10 Responses in the iPhone and Apple’s Defense!
Alright, so after reading every blog in the world, I figured it was my turn to throw out some comments for Apple’s new iPhone.
First of all, I’m an Apple user. Let’s get that out of the way, and while my opinion may be biased, I’m just attempting to bring some reason to the table. I’ve had a PowerBook and an iMac and now I’m using a MacBook as my primary computer with a PowerMac at work (I know…I need a MacPro :) Maybe once Adobe releases all the new intel software for the Macromedia Suite). Anyway, I love all of them equally and not because I’m a FanBoy. I used to be a hardcore windows user. I hated the thought of switching platforms and I was not thrilled about leaving my beloved windows. That was until I saw the 2005 Keynote which introduced the new OS X Tiger. I fell in love, but I wasn’t ready to go drop $1500 on a laptop when I could get a high powered laptop that ran windows for $800. That all changed the day that my entire computer crashed and I said “F*ck It” and I went out and came home with my brand new PowerBook. That was by far the best move I’ve ever made when it comes to my computer career. I became a “Mac User”.
Anyway, I (like many others) was glued to MacRumorsLive.com as the keynote for MacWorld 2007 went on. I’ve been dieing for Apple to release a phone for the pure reason that I’m due for a phone upgrade in February and I’ve been contemplating getting a Blackberry for work purposes. As you can imagine, I was absolutely ecstatic. But why? Mostly because Apple released a product that beat it’s competitor and it was intuitive and smart and the features were well planned out.
But not everyone thought so. After reading all the comments from people I figured I’d write a bit in response to the critics.
1. It’s so overpriced!
Well not really. The keynote makes a good point. If you were someone who uses an iPod and a Smart phone, than this price point makes perfect sense. Regardless, the price will come down as sales go up. By September I’m sure we’ll see a $399 or possibly even $299 iPhone (with contract), but at it’s current price, it’s value can be justified.
2. It doesn’t even have any new features. What’s wrong with a Blackberry?
If a Blackberry works for you, go pick one up and use it. The reason I love the iPhone is that it makes features work the way you’d expect them to work. I have a Sony Erricson phone right now and when I’m in Manhattan trying to find the nearest McDonalds, it’s a real pain to utilize the WAP Browser and type in my address and then do a search. The Blackberry is the same way. My bosses both have them and they’re ready to dump their contract at Sprint to get an iPhone for the sole purpose that it works the way it should. It’s that simple.
3. It’s going to cost so much for the service.
Do you really expect to own a smart phone without getting a data plan anyway? I’m sure Cingular will be offering some ridiculous unlimited data plan deals like they do every time Research in Motion releases a new device. This isn’t a downfall of the iPhone, this is just the way cellular carriers are.
4. There’s no button feedback!
Button feedback is a bit overrated if you ask me. We use things everyday with no feedback and you don’t even realize it. The feedback is the sound it makes and the visual that is generated. As for the people who insist that you need feedback…if you’ve ever used a laptop (or similar device), don’t you utilize the touch pad? Let me know when that touch pad starts giving you feedback…
5. Why would I want this phone? It’s $500!!
If you think this is a replacement for your RAZR, you’re off your rocket! This is another smart phone. So if you’re in the market for a smart phone, you should be looking at this, if you’re just looking for another run of the mill cellphone, there’s plenty on the market that you should be taking a look at, this simply isn’t for you.
6. You can’t develop third-party applications for it.
Why would you want to? Granted everyone wants a flexible platform that can be developed and built upon by third parties, but everything you need is going to be on the phone. People need to stop looking at this as a tablet pc and understand that first it’s a phone, and then it’s a media player and browser. As far as doing everything that falls into those categories, it works pretty damn well. While it’s a bit of a disappointment that it’s a closed platform, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It just means that the requested features will be 100% functional when Apple implements them. Besides, widgets take care of the majority of things I’d want to have on it additionally anyway.
7. The touchscreen is going to get all smudged up and scratched.
While this is an obvious concern with anything that utilizes a touch screen, I’m 100% confident that Apple has thought through this problem (AKA, learned from the iPod Nano) and the iPhone has a scratch resistant screen. If fingerprints drive you nuts, then pickup a portable screen wiper, but I have a feeling that Apple has a few hidden things in store for the iPhone for these issues.
8. It only has 8GB’s of memory at MOST! I want a full scale iPod.
This one’s a bit sketchy. While it’d be nice to have a 60GB iPhone, the typical iPod user is satisfactory with 4-8GB of space. In fact most people who have a 60GB iPod will never fill 10% of it. That being said, the iPhone has the ideal space needed. Facts aside, the iPhone is designed to work hand in hand with iTunes to sync songs, video, contacts, photos…etc. Is there ever a day you listen to every single one of your songs? Come on now…
9. There’s no bluetooth syncing support.
I was a little disappointed about this; however, in all reality Apple didn’t even talk about the bluetooth abilities of the phone outside of the headset. The hardware is already there. Adding the ability to sync between iTunes and the iPhone is simply a software upgrade. I have no doubt in my mind that Apple will provide this as a feature if not on launch, shortly after.
10. It’s Cingular only.
I have Cingular so obviously I’d be upset if it were offered to Verizon only; however, let’s get serious here. This is a business move. An awesome one at that…for both companies. Apple is an exclusive company. They’ve always been and it seems they want to continue to be that way. Cingular see’s this as a way to build a ridiculous amount of customers as they’re fully aware that everyone will want an iPhone and they’ll move to Cingular to get it. Apple has been paid a considerable amount of money by Cingular for the rights to the phohe as well, which along with the revenue, brings a partnership for future projects and ideas. Apple needed an “in” into the telecommunications market. What better way to do that than make nice with the CEO of what is the largest telecommunications company in the United States.
All in all, everyone needs to take a step back and get off Apple’s back with the criticism. How can you criticize something that hasn’t even been released yet? As of right now, everyone’s attacking the features without seeing or knowing how they’re being implemented. This seems to be the same thing that happened with the Nintendo Wii. You’re going to make up your mind that you don’t like it, before you use it, and then you’ll always hate it. OR, you’re going to love it once you play with it and want one for yourself!
Am I wrong? Let me know.
You’re not wrong, I agree 100%