zerocool84
Lifer
- Nov 11, 2004
- 36,041
- 472
- 126
Of course no phone is perfect and some people may think the iphone provides the worst price/performance from them. Some people want more out of a phone.
Of course no phone is perfect and some people may think the iphone provides the worst price/performance from them. Some people want more out of a phone.
gorcorps
aka Brandon
- Jul 18, 2004
- 30,739
- 454
- 126
I never read a review that described as pure perfection. I think you may be blowing it out of proportion here OP. There's probably a few reviews that are way too fanboyish and unfair, but the majority of reviews I've read are quite honest about it's shortcomings. I really enjoy the iphone but I still miss certain things that my blackberry did that the iphone has yet to do. Mainly email filters
OP: Can you link me to an article (if the article is spread across multiple pages, preferably just the page that says it) that mentions that the iPhone, or really any Apple product is 'perfect'?
QueBert
Lifer
- Jan 6, 2002
- 22,898
- 1,093
- 126
actually it feels incredibly advanced, my iPhone has the best VNC app I've ever used, qand I can't think of anything I want my phone to do that it can't. My WinMo phone felt pretty dumb and had a horrible UI. To me a gimped web browser and slow processor *coughWinMophones* is what I'd consider a dumbed down phone *shrug*
gorcorps
aka Brandon
- Jul 18, 2004
- 30,739
- 454
- 126
Ugh... you've never really used one have you? Your opinion holds no weight if you haven't tried it for long enough to know what it all offers. It's not very dumbed down in most aspects. The only feature I find it lacking is in the email/messaging category and that's only because my previous phone was a blackberry and they reign supreme when it comes to email. The iphone is quite a bit better than WM phone I had as well, just comparing the OS features and responsiveness.
The fact is that it has a lot of features for such a popular phone, and with a jailbreak it does damn near anything you need it to. It's come a long way to get this good, but it deserves it's share in the smartphone market whether you want to admit it or not.
Synomenon
Lifer
- Dec 25, 2004
- 10,547
- 6
- 81
Gimped browser? Have you tried Opera or SkyFire for WinMo? FireFox for WinMo is looking pretty good too even though it's still in Alpha (or Beta?). The processor is plenty fast for the tasks I use my Touch Pro. for. Plus the selection of apps. and custom ROMs for WM phones is great.
I guess the iPhone feels dumbed down to me because I like being able to tinker and tweak the OS / software / apps..
My Mother has a 3G and my Brother has one of the original models. I get a chance to use them almost everyday. I didn't say it doesn't deserve a share in the market. I haven't tried jailbreaking theirs', but don't Apple's updates break the jailbreaks?
I prefer having a physical keyboard and having custom ROMs is nice, especially if you can cook them yourself.
shortylickens
No Lifer
- Jul 15, 2003
- 80,287
- 17,080
- 136
This country votes for presidents based on which one runs the best ad campaign. And often that can be tracked down to bright lights and pretty colors and movement (the kind of things that most stimulate an infants brain). If the current list of popular movies and TV shows is any indication, this concept holds true outside of presidential elections.
The point islandboi was trying to make is that the iPhone is mostly flash and very little function, which is perfect if you're trying to sell any product to the average American. In Japan this phone is seen as a total flop, because they need something thats actually useful in dealing with real issues.
Almost every "App for that" is useful for doing impractical things. You can BS all you want, but wasting time on Facebook is exactly that, wasting time. Sure its fun. But unless you accidentally hook up with someone who has a fantastic job offer or wants to be in a serious relationship with you, its just wasting time. Its the new millenium version of hanging out at the mall and hoping you see cool people. Only theres no Orange Julius. (But I'm sure somebody will have an App for that.)
The iPhone exemplifies this lifestyle. The lifestyle thats getting our asses kicked by the Koreans, the Indians, and the Mexicans. So he was right, Apple did indeed hit the mark with this phone when it marketed and sold it to America. When the next generation of hardworking people takes over, Apple will have a new phone design.
MotionMan
Lifer
- Jan 11, 2006
- 17,124
- 12
- 81
I use my iPhone to make and receive personal and business phone calls, keep my personal and business addressbook, send a receive personal and business e-mail on multiple IMAP accounts, find information on the web, get directions, take pictures in a pinch, listen to music and podcasts, and, yes, entertain me. I do not text much, but I have done that, too. I find the interface intuitive and attractive. I find it does all of those while frustrating me very rarely. Is all that because I am a drone being controlled by the Apple marketing master? I doubt it. Do I disparage the BlackBerry and other such phones (or their owners)? Never.
Honestly, you sound like someone who has not actually used an iPhone, likes to rage against the machine and likes to make long rants without actually saying anything of substance. In fact, if drones like iPhones because of positive marketing by Apple, you sound like a drone who dislikes it because of negative marketing by Apple-haters.
MotionMan
I don't agree with this. It's easier to use than other smartphones - and easy to use can certainly be termed "dumbed down". I won't disagree with the idea that it's dumbed down. But that it's mostly flash and not much function? Versus what? A laptop?
The calendar, the contact list and the email client all synchronize with outlook. It supports VPN and 802.1x. It supports full phone encryption and remote-wipe. It has a voice memo function, a nice alarm clock (which I use every day). There are apps for VNC - which work surprisingly well. There are todo list apps. And then apps like Visual Voicemail are good for sorting through a large volume of voicemails. The scientific calculator it comes with is as good as the one that I normally use for my job, and there are apps to enable even more advanced calculators.
It makes a decent smartphone for business use. It's not quite as good as a Blackberry, or an HP PDA where you can edit Office documents and the email client isn't as good as Blackberry's. But your post makes it sound like it's some teenager's toy and that's not true based on my experience using it at work.
I originally bought an iPhone purely to hack it - I had no plan to actually use it. The original hacks were based on the TAP port of the baseband CPU and required a knowledge of Unix - I work on testing microprocessors using the TAP port and I have over 20 years of experience using Unix daily for my job. Once I hacked it, I played with the phone and found that it was a productivity boost - this was before the apps store... there were no games or pointless apps (aside from Youtube). It just had what it came with. Calendars, contacts, email, the scientific calculator, the alarm clock, access to a pretty decent internet browser and Google maps. I originally kept it because I could get my job done easier. Since then, I use it to play games and watch movies while waiting in airports and on planes travelling - but I also use it as my personal organizer and it's very effective at that.
It can be termed a dumbed-down smartphone - I actually think that's fairly accurate. But it also makes a decent business phone. With the new 3.0 release, a lot of large corporations are adopting iPhones alongside the Blackberries as options for business smartphones.
akugami
Diamond Member
- Feb 14, 2005
- 6,210
- 2,551
- 136
I love VNC on the iPhone. I use it to log into my computer at home and set stuff such as new downloads or when checking on the progress of certain tasks.
While there are plenty of todo list apps, one missing feature is the fact that it can't run in the background and remind you of things. Granted you can use the alarm app for this but this is a serious issue. Apple will probably enable background apps in the future, the rumors are they are at least working on it while attempting to preserve battery life.
Documents to Go will open and edit all MS Office 2003 files, not sure about encrypted and password protected ones, as well as Word 2007 files and will sync with Exchange Server. Quickoffice will open and edit all MS Office 2003 files and a future update will supposedly enable all Office 2007 files. I have Quickoffice and one of the issues is it won't open encrypted or password protected files. Quickoffice does provide rudimentary protection in the form of an optional password to open the Quickoffice app itself. One assumes Documents to Go will also get full support for Office 2007 files in a later update.
With the new 3.0 OS and the new GPS apps coming to the iPhones, they also make decent GPS's for traveling. Especially when on foot with normal GPS mapping and direction features as well as an app to help you find your car again. The new search function is almost a killer app in itself. There are also a surprising number of education apps on the iPhone.
I got the iPhone to replace a Nokia smart phone. One thing drastically missing is tactile feedback when you want to dial a number without looking. Still not a bad phone.
I think business connectivity is still a weak point and the iPhone is still behind Blackberrys in that regard, but it's closing the gap.
Like you, I think anyone who just dismisses the iPhone wholesale as a crippled or dumbed down smart phone is not giving credit to the iPhone for its positives.
Thanks for the tips, Akugami. I've never heard of "Documents to Go". I'll check it out.
For dialing on a 3GS without looking at the screen, voice control works pretty well. I just hold down the "home" button and say "call home" or "call mom" and it calls pretty well. It hasn't made any mistakes. For numbers, you can say "dial" and the number.
That said voice control of music has been more problematic. I'll say "play creed" and it will reply "calling steve" and then I have to fumble for the thing to stop it from calling my friend.
But for calling my wife, it's been perfect.
For dialing on a 3GS without looking at the screen, voice control works pretty well. I just hold down the "home" button and say "call home" or "call mom" and it calls pretty well. It hasn't made any mistakes. For numbers, you can say "dial" and the number.
That said voice control of music has been more problematic. I'll say "play creed" and it will reply "calling steve" and then I have to fumble for the thing to stop it from calling my friend.
But for calling my wife, it's been perfect.Originally posted by: MotionMan
MotionMan
Touche.
I realize that there are still things that other phones do that the iPhone can't (up until the 3.0 release and the 3GS the list was significantly longer) but I wonder if it really would have been better for Apple to wait until it had everyone one of those features before releasing it, or if it really was better to do it this way. It is easier to add features than remove them, and if they can keep releasing updates and hardware that adds just enough new to warrant the upgrade then they will continue to do well. Look at the iPod, the keep the capabilities the same, but increase the storage. They keep the storage roughly the same, but give it a color screen, that sort of thing, and they sell like hotcakes.
It is like that old Simpsons episode where Lisa makes a doll to take on the talking Malibu Stacy since she thinks the Malibu Stacy doll is sexist. The Malibu Stacy execs are scrambling, trying to think of a way to sink the Lisa Lionheart doll, and they unveil 'Malibu Stacy, Now with HAT!'.
I love the products that I have that Apple has made. My keyboard (apple aluminum) is great, and a joy to type on. My laptop has been an absolute champ after about 3 years, and I look forward to when I replace it with a MacBook Pro (new trackpad!) and all of my ipods have been easy to use and get the job done. However every one of them could be improved in some way (USB 2.0 on the keyboard, maybe backlighting as well. On the ipod, a built in FM transmitter for the car would be great, and a better search function would be welcome. On my MacBook... actually I have very few complaints given the age, but the palmrest could have been designed better.)
However, at the end of the day, the iPhone has changed the industry, shifted the balance of power from the carrier to the OEM (at least for them) has altered people's expectations for how their phone should operate, and what features it should include. Go into any cell store these days, you will see half a dozen at least that are essentially all touchscreen, where in 2007 there were almost 0.
Deeko
Lifer
- Jun 16, 2000
- 30,213
- 12
- 81
I only read the first few responses to this thread, but it was the same as some of the cocky responses I saw on the article too...."but but but, you so dumb xbit, they have 50% of the browser share!"
What the hell does that have to do with anything? Its a phone that offers a good browsing experience offered exclusively by a company that FORCES you to get a data plan with it - and has since the phone came out (companies like Verizon forcing data with Blackberrys is a newer thing). Plus, many smartphones are used by business people that use their phones heavily for email & calendar, but maybe not for browsing.
If they have 9% of the smartphone share, that puts them solidly in 4th place behind Nokia, Blackberry, and Windows Mobile. Yes, its impressive that they've built up that quick of a following in such a short time, but its still less than 1 in 10 of smartphones sold last year - what does the browser share have to do with anything?
What the hell does that have to do with anything? Its a phone that offers a good browsing experience offered exclusively by a company that FORCES you to get a data plan with it - and has since the phone came out (companies like Verizon forcing data with Blackberrys is a newer thing). Plus, many smartphones are used by business people that use their phones heavily for email & calendar, but maybe not for browsing.
If they have 9% of the smartphone share, that puts them solidly in 4th place behind Nokia, Blackberry, and Windows Mobile. Yes, its impressive that they've built up that quick of a following in such a short time, but its still less than 1 in 10 of smartphones sold last year - what does the browser share have to do with anything?
I think you could also make an argument that browsing the web on it is bearable, unlike basically every other phone (at least when the first iphone came out).
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