Why do people hate the iPhone?

[Dre180]

just wanted to say what's up. i can't take hofo anymore and their constant negativity toward the iPhone, or anything that isn't a cutting edge nokia. (i currently have an n80 btw). that being said, i've been lurking here for a while, and really like this forum for real discussions on the iPhone both positive and negative. i just don't get why so many people absolutely hate the iPhone. it may not be THE most advanced product out at the time, but it's definitely going to be implementing a lot of new and innovative features that will only help the market get better. anyway, i'll be getting one, as my imported nokia can't take advantage of all the features it offers due to a lack of a u.s carrier backing it. sure, it is advanced technologically, but what good is that if i can't use all that it has to offer? i'd rather use something that has great features that i can use, which is why i'll be getting the iPhone. june 11th can't come soon enough!

 

[wjp09]

Welcome. Next time try the Introductions forum. This will probably get moved there anyway. Well I hope you like it here. Have fun.

 

[Kabeyun]

Welcome aboard Dre. As wjp said, there is an Introductions forum as well so new members can say Hi, but your post also talked about the iPhone, so we'll just leave y'all right here.

I agree with you: I think some critics are mistaking enthusiasm for iPhone, clearly more advanced in many ways than anything out there, for enthusiasts' belief that it has no shortcomings.

-K

 

[ColsTiger]

I also hear a lot of negative nancies out there on a motorola board that moderate. Some have even gone as far as list the Top 20 Apple Flops. It gets old, but I don't care. I can remember people slamming the RAZR when it came out because it was just a trendy phone. That was almost three years ago now.

I think the iPHone will ROCK!

 

[itsabouttime]

I also hear a lot of negative nancies out there on a motorola board that moderate. Some have even gone as far as list the Top 20 Apple Flops. It gets old, but I don't care. I can remember people slamming the RAZR when it came out because it was just a trendy phone. That was almost three years ago now.

I think the iPHone will ROCK!

Ditto Cols!

 

[doron]

anyway, i'll be getting one, as my imported nokia can't take advantage of all the features it offers due to a lack of a u.s carrier backing it. sure, it is advanced technologically, but what good is that if i can't use all that it has to offer? i'd rather use something that has great features that i can use, which is why i'll be getting the iPhone. june 11th can't come soon enough!

yeah man i was on my way to upgrdn the treo 680...but the iPhone is a definite must get for me...and from what i understand is that macs are reliable, and since the iPhone is going to run osX ...ah man how reliable can you get...

 

[tucogovinda]

My feeling is the so-called tech experts who slam the iPhone are the same crowd who dismissed the iPod when it was launched. They look up and down charts with raw technical specifications and fail to see the bigger picture.

Apple has never really been a company which invents new technology. Their true claim-to-fame is their ability to identify a product on the market that has flaws and reinvent it in a new, exciting, consumer-friendly way.

There were personal computers on the market before the Macintosh came along in 1984. Apple made them appealing to the masses because of the ease of Macintosh's all-in-one design, mouse and revolutionary GUI.

There were portable music players before iPod in 2001. Apple made them appealing because of the easy-to-use scroll wheel, revolutionary GUI and round-trip experience with iTunes.

iPhone will succeed for the same reasons as Macintosh and iPod. iPhone is greater than the sum of its parts. It's not about what network it's on, how many songs it holds or the size of the screen. It's about the experience people will have interacting with iPhone.

Are there shortcomings? You bet. But is there any other experience out there like iPhone+iTunes? Not anything I've ever seen.

I'll hop off my soapbox now!

 

[Kabeyun]

Apple has never really been a company which invents new technology.

Right. They just appropriate it:

• Mouse? Xerox (and later by Sun Microsystems).
• Revolutionary GUI? Xerox.
• iPod scroll wheel interface? Pixo.
• State-of-the-art UNIX-based OS (X)? NeXTSTEP, courtesy of Carnegie Mellon.
• Widgets? Konfabulator.

I'm just (semi-) kidding. I completely agree with you, and you stated it very well. Apple understands gestalt; that all of these gizmos should be enabling and should facilitate instead of frustrate. Jim Allchin even stated that he'd buy a Mac if only he didn't work for Microsoft (read his furious backpedaling here). Their success is and has always been about fusing design with technology, not forcing design onto technology.

-K

 

[p9939068]

I'll definitely be getting the iPhone, hopefully through someone in the US (really don't wish to wait till 2008 when it ships to Singapore). However, we must all admit that it has its shortcomings, especially in the businesss sector. IMO the biggest shortcoming is that Apple refuse to allow 3rd party software developers into the iPhone scene. While this has its advantages (software legitimacy is one), it will seriously put the iPhone on a disadvantage. You can't do stuff like manage your finances like you can on a PPC (ISMoney, MS Money), Google maps may be awesome but it certainly lacks the capacity of a full fledged GPS system (Pocket Navigator), there is no instant messenger in the iPhone, etc.

I've always been a heavy user of PDAs (owned the whole Atom suite), and I really don't see the iPhone replacing my Atom Life. iPhone will more than likely be a "fun" phone, which will be nice to use together with a PDA, not to replace it.