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iPhone
In case you missed it, Apple finally officially announced the iPhone this week (name pending predicted lawsuit). Keeping in mind I'm flagrantly anti-Apple and anti-cell phone, here's my rundown of the iPhone feature set:
Dimensions (2.4 inches wide, 4.5 inches tall, .46 inches thick): This is more a complaint with the industry than with Apple in particular, but I can't get excited about talking into something that is, essentially, twice as wide as the cell phone I currently have. Phones (cell, cordless, and traditional) have been between 1.5 and 2 inches wide for my entire lifetime. This size naturally fits your hand and your ear. Talking into a cell phone/PDA combo (iPhone included) is like talking into a brick. It's even wider than Zack Morris' famous walkie talkie from Saved By the Bell! Impression: Slightly Negative
Screen (480x320 pixel touch screen): In all the mockup photos I've seen, the screen looks gorgeous. The no-stylus touchscreen is a nice touch, and it sure beats the tiny tiny keypads or tiny tiny stylii on PDAs. One thing that makes me nervous is the common drawback of all touchscreens: my greasy fingers are touching the thing that I'm also supposed to be viewing pictures on. And based on the iPod's predisposition to being scratched, it remains to be seen if Apple can manufacture a screen that is robust enough for both touching and viewing. Impression: Slightly positive, for now
Battery Life (5 hours of talk/video, 16 hours of music): I believe this is pretty standard for portable devices. Nothing really out of the ordinary here. Impression: Neutral
Phone Functionality (Cingular plan): I was really hoping that Apple would break the mold of the phone+plan lock-in, although considering the success of their iPod+iTunes lock-in I'm not sure why. Instead, I'm dismayed to see that the phone requires a 2 year service agreement with Cingular. It seems that a hardware manufacturer with the clout of Apple would be able to force the voice providers to play their game rather than vice-versa, or even to support a free plan like Skype. Impression: Negative
Music Player Functionality (iTunes integration): It interfaces with iTunes, which is good, and the large album art is a welcome addition (although I find that my iPod's album art support is spotty at best). The biggest drawback here is that the limited storage space (4GB or 8GB) isn't big enough for my entire music collection, so this would presumably not replace a user's iPod (good news for Apple shareholders). Impression: Neutral
Video Player Functionality: The wide screen gives this a more pleasant experience than the current iPod with video, but again the limited storage space severely hinders the device's use as a real portable video player. Impression: Slightly Negative
Digital Camera Functionality (2 megapixels): A 2 megapixel digital camera is so 5 years ago. I'm not sure who the target market is for this or why phone manufacturers continue to shove underpowered, poor-quality cameras into their phones. Impression: Extremely Negative
Web Browsing/Email Functionality: The larger screen will really be a benefit for web browsing, and the integration with Google maps seems slick. I'm not sure why they chose to partner with Yahoo mail since the rest of the free world seems to prefer Google Gmail, so hopefully other clients will be supported. Impression: Positive
Overall: While I'm sure it will be extremely overhyped between now and June, to me it just seems like another cell phone. As with most Apple products it seems well designed, and I'm assuming the UI will be as natural and functional as the iPod clickwheel, but the reliance on a Cingular plan, limited storage space, and high price tag will limit sales, especially for the "first generation" while consumers who have been trained by Apple to wait until the inevitable later-generation hardware improvements do just that.
Honestly, there will be no one device to rule them all until there is one device that does everything well. This seems like a quality web device and phone but only a decent music and video player and a cover-your-eyes awful camera. I don't see anyone being able to replace carrying around a phone, iPod, and digital camera except those with small music collections, no movie collections, and no desire to take good pictures. Aren't there already gadgets out there that fit this description?
Comments
You really think it will make such a terrible camera? The only problem problem I see with it is that it lacks optical zoom. You dismiss it because of the resolution, but two megapixels is enough for people who want to post pictures on flickr or make prints. (The only thing you won't be able to do is blow your pictures up into poster-size.) Lack of optical zoom is kind of deal breaker, since most people use the zoom functionality on their cameras heavily, but otherwise the form-factor and giant screen are as good or better than other cameras out there.
Posted by: michael at January 11, 2007 9:51 AM
In my opinion 3 megapixels is the minimum for making prints that look reasonable, although I agree that 2 is good enough for posting online. I didn't notice the lack of optical zoom, but yeah, digital zoom is not the way to go. I agree that the form factor and screen are great for a camera, but I don't think the form factor is good for a phone. My overall complaint is mostly that for $500, this couldn't really replace any of the devices that I currently use except my cell phone, which was free, and even then I'd have to switch service providers and buy a 2 year service agreement. I'd be curious what you thought of the other features besides the camera. Do you think they'll be able to pull off the touchscreen that disables itself when you're talking into the phone?
Posted by: Chris Hill Festival at January 11, 2007 8:35 PM
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