“As the iPhone countdown continues, I thought I’d chime in with my reflections on Apple’s uber-device and its rivals. I spent some quality time with an iPhone at Macworld Expo in January, and it truly is impressive. Its mobile Web browser alone is worth the price of admission–the touch-based pinch and stretch zoom controls are beautiful. The music, photo, and messaging features are cool as well. But the touch-based keyboard isn’t great for thumb typing, and Apple’s decision to ban third-party apps is a big disappointment,” Eric Dahl writes for PC World.
Dahl writes, “Unfortunately, competition may not arrive for a while: LG’s Prada phone won’t be sold in the States; and Samsung’s neat F700, a touch-screen phone with a slide-out keyboard, may not reach our shores either.”
“Bottom Line: Unless the iPhone can magically get an AT&T signal to my house, I’ll skip it. Too bad Apple locked out third-party solutions–I was all set to take Skype calls over the iPhone’s Wi-Fi,” Dahl writes.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: How much time did Dahl really spend with the iPhone, five minutes like most of the media was allowed? Let’s hear from someone who’s spent more time with the device, Andy Ihnatko of The Chicago Sun-Times, “I had a private briefing the day after Steve Jobs’ keynote and spent about 45 minutes noodling around with the device… I think the iPhone’s virtual keyboard is a huge improvement over the mechanical thumbpads found on the Treo and any other smart phones of its size.”
Full article from Jan 18th here.
Mike above is right. That banned mentality is so “Windows”. Why would I want a thousand software options if 900 of them suck, and could cause a security problem. They just don’t get it, sometimes closed is good. The proof is in the pudding, just look at the hodge-podge of “smart phones” out there. Jobs made this obvious during the keynote. Some people can’t ditch the “geek mentality”.
Apr 26, 07 – 02:23 pm
Not me. Here we go again. I DON’T have a prototype iPhone. Or the patience for this any more.
-c
MW: ‘neither’ (the will nor the interest)
Just like every other “announced but not released” product there is out there, I’ll withhold judement until I can actually hold an iPhone in my own hands and see what the interface is like. Reviews and analysis and every other story about this until then are just pure speculation and incomplete – not even worth the electrons that were inconvenienced in the transmission.
One complaint I’ve heard, that makes sense to me, is the virtual keyboard on the iPhone won’t be as easy to use without looking at it as you type or hit buttons. A lot of people have gotten used to the tactile feedback from keyboards, whether it be on a laptop or a phone. The lack of tactile feedback means people will have to watch what they’re doing, meaning they may pay less attention to other things they’re doing (like driving). I can see a lawsuit looming as soon as the first car accident is blamed on the driver being too busy dialing a phone number and not watching where he’s going. Not that Apple should be held accountable, but Apple has the deep pockets.
I’d be willing to deal with the lack of a keyboard, but not being able to load 3rd party apps will prevent me from getting an iPhone. Once Apple opens it up a bit and allows other developers on board, I’ll get in line to buy one.
MDN – Could you pull the IP address of the post at 2:23 pm and post it here for all of us to see? I think that would be interesting.
@ Mike
“‘banned’ sounds like complete arse. Apple’s no Nazi, they just don’t want a virus to take down the friggin phone system.”
Um, there have been smartphones that are open to third party apps on the market for years. To my knowledge, no third party Palm or Windows CE app has ever “taken down the phone system”. A poorly coded app may have crashed the phone itself, but the hogwash that was spewed during Macworld about a third party app being able to take down AT&T’s cellular grid was simply FUD, Apple-style.
C1, are you trying to assemble a blanket party? I’ll bring the nine irons.
ChrissyOne if you work for Adobe… how about making CS3 available overseas at prices that aren’t a total rip off? I was dying to get hold of the Production Suite, but will have to stick with my Photoshop/Illustrator CS1 and Final Cut Studio 2 instead. I’ll dream on about Intel native version of Adobe stuff.
@Adam
Perhaps, but why open it up to the possibility of crapware?
“A poorly coded app may have crashed the phone itself”
That sounds pretty freakin’ bad to me. Just sayin’
2 months to go and we’ll be all set.
— The lack of tactile feedback means people will have to watch what they’re doing, meaning they may pay less attention to other things they’re doing (like driving).
To Shiva:
Someone using a phone while driving deserves the resulting smash-up just for being a complete cretin!
That’s why Apple have made a bluetooth headset to accessorise the iPhone!
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Going with AT&T is a killer! Sprint doesn’t offer service in our area.
While I always enjoy Andy Ihnatko’s writings, he is a major-league Mac fanboy.
That said, I think that we’ll really have to wait and see regarding the keyboard. I’ve heard from people who love “virtual keyboards” and people who hate them. In regards to the people who hate them, it may be an implementation detail on the touch-screen keyboard or a general dislike of touch screens. I know I’m not a big fan of them, but my dealings with them have mostly been limited to kiosk-type arrangements (eg ATMs).
And, again, I think you’ll find people who love the iPhone’s keyboard and people who hate it.
My only concern with the iPhone’s keyboard is that it will require people to look at it. I’m waiting for some idiot to clip me on my bike because they just had to enter that address right now while driving 60 on PCH…
Let’s hear from the hare over here.
@ Brain Fart
Yeah, cause you know I work in the Ripoff Pricing Department. I’ll get right on it. ;P
“There is a prototype floating around here at Adobe,”
This thread is about the iPhone, not the Zune.
The Adobe jackass was impersonating ChrissyOne, can’t you folks understand that? GEEEZ.
“This thread is about the iPhone, not the Zune.”
That was pretty funny though. Flush the floater! Ha!
Seriously, MDN, I’m getting tired of this.
Doesn’t everyone look at the keyboard while typing?
Does everyone type while driving? How the hell do you light your smoke, drink coffee and eat your donut if you’re going to type while driving? Fusking multitaskers.
Big Al,
Don’t forget putting on makeup (I’m a professional clown) and looking at porn (I have no excuse for that one)!
Once MDN gets password-protected handles this place is gonna be a snore.
whoo-hoo!
sarcastic
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Are there people that still dial numbers into their phone? I guess I htought most phones had this, but I just say the contact name or the digits of the phone number on my Motorola and it dials.
Chrissy – contact MDN directly about the issue @ http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/contact/
They responded pretty fast the other day when we had another incident of this.
Shiva, but I do not think you speak for the majority of people, just a small minority. I do not believe that there are more than a few people that have the dexterity to use the QWERTY keyboards on handhelds without looking.
Then the whole driving thing? I know people are stupid and do, in fact, try to use such devices while driving, but are you seriously saying that physical keyboards allow one to use one without ever looking at the device? Do the other devices send the txt/email/IM to your brain directly? Even if you are able to type without looking, would you seriously send whatever you looking at what you so typed? Oh, yeah, you STILL have to LOOK at the SCREEN!
This whole “you can type without looking on physical keyboards, so you can drive (or other activity during which you should not be doing email/txt/IM)” argument is beyond silly.