high speed shutter, or I can tell it to take 5 pictures with in 1 second )
8) Burst (hold down shutter button for up to 30 burst pictures)
My phone doesn’t cost $600, or anywhere near it and I have those limited functions on my camera, but a $600+ phone doesn’t have anything but a shutter button? Come on, at least have the templates if its geared toward people that want a simple, fun and easy to use phone.
This is what the templates look like, the black holes represent a separate picture, usually you put someones face in the black part.
I agree and there will be a firmware release to address this (Apple as well as Microsoft does this to consumers- Look at WIndows)
I'm pretty much done arguing about the iPhone. It seems like the hype has died down a lot already and there's not too much left to say until firmware updates come out. If you're familiar with the iPhone's limitations and you're comfortable spending $600 on it, then by all means, pick one up. Different strokes for different folks.
I just feel sorry for those that don't know what else is out there and bought the iPhone out of ignorance to the rest of the market.
I bought the iPhone this morning at 9:30am from my ATT store, and returned it at 1:30pm. It was a toy, laughable at best, and is locked down like every other proprietary pile of sh*t that Apple puts their name on. Give me a break... REAL smartphones are leaps and bounds beyond that thing.
Enjoy your $600 pile of crap, everyone who's dumb enough to own one of these things!!
(I was looking for an emoticon of a guy holding a piece of dog feces up to his ear, but they don't have that as a choice on these forums... oh well!)
It seems to me that you bought into the hype but did not do the research. Always check (like when you buy a house or get a car) before plunging into a purchase. I knew well in advance of it's shortcommings but also knew that it's the future of phone design. INever buy a 1.0 of anything and expect it to be perfect. However, you do need to give it time and explore it more. The only things that cannot be changed are hardware related (flash for camera, 2.5G chipset (well, maybe) and camera type.
It seems to me that you bought into the hype but did not do the research. Always check (like when you buy a house or get a car) before plunging into a purchase. I knew well in advance of it's shortcommings but also knew that it's the future of phone design. INever buy a 1.0 of anything and expect it to be perfect. However, you do need to give it time and explore it more. The only things that cannot be changed are hardware related (flash for camera, 2.5G chipset (well, maybe) and camera type.
Well, Apple has stated on their website (as well as in both AT&T and Apple stores) that the Iphone must be activated via Itunes. As for the battery , no, that was not mentioned. However, the non-replaceable battery was mentioned in tech articles well before the Iphone came out and that would 'break' with the Iphone philosophy. It is like back in the day when you could work on every main part of your car- now you have to bring it into the dealership
iTunes is not free and is part of the $36.00 activation fee, the battery life cylce is 300-400 charges and if a typical charge last 8 hours of steady use with the phone on, (either using it as a phone, a web browser, or an ipod player) then how many days will it be before the battery life cycles down, of course all phones require some service but this is locked in a two year plan. $36 activation, $599 puchase, $129 mo. for all features (est) x 24 months you're looking at over $3700 not including tax, federal excise charges, assess charges and all those other little add ons ot a monthly bill that no on really understands.
Which one of my comments is false? The keyboard. Oh, yeah, when it is in Landscape mode, it occupies the entire screen so you can's see what the heck it was your were viewing. Unless my buddy who called me a couple of hours ago told me was not using his correctly.
Well, Itunes is a FREE download. Some people pay for an Itunes song (singles cost money in the store as well and frankly i found that the whole album was cheaper to download rather than buy). Itunes is a heavy-weight version of Windows Media Player and Realplayer. The main purpose is to consolidate your audio, video and photographic library into a coherent structure. Like Activesync (which Apple is in talks with having plugins for) you will eventually be able to sync/install applications plus there will be the 3rd party vendors that create apps (like Intellisync)
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Originally Posted by kanacoleman
Actually, the first Razors were $700
You mean razors from Gillette or Schick? I didn't realize that they were ever that pricey If you're referring to a Motorola product that's a Razr. Only newbies refer to the phone as a Razor
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I'm pretty much done arguing about the iPhone. It seems like the hype has died down a lot already and there's not too much left to say until firmware updates come out. If you're familiar with the iPhone's limitations and you're comfortable spending $600 on it, then by all means, pick one up. Different strokes for different folks.
I just feel sorry for those that don't know what else is out there and bought the iPhone out of ignorance to the rest of the market.
Lets face it, other than mobile phone nerds who hang out on HoFo, the average (and I mean average, I know there are exceptions) US cell phone user would never miss most of the features we are discussing. I had to return my iPhone because I can't disable attachments from downloading (which makes the phone useless to me when roaming overseas). But the average cell user most likely would just be thrilled to get their yahoo or gmail to show up on a phone at all!
Once they get past the whizbang features, chances are the average cell phone user will never use much more on the phone beyond the ability to make basic phone calls and the ipod feature and maybe the occasional camera snapshot.
Lets face it, other than mobile phone nerds who hang out on HoFo, the average (and I mean average, I know there are exceptions) US cell phone user would never miss most of the features we are discussing. I had to return my iPhone because I can't disable attachments from downloading (which makes the phone useless to me when roaming overseas). But the average cell user most likely would just be thrilled to get their yahoo or gmail to show up on a phone at all!
Once they get past the whizbang features, chances are the average cell phone user will never use much more on the phone beyond the ability to make basic phone calls and the ipod feature and maybe the occasional camera snapshot.
I sadly agree. Why is Europe and Asia further advanced then the US? not saying everybody over there cares about features. but most at least have a clue.
Current Device: Nexus One Phone History: |N97 Mini| |5800| |E71-2| |N95-4| |N95-3| |N75| |6131| |6230| |SE T616|
But the average cell user most likely would just be thrilled to get their yahoo or gmail to show up on a phone at all!
Chances are the average cell user is not going to pay $600 for a cell phone and pay an extra $20 for a data plan. They can wait to get home to access their email via their home pc.
I sadly agree. Why is Europe and Asia further advanced then the US? not saying everybody over there cares about features. but most at least have a clue.
It just means that they all have a clue of 3G and video calling --- but nobody actually uses them.
Originally Posted by samab
, but yes if the phone application is open, you press and hold 1 for voice mail, 2 for your GF/BF 3 for etc… 
If you're referring to a Motorola product that's a Razr. Only newbies refer to the phone as a Razor 
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