But I'm not even remotely planning to buy an iPhone right away. And here are five reasons why:
(1) Too many missing features. No MP3 ringtones, which is absurd for an MP3 player of this sort; no video, only still picture recording; no Flash functionality; no-write limitations for various files like Word... It's as if Apple has intentionally crippled this unit out of the gate.
(2) Too little space. The 8gb model,which sells for $600, will have slightly less than 7gb of actual storage space after you sub out the space used for formatting and for the operating system. If you plan to save space for photos, etc., that leaves you with precious little real music space.
(3) The plans are too expensive... and it's ridiculous to charge extra for text messaging in addition to the unlimited data cost. I'm getting almost twice as many minutes, shared over two phones, with unlimited nights and weekends after 6pm and streaming video, from Sprint. (Yeah, I think that Sprint has become a horribly consumer-unfriendly company, but that's a different issue...)
(4) A glass front. I don't care how strong they say it is, when you say "glass" I say "breakable."
(5) A horrible distribution system. I would rather engage in amateur dentistry than spend an hour in the wretched ATT Mobile company stores around here, like the execrable Barrett Parkway store; the more convenient neighborhood locations aren't allowed to offer the phone.
Is that a bad thing? I don't know... but bear in mind that I was one of the folks who was gung ho about this phone when it was first announced, but Apple and ATT have managed to negate its appeal, for me at least. Of course, I don't think that either company will be too worried about my lack of support for this venture... but if my reaction is more common than I suspect it will be, then they could have some problems to overcome.
2 comments:
I was amused this morning when I read The New York Times review of the iPhone at
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/27/technology/circuits/27pogue.html?ex=1340596800&en=98d00bf7e780f2be&ei=5089
The reviewer seems positive about the iPhone and says that it lives up to the hype. But the compliments seems to be mostly about the interface. In terms of actually *using* the phone, he has negative things to say about Internet access outside a WiFi hot spot, call signal strength, and the steps for making a call and entering text.
I believed your assessment that you are the biggest Apple wonk in the world until I saw a picture of this guy. Maybe it's the hat that does it, maybe it's the look of insane elation on his face, but somehow he's able to convey a level of being an Apple wonkitudiness that somehow goes above and beyond yours.
http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20070629/capt.bd8fcefc43ea44d59e7302d6150df09e.apple_iphone_ilmg106.jpg?x=380&y=256&sig=PLtaLoGY9INR9vA9HRbx1Q--
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