Apple iPhone pitfalls - limitations and some things you may want to consider before you buy
Written by LBSzone
Saturday, 30 June 2007
ok I know, I can't seem to leave this one alone today... more on the iPhone. It amazes me seeing all the press coverage and comments from people stating "its like a PC in a phone" ... come on man, where have you been for the last 3 years or more? Ever hear of the Nokia Communicator series from years back? Nokia has been offering "multi-media computer devices" for years!
How about the Blackberry, Treo, N-Series, E-series, and Sony Ericsson UIQ devices... all of these have amazing functionality, much like what' you'd get out of your PC. Cameras, video, applications, a slick development environment and supporting SDKs, quad-band functionality yadyada... I have to wonder if people really know what they are getting into when they lay down $600 for an iPhone? Indeed I say $600 because if your going to get one and you opt for the "cheap" $500 unit you'll only be getting a 4GB capacity device that's NOT EXPANDABLE... so $100 for another 4 GB is a no-brainer... particularly if you're getting an iPhone for music and video capabilities (why else would you be getting one??) Some other limitations potential iPhone users should consider include:
- network speed... planning on watching YouTube vids? Consider how you are planning on connecting to the service. How is the AT&T coverage in your area... is it spotty??? Plan on taking advantage of the built-in Wi-Fi to enjoy this feature otherwise you'll likely be disappointed.
- Gaming - want to play games on the device? After all gaming has always been one of the HOT apps/services for mobile users. Forget it... have you heard about any games that support the device... likely not. Too bad, especially since it sports a 320x480 screen that would be sooo sweet for playing games!
- Business use? Is synching with your corporate email available? Likely not... you'll need apps from DataViz, QuickOffice and others to enjoy true enterprise communication with your device.
- photos - indeed iPhone sports a camera, however, at 2 megapixels it hardly brings any WOW factor to the table. Integration with Flickr, photobucket, blogger, picass, and shozu would be expected in my mind if it were truly meant to be a cameraphone for the masses (ironically Google just this week announced an extension of Picass to the mobile environment).
- the traveller - given that users are restricted to the AT&T network forget about that... unless you don't mind $500 phone bills. A true mobile traveller will use a plan from a European carrier if he were in the UK etc... swap your SIM card and forget about the roaming charges. Also, don't hold your breath for Skype, Fring and the likes for the iPhone... no doubt you'll have a long wait.
- durability - a glass screen? Sure it looks sweet but I'd hate to be around when you drop it for the first time?
- SDK??? How about an SDK Apple?
- ArcPad - ok, maybe I'm dreaming but wouldn't it be nice to fire up your ArcPad session on the iPhone??
Any thoughts?
Of note, this evening I stopped by the local AT&T shop in Fort Collins, CO to check out the lineup. There was about 50 people waiting for the 6PM bewitching hour. I decided to ask a few people why they wanted an iPhone. Most just looked dazed and wondered who the hell I was! When I said I was a writer and just curious they opened up a bit. One guy noted that he wanted a device that connects easily with his Apple computer for synching email etc... I did tell him that I hoped he wasn't wanting an email exchange server for his device that would keep him in synch with his mail... no worries there. Otherwise most people really had no answer, simply implying that they wanted to be the first on the block with one! Finally I flashed my Nokia N80 and curiously asked if anyone was familiar with the device... nobody had heard of it although one guy asked me if it was an N95. Nobody was really interested in it or in its capabilities and when I asked if anyone knew how to get one I drew some blank stares... nice marketing Nokia!
about 50 people were lined up up at the AT&T shop in Fort Collins, CO at about 5:30 PM Friday June 29. I asked a few people why they wanted an iPhone as I held up a Nokia N80 in my hand. One guy said he wanted something that would synch with his Apple notebook... otherwise most people had no idea... simpy put I think they simply want the latest, cool gadget although they aren't sure why! Taken at 5:09 PM on June 29, 2007 - cameraphone upload by ShoZu
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