Is the Iphone all glitz and no substance?

[Mrsash]

just my opinion, which is towards the product. I hate Apple,DRM,No customization options etc. Love the interface due to the touchscreen. Even if someone gave this phone to me for free, I would not use it. Reason is purely the 5MP N95 I have. There you go

[TooLFooL]

i'm sorry all you apple-haters, but....

apple has it's shit together. they make the coolest mp3 player out there, and the new iPhone is simply incredible. every other phone and pda is a piece of crap now. you will see big changes from all cell manufacturers now. Japan has had super high-tech phones for years, and finally apple will make that push here in the USA. the iPhone is AMAZING!

ok, bash me now...

[JohnnyMalaria]

ok, bash me now...

Alrighty

For US$500 + US$60 per month, it had better be "simply incredible".

But, for a mobile phone, to me the most important factor is the ability to carry a spare battery and be able to use it. The benefits are obvious - if the phone's battery runs flat, you can still use the phone. Or, one can be being charged at home/office while the phone is being used "out and about". Until Apple came along, it wasn't even a question. Doing it with an iPod is one thing, for a phone, it is just stupid. Very much a retrograde step by Apple - not revolutionary.

[handyguy]

I won't be getting one.

But Im all for anything that puts Apple above Microsoft.

[Richard_G]

The hype over the iPhone in the US is being looked at with mild amusement in Europe. Why get excited over something that has been around for a while with a different name and greater flexibility? From what I read, the iPhone is actually made by LG and is just a crippled version of their K970 http://uk.lge.com/prodmodeldetail.do?actType=search&page=1&modelCategoryId=07&category...&model=NOTHING A further variation is sold as the Prada phone.

Why crippled? Both the other versions will play any old MP3s and don't have to endure the overcomplicated bloated garbage that is iTunes to get your music onto them.

The iPhone does nothing that any of the other smartphones from the likes of Nokia, LG, Samsung, Motorola, etc can't do.

[Conquest10]

US$60 per month, it had better be "simply incredible".

You have got to be out of reasons to bash if you're pulling this out. What, do you get free service from your provider?

Also, the second someone brings the Prada phone into this is the second the argument falls apart. People bash the iPhone for being too expensive. Yet it is almost half what the Prada phone costs and it has an actual QWERTY keyboard when you are texting or browsing the web.

BTW, my old mp3s that I had lying around play just fine on my iPhone (as unbelievable as that sounds to the Apple haters).

[JohnnyMalaria]

US$60 per month, it had better be "simply incredible".

You have got to be out of reasons to bash if you're pulling this out. What, do you get free service from your provider?

You misquoted me - "For US$500 and US$60 per month". My phone was free and I pay about $30 a month.

Also, the second someone brings the Prada phone into this is the second the argument falls apart. People bash the iPhone for being too expensive. Yet it is almost half what the Prada phone costs and it has an actual QWERTY keyboard when you are texting or browsing the web.

Interesting. In 1980, when Sinclair launched their ZX80 computer, people derided it because of its flat, no-feedback QWERTY "keyboard". 27 years later, it's cool to have such a thing, apparently.

And the iPhone is not "almost half what the Prada phone costs". That's nothing but pure FUD.

http://shopping.msn.com/prices/shp/?itemId=764086304

BTW, my old mp3s that I had lying around play just fine on my iPhone (as unbelievable as that sounds to the Apple haters).

Personally, I don't have any mp3s and never will. I can always hear the compression artifacts, even with the highest "quality".

And, from what I have read, you have to have an iTunes account just to use the damn thing. Well, f*ck Apple. I refuse to install any of their malware ever since I was forced to install iTunes along with QuickTime. I uninstalled Quicktime (because it was shite) and, true to form, it didn't get uninstalled fully. Bits of iTunes were still floating around. As always, Apple provide buggy versions of their software for Windows. They break many of the rules that are there to provide a good user experience for the software. Of course, I'm sure the Mac versions are the epitome of perfection.

[DereX888]

i'm sorry all you apple-haters, but....

apple has it's shit together. they make the coolest mp3 player out there, and the new iPhone is simply incredible. every other phone and pda is a piece of crap now. you will see big changes from all cell manufacturers now. Japan has had super high-tech phones for years, and finally apple will make that push here in the USA. the iPhone is AMAZING!

ok, bash me now...

The list of what I CAN do on any of my pocketpc and what iphone CAN'T would take too much to write and probably too boring too.
Dig any forums with real mobile users (ie howardforums) and you'll find your answers.

iPod as a coolest mp3 player? :O
LOL
Have you ever use anything else since that RCA Lyra (or such) many many years ago when first iPods came out?
Yeah, iPod was best player when it came out. But not for long
My cellphone alone beats the crap out of any iPod with versatility (plays *ANY* formats I want, just a matter of codec or player installation - can your iPod do that?), AND has *better* sound quality (as admitted by multiple iPod owners whom I always ask to make comparison on their own - set your iPod the best you can, get best headphones etc etc if you want, and then compare it with my perfectly well-tuned but run-of-the-mill iPaq with old el-cheapo (but still handy) 10 year old Koss 15Hz-22kHz titanium membranes headphones (mere $35 years back then)... even hardest apple- fanbois always bow down to my old "crap" LOL
And there are quite few excellent players out there that beat the crap out of any iPods too... often for fraction of the money too



BTW
I "hate" Apple not as much for their proprietary products but for their marketing propaganda, which I find more disgusting than Microsoft's million-fold, and for their "user base" which IMHO are mostly bunch of idiots who'll get foam in their mouth if anyone dares to say anything short of "amazing" or "excellent" about their beloved Apple product (be it iPod, Mac, or iPhone now).
I find it so repulsive that I really don't even want to touch anything made by Apple anymore in fear of being misjudged by other normal people as one of those stupid "iLife" iDiots if I would ever carry a mabook or such
"Macs don't get viruses" (because no one is interested in writing one that would spread at best on some 0.000000001% of computers, not because they are so "secure" LOL), "Macs are more stable" (well, compared with Windows 98 for sure, but even though more people still use Win98 than Macs, its still not an argument! Ever thought why ever they don't compare their Macs to Linux distros is Steve iJobs fears of being ashamed or what?! Even Msoft at least tries to compare their stuff with Linuxes in their usual obfuscated and twisted ways that for 'untrained eye' may look better for Windoze than for Linux, yet Apple never even try to compare its OS to Linux... perhaps outcome of such comparison would be too bleak on any level I guess! And its always easy to gain popularity points if you bash The One Everyone Hates hehe , "Macs don't crash" (ROTFL!) and so many other LIES simply repulse me from that company.
I vote with my money (and I have more than I need, so I am at least more influential ''voter" than any Average Joe :P ) and sorry, but Apple will not get my votes until it quit insulting my intelligence at least.
I don't doubt Apple has some good sides too, however same as Nazi Germany had some positive aspects (yeah, gotta know history) - but anything good Nazis did for their country was quickly diminished by terror, discriminations and war in the end.
Same goes for Apple's basket - there are more rotten apples than good ones.
Fortunately for Apple most of people rarely use own judgements and brains and easily 'swallow' any propaganda, so they'd believe anything if they are cleverly brain washed - even if they know they are being brainwashed

[buttzilla]

I live in philadelphia and our mayor John Street set in line in a beach chair from 4 am till sometime in the afternoon trying to get one. We live in the number 1 murder capital in the united States and he thought it was fine to be sitting in line on the tax payers dime.

[Richard_G]

Also, the second someone brings the Prada phone into this is the second the argument falls apart. People bash the iPhone for being too expensive. Yet it is almost half what the Prada phone costs and it has an actual QWERTY keyboard when you are texting or browsing the web.

WHAT!!!!!

You mean phones are that expensive in the US? The MOST you have to pay for a Prada phone in the UK is around $180 (see
https://shop.o2.co.uk/phone/LG/Prada )

When the iPhone is released here, if it cost any more than this they will sell virtually none. Or, they'll sell loads and we can export them and sell to gullible Americans.........

[dadrab]

OK. Here’s the score with Apple as I see it.

I cut my teeth in the professional world as a newspaper reporter. I’ve watched graphics folks (i.e. artists) bitch and moan about PCs for years and swear by their Apples. I’ve seen folks in the business world with their spreadsheets and calculations tables bitch and moan about Apples and swear by their PCs. I believe there are specific applications for both, so I’m not totally anti-Apple.

I agree with the fact that Apple is damning themselves with all their proprietary garbage and a battery that can’t be replaced. I also have to agree with the fact that Apples marketing department (agency) is second to none and could, indeed, sell ice cubes to Eskimos. (Still laughing at iShite. )

When I want to listen to tunes, I take a good old CD and put it in the disc player of my truck and crank it up. I also have a fully operational stereo system in my house that I can hear for three blocks if I crank on it a little. That stereo has no trouble with any kind of media I want to throw at it with the exception of an 8-track tape.

If I want to watch TV, I sit down in front of my set.

If I want to surf the net, I sit down in front of one of my computer systems.

Y’all get the idea…

I don’t need an iPhone and I don’t need an iPod. Their alleged “lossless” format isn’t…

My kids, on the other hand, love their iPods. They sit at swim meets or baseball games and jam with all their buddies and everyone’s happy. Our family computer’s clogged with iTunes rubbish and everyone’s still happy. Just try to talk them into a different kind of music device – go ahead – just try.

So, Apple has its place.

Now, on to the iPhone…

It’s simply an inferior cellular device. It doesn’t even have the capability of operating on some the most modern cellular networks because of its formatting. And, because of my dealings in the corporate world with cellular companies, I’ll just say this: God help you if you have to depend on Cingular and you stray more than five miles from an interstate highway. You’re toast.

And the price is just stupid.

So, in conclusion, the iPhone’s not for me. Undoubtedly, it will be for a lot of folks. In reality, it must already hold appeal for lots of people judging by the fact they can’t keep them on the shelves.

[JohnnyMalaria]

God help you if you have to depend on Cingular and you stray more than five miles from an interstate highway. You’re toast.

Amen to that. I have Cingular ("now the new AT&T" = whoop-de-doo) and it is cr@p even on the interstate. They used to boast the fewest dropped calls. Well, there's a simple reason - most of the time the calls don't even go through in the first place. So, technically, they aren't dropped.

Weird thing with the voicemail - it only announces new messages when there are at least 2. So I often never know I have a new message until days later. Wonder if Steve can match that?

[edDV]

Tear down analysis of iPhones over the weekend show mostly Samsung parts ($52-76 per unit). Infineon beat out TI for telco parts ($15 per unit). TI and National Semi were next in parts content.

Manufacturing analysis predicts gross margins well over 50% indicating room for price reduction.

Reported on cnbc "On the Money" show.


BTW: RIMM stock went up over 25% when it was clear this was a consumer only phone. AT&T won't be offering it for business accounts where Blackberry is strong.

[yoda313]

BTW: RIMM stock went up over 25% when it was clear this was a consumer only phone. AT&T won't be offering it for business accounts where Blackberry is strong.

Really? Why would apple state that so matter-of-factly?? Wouldn't they want to try to get in that market?

Or are they shooting for a iphones 2.0 model that would be business friendly?

[edDV]

I think many thought they could buy this phone and have the company pay it on expense report. It isn't business ready and I don't think it was ever claimed to be.

Another story (rumor?) heard over the weekend is Apple expects many returns from the first batch and those units will be distributed first to Apple employees.

[yoda313]

They already had activation snaffus over the weekend

[edDV]

That was a server overload. I don't think activation is a major on going issue.

[Conquest10]

They already had activation snaffus over the weekend

None for me. The only problem is that they gave me a 312 number. They finally fixed it about an hour ago.

[edDV]

Marvel also gets $6 per phone. TI made the cool screen but got a relatively small chunk of the deal.

AT&T Blackberry ads are non-stop on CNBC. I think AT&T is the strategic winner here.


For those who forget, AT&T is the new name for SBC of San Antonio, Texas.

[edDV]

SNCR provides the activation, VOIP and automated customer service for iPhone.

Factoid: Nokia sells more than twice as many phones a day as Apple sold last Friday.

[MOVIEGEEK]

I think AT&T is the strategic winner here.

That's why I bought their stock( T ),it's been going up lately and the five year contract with Apple is a no-brainer.
So I say go ahead and talk all you want on your iPhone.

[edDV]

Yeah especially an "exclusive" contract !

[DereX888]

so its been awhile, I wonder how are the iPhone user's feelings after short time of using this "revolutionary" dumbphone?
Don't you think you've all been cheated by Steve-o iJobs (again) with inferior device in a beautiful packaging in exchange for a large pile of US Federal Reserve Notes?
Or do you still think it was worth every penny all the way?

[videopoo]

Well I wouldn't buy it based on the price but then again I wouldn't buy a Treo either or whatever device does just as much. But considering this will be the replacement for the Ipod...you bet I'll buy one once the flash memory is around 30-50 gigs.

The interface is great...I wouldn't expect tech geeks to care about that...but for the avg dumbshit like myself it's refreshing to see...thats Apple's core marketbase....dumbshits! (ie most people in the world)...interface is everything!!

One of my clients has one. We were driving around in his car today controlling his desktop back at the office....opening QT file, Itunes, ect....pretty cool.

[Conquest10]

oh no videopoo, don't let the Nazi see that you actually thought something about the iPhone was cool. I've been using it everyday since I got it and am not thinking I wasted my money. In fact, I am typing this from the food court in downtown Chicago. no problems at all with this connection or "dumbphone".

[edDV]

oh no videopoo, don't let the Nazi see that you actually thought something about the iPhone was cool. I've been using it everyday since I got it and am not thinking I wasted my money. In fact, I am typing this from the food court in downtown Chicago. no problems at all with this connection or "dumbphone".

Wish my food court had free Wifi.

[edDV]

Good news for iPhone owners.

Energizer plans to undercut Apple's >$100 and several days mail loop on iPhone battery replacement.

http://www.marketingvox.com/archives/2007/07/09/iphone-battery-is-somewhat-more-compli...-than-average/
http://adage.com/article?article_id=119060

[DereX888]

Interface is nice, but not 'revolutionary'.
Nothing about this phone is 'revolutionary' (yes, now I have 1 of them in my family because after tv brainwash my stupid bro decided to waste his hard-earned cash on 1).
I find it worse than I thought.
Its a normal dumbphone (ie Moto RAZR type) with touchscreen.
Built-in ipod is a joke, my bro already came to me asking what to do with half of his music library that is not in mp3 shite-format... Instead of castrating it down to the low-res high-compressed formats supported by this joke-of-a-player, I told him to buy next time a device that supports what he already has in his collection, instead of now trying to change his collection to fit the dumb player LOL

videopoo you are insulting Treos by comparing them to iPoo. Treos (be it any Windows Mobile or Palm OS based) can run very sophisticated programs and they are more like a mini computers, while iPhone is a dumbphone with built-in so-so music player; the only comparisons that the iPhone should be compared to, are other dumbphones with built-in music players such as Samsung, NEC and other models (and yes, compared to *those* the iPhone wins with its touchscreen and UI, but *only* that - not even sound quality is even close to those)

PS
From iPhone ads:
"It allows you to view pictures" - HAHAHAHA! Is there any phone made in past 5 years that doesn't allow that? Big big LOL
"...listen to your music on the go" - no, not really. The sound quality of very same files played on iPhone, just compared to my old HP iPAQ 6515 is just CRAPPY. And quiet. It just pales in comparison to any normal portable music players (edit: the ones that aren't sold for $5 of course)
THE PHONE ITSELF is a joke too. Loses signal just about anywhere where there is no strong connection, but where many other phones STILL work. Not to mention voicecall quality - it simply sux compared to few ordinary dumbphones I compared it against.

IMHO all this phone has nice (OK but nor excellent) is the touchscreen UI. Which anyways exists on PocketPCs for many years.
Could anyone ask Mr. Jobs, WHERE is the "revolutionary" stuff he talked about? :O

SO its not a good cellphone, and its not a good music player... but it has nice UI
I got it right even before it came out when I said "its not a cellphone nor a player, its an IPHONE" heh.
Simply YAi
(Yet Another iShit from Apple)

Somehow I don't think it will be such a big Christmas seller as I thought earlier.
All fanbois already bought it within first week, the buzz is gone, now the 'negative buzz' will appear around, because clearly its a subpar cellphone and mediocre music player sold at very high premium (considering you could buy much better cellphone and much better player and still have a nice change left); unless they will go down with price at least half for Christmas...

[videopoo]

This is the new iPod.....I wasn't comparing the two. I just said it has a much nicer interface and is more intuitive for MOST folks. Since the iPod is ,and will most likely always be, a big success you'll see many more iPhones/iPods to come. It's designed so people like my grandma can use it....thats Apple's core market....and thats how you provide a successful product. Most people don't do much computing on their handhelds. Internet, phone, music player, GPS soon I hope - what else does the avg user need? I don't care who makes it!

Myself and many others find a good UI very important for something we use on the go...everyday. Ive used the phone and it worked great for me...is there really a good cell phone in the world?? I have yet to see one I'm perfectly happy with.

[DereX888]

This is the new iPod.....I wasn't comparing the two. I just said it has a much nicer interface and is more intuitive for MOST folks. Since the iPod is ,and will most likely always be, a big success you'll see many more iPhones/iPods to come. It's designed so people like my grandma can use it....thats Apple's core market....and thats how you provide a successful product. Most people don't do much computing on their handhelds. Internet, phone, music player, GPS soon I hope - what else does the avg user need?

Ah, I agree with that the most people need just a GOOD phone, some web access (email or simple searches on the web), maybe GPS. Music player - not neccessarily, its more like teen's "a must" feature, but its good if its there. Most important is the UI, which iPoo has it simple enough even for older, techno-dumb people.
However... where is the "revolutionary" in iPhone?
All that buzz and propaganda about basically addition of a touchscreen to a normal dumbphone?
For the price they sell it for?!
Gimme a break. Its a best marketing propaganda in the XXI century so far. Thats whats revolutionary here: The marketing of the crappy product at high premium. Hats off to Apple's marketing division!
I really have lots of respect to the people who work on iPhone's marketing. Great job, guys'n'gals!