“The iPhone is not perfect – far from it – but it genuinely re-moulds the expectations we have for mobile devices,” Darren Waters reports for BBC News. “And it provokes a reaction among gadget lovers and ordinary members of the public that no other phone can match.”
“I have been testing it for the last two weeks and whenever people see it they want to hold it, touch it and play with it. And they are genuinely amazed by some of its features,” Waters reports.
“In the US it is known as the JesusPhone – because of the hysteria and hype that surrounds the device. But let’s start with the disappointments – it is a 2G device and not 3G,” Waters reports.
MacDailyNews Note: If you want to get technical, iPhone is a 2.5G device. And Apple is not using 3G because the chipsets are still way too power hungry, which Water forgets to mention. Take a look at iPhone’s battery life vs. 3G phones of similar size and weight to see why Apple made the tradeoff.
Waters continues, “Graphics and picture-heavy websites take an age to load. But RSS feeds and mobile-friendly websites (such as http://news.bbc.co.uk/mobile) load quite quickly over the [EDGE] network that O2 offers. I also found it sufficiently speedy to send and receive e-mails on the go. Sadly, O2’s EDGE network only covers 30% of the country so if you are not in a major urban area, you will experience painfully slow data connections.”
“The phone has built-in wi-fi and you can access more than 7,000 of The Cloud’s hotspots for free. Web pages load very quickly over a wi-fi network and there is none of the usual ‘hang,’ or delay, that is associated with mobile net devices,” Waters reports. “The web browser successfully redefines the mobile web experience and over a wi-fi connection it is – for the first time on a phone – a pleasure to read sites on the go.”
“Like the iPod, the iPhone will force every other competitor in the market to raise its game,” Waters reports. “And for that consumers should be thankful for the iPhone – even if they have no intention of buying one.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: EDGE speed concerns are routinely overblown by those unfamiliar with iPhones. Would we like iPhone to be faster while off Wi-Fi while keeping its battery life? Sure. Who wouldn’t? Would we rather have gone without and waited for the next-gen iPhone? No way. From users who’ve had iPhones in heavy daily use in many different locations, not in just tested one out in a few places over the span of a few days: “They could cut the speed of EDGE in half today and, in order to get our iPhones, you’d still have to pry them from our cold, dead hands.”
Well when Apple puts out the 10″ or so tablet that fits in a shirt, suit pocket or fanny pack, not a tight ass jeans pocket, and has all the features of a cell phone and a laptop combined. I will consider it.
Remember the smaller the screen, the close it has to be to your face.
So if 15″ is good about 2 feet away from the face. Then a 10″ will need to be about a foot.
If a 30″ is good from 4 feet away then how far away from the face should a iPhone be?
yea, on the bridge of your nose.
Since this is impratical, Apple had to modify the interface to blow up sections of web pages so they can be seen.
But golly, what about those links one accidentially clicks on when trying to zoom into a section of the web page?
Then to “go back” on slow Edge network, incurring more data charges?
Little memory, storage and other things makes the iPhone a really sorry waste of money.
Check:
http://www.anandtech.com/gadgets/showdoc.aspx?i=3036&p=3
It’s not just hype from Jobs.
@Reality Check
Have you used a 3G phone — with a real 3G service? If you’re in the USA with it’s laughable mobile phone network, I guess you might not have done.
Here in the UK, where we have mainstream 3G networks, plenty of people have 3G phones; most of my friends with them complain that they have to charge them all the time, and they have poor battery life. Why?
Does Sony’s spec account for using DATA with the phone? Nope.
Wanna take a guess why not?
Re: Pete
I didn’t calculate the volumes “for you” – I’m not sure what you meant by that. I was pointing out that your comparison of battery life doesn’t happen in a vacuum. A bigger phone means you can put in a bigger battery, which means you can get better battery life, even when the phone needs more power. There, was it a waste of my time to “do logic” for you?
The point is, any engineering requires trade-offs. In a more recent comment, you made it clear that you want a 10″ tablet, not a phone. The iPhone is not targeted to you, obviously, so you are the one wasting your time complaining.
I’m probably going to wait until spring to see if Apple can get a more efficient 3G chip into the iPhone before I buy one, because I care about some of the features and speed of 3G. Many people think the trade-off is worth it, and I concede that it is a close question. You basically are saying that because you don’t mind a very large device, that’s what Apple should make. You are not Apple’s only potential customer. Judging by the sales so far, I think Apple is willing to write you off for now. Maybe some day Apple will make the “PetePhone” and you will be happy.
Rant over — I hate it when people waste their time to tell me I’m wasting my time after I use facts to logically back up what I say. I know there’s a good chance I’m wasting my time trying to use facts and logic on someone who says his opinion should control reality, but I’m hoping the audience to the conversation can tell the difference and maybe even get something useful out of it.
Additional note: the AnandTech article referenced above really explains it well – Apple expects people to actually USE the iPhone’s web access a lot. Standby time is not really the point. Here’s the article link again:
http://www.anandtech.com/gadgets/showdoc.aspx?i=3036&p=3
Good battery life sitting in your pocket is good. Good battery life actually using one of the important features is better. Unlike many of the other smart phones out there, the iPhone makes it easy and fun to actually USE the features it includes.
Calls for companies to be not so “greedy” always come from people who produce nothing. The iPhone is what it is – a great gadget. If you think Apple is being too greedy, by all means – don’t support them.
The iPhone costs what the market will bear. If he couldn’t make a profit, there would be no iPhone.
You are hilarious!
Still waiting to hear where to buy that SE W960….
Shoeman …WANKER – top of the class.
Reality Check …WANKER – with merit.
Pete …WANKER – still in training.
I agree with most of you guys. If someone is looking for a mobile device that has everything you want then buy a damn computer. You don’t want everthing but the kitchen sink in a sleek device specifically geared to the non techie that simply wants to have access to their multimedia, their contacts, the web and a phone. For those requirements, the iPhone IS perfect.
“The Sony W960 Walkman is 3G and has 370 hours standby and 9 hours talk time. 50% more standby time and an extra hour of talk.”
It also has half the number of screen pixels, and it doesn’t run Safari. You also don’t say how long its battery lasts while actually USING a 3G data link.
Designing portable devices is all about trade-offs. Apple’s choices seem to work well for a hell of a lot people, even if they don’t meet with your approval.
-jcr
“I have been testing it for the last two weeks and whenever people see it they want to hold it, touch it and play with it. And they are genuinely amazed by some of its features,”
I get this reaction all the time.
“In the US it is known as the JesusPhone – because of the hysteria and hype that surrounds the device. But let’s start with the disappointments – it is a 2G device and not 3G
They don’t call it a phone though the typical reaction is: “Jesus! Where have you been hiding!” Once, my partner got it up to almost 4G before we blacked out.
The lesson here is that if you want to make a girl happy for Christmas, get her an iPhone. With my number on it.
Once iPhone has 3G, GPS…and an SDK all of which is conceivable for 2008…it will absolutely be perfect. I’m not sure what else they could do. Maybe WiMax.
In the meantime we are enjoying the 3 first generation iphones in our household.
Don’t be ridiculous. Of course a 2.5G phone isn’t as good as a 3G (or 3.5G) phone.
While the difference in speed between, say, Safari and Internet Explorer for Windows Mobile, may make up some of the ground. It is still going to be between ten and fifteen times slower than if it was on a 3.5G network (UMTS HSDPA or similar).
Anything else is just a rationalisation.
Besides, one of the best features about a 3G phone is having a second camera on the front of the phone to make video calls. EDGE just doesn’t have the bandwidth for that sort of thing, but with the iPhone’s high resolution screen this is a feature which is sorely lacking.
Hey vanillacide,
what kind of usb dongle are you reffering to?
excuse my ignorance.
can you code monkeys stop mdn’ing and get on to how to activate and unlock a uk 1.1.2 iphone please?
im tempted to call the emergency number just so i can call someone.
– “Hey yo, Im just like testing my new iphone, whats up…”.
– *click*.
Reality Check: “the argument stated by MDN, and by Steve Jobs, and by pretty much every other fanboy out there is that Apple couldn’t possibly have 3G because it would hit the battery life too much.”
If this is the case, you have not even *REMOTELY* proven it.
You name a model of phone by a competitor with 3G that has same or better (claimed) battery life. No mention of screen size, no mention of weight or dimensions. You’re *clearly* not interested in the truth or you would have included that extremely relevant data, you’re just a Microsoft troll. Paid or not, all the same.
I’ve read enough to believe that the 3G chips *do* consume more power. Is it possible to give up a ton of features of the iPhone and have a smaller screen and have a bulkier heavier device to compensate? Probably so, but it would *NOT* be the iPhone.
There are lower power 3G chips coming down the pike, but the current ones do *not* cut it. If you’d actually studied the issue and learned some facts you’d already know this.
Now run along and go find another bridge to troll under.
I am a bit bored of all the BBC baiting,
I would like to get an iphone but as I am now living in Spain i have to worry that if i choose to move I may be stuck with a contract there, and of course the phone is expensive and the packages also, and yes it is not a perfect thing yet, so why the hell is this an excuse to slam the BBC? these things are true, i often get accused of being a Mac fanatic but honestly some of the rabid (sometimes damned neo-con shite) that appears on this site is scary; this review is even handed and pretty positive.
I don’t like the Microsoft connection, but as it is a public service they will for instance be introducing a iplayer for macs, due to public demand, soon, a pain but thats how most things work, the iphone debuted in the states first, movies do the same mostly etc etc, this is mainly due to the size of the market is it not? Windows is still the biggest market and like most software companies tends to get catered for first.
that last bit is confused!
I mean as MS is the still, alas, the biggest player most other software manufacturers tend to release for them first, if not sometimes only for them.
im typing this on my iphone on a train from York to London surrounded by endless fields and all I can say is WOW!
The iphone rocks!
2.5g or 3g I don’t give a damn, all I know is that this phone is the best phone you can buy.
Thank you Apple!
All Apple 1.0 products are limited in certain ways because they are cutting edge. If Apple had made the phone 3G the battery life would have sucked and there is limited coverage in the US. If they had made it thicker everyone would have called it a Zune!
Fact is in 2 years multiple versions will be available. This is a new venture for Apple and they cannot cover all the bases at once.
@RealityCheck
You gave the talk time and standby time, neither of which use 3G.
Try giving the Internet use time.
The iPhone is 6 hours.
@god deluded
“… as it is a public service they will for instance be introducing a iplayer for macs, due to public demand…”
Actually that’s not right.
The BBC has recently announced that they will offer a video streaming service that works with Macs. Their iPlayer is a quite different service and offers much more usability, but iPlayer is Microsoft only. Mac users will get fobbed off with streaming instead.
The BBC has never committed to a binding time scale for producing a Mac version of iPlayer and their most recent announcement makes it quite clear that it’s not something that they are taking seriously, despite the public pressure.
“Have you used a 3G phone — with a real 3G service? If you’re in the USA with it’s laughable mobile phone network, I guess you might not have done.”
i have yet to actually find 3G service in the US. anywhere…. period.
but hey, if you want a phone that runs on a service that doesn’t exist, go crazy.
in some places in california (just for example) you can actually get a signal that is good enough to allow you to make a call. people tag these areas, in much the same way it was popular to tag WiFi areas.
MW: we “nearly” have a phone network here in the US. any day now.
Here’s an idea for all of you battery freaks. Slap a strap on this baby, and you’ll never need to worry about standby and talk specs again…at least ’till you need another tankful of petrol.
Personally, I’m waiting for the nuclear-powered cellphone and a darn network which can deliver 100 mb/s – and I won’t settle for anything less.