Do I regret not buying an iPhone (yet)?
Do I regret not buying an iPhone? Yes and no. I have seen a couple now, and while the device is incredibly sleek, there are some drawbacks that I hope will be resolved with the next version. Here are the reasons I resisted the hype and did not buy an iPhone. For those of you that really know me, this is a major feat. I am an Apple sort of guy (our house runs an Apple network for home entertainment and work). I am also a bit of a gadget guy.
- As an “Internet device”, I would expect the iPhone to help me connect my computer online while I’m mobile, but this is not the case. It cannot function as a modem.
- The Internet speed crawls from most accounts I’ve read. My wife has a 3G Motorola RAZR that rocks when it comes to a relatively high-speed multimedia experience, but the service is unavailable everywhere. I may in fact see if I can get my hands on the new RAZR2 when it comes out later this month (Motorola is a Fleishman-Hillard client). There is a great overview discussing why Apple did not incorporate 3G into the current iPhone from AppleInsider. Fortunately, iPhone users can flip to Wi-Fi if it’s available.
- The battery replacement seems to be a major concern. The battery lasts approximately 400 charges and when it dies it needs to be returned to Apple for three days at a cost of $80 for the replacement battery, $7 for shipping and $29 for a loaner phone if required. Talk about a pain! Especially on top of a $500 - $600 purchase price and a minimum monthly service fee of $60 on a two year contract. Mind you, the service fee doesn’t seem to be too exorbitant.
- Work at this point is not outfitted to support the iPhone. This is completely understandable, but the built in VPN features are something I’d hope to explore if I was to own an iPhone at one point.
These drawbacks were enough to derail my initial desire for the hottest new device. I am still envious when I see an iPhone. It’s cool enough, but lacks in practicality for my immediate priorities. That may change though. We’ll see.
Technorati Tags: iphone, apple, motorola, razr, razr2, cell phone, mobile phone
July 8th, 2007 at 1:20 pm
Wow, I just read your #2 about the RAZR speed. I had a RAZR before the iPhone. I was showing a friend that I could access my Gmail account from it. It took about 45 seconds to get the list of mail up on the phone. Even on EDGE, my iPhone blows that away hands down.
As to the rest, #1, Na, I’m more than happy to stick with WiFi for my MacBook. I have seen people using a PCMCIA card to access the web while in an airplane (still at the terminal boarding) and I have to say, that is pretty cool. I can do without it.
#3 I fully agree with. I have never understood Apple’s policy with the iPod and no replaceable batteries. What’s the big deal? At least with the iPod, replacing the battery isn’t all that bad. The iPhone is another matter all together. I would never consider replacing that myself at all. At least $80 to have Apple do it isn’t too high a price.
#4 I haven’t tried VPN myself. My office has a VPN setup, but I just haven’t had the time to talk to IT about setting it up. I may experiment later…
There are sooo many plus sides to the phone that the negatives are just not enough to hurt it. No MMS? So send an email. 3rd party development is a joke, just wait till October. I have a feeling that when Leopard is released, we are going to see a true 3rd party development platform for the iPhone. Flash will be added soon too.
My take on those things not being in the initial release is that Jobs wanted a clean launch. Nothing that could cause people to say: “See, it crashes and messes up just like other Smart Phones.” I could be wrong, but I don’t think so.
One complaint that makes me laugh everytime I read/hear it is the lack of memory. Unless I am mistaken, the Nokia N95 is a more expensive phone than the iPhone, yet all it comes with is 160MB? That’s all? And, you can only add “up to” 2GB’s? How is this better?
I don’t regret buying my 4GB iPhone at all. It’s a blast and great to use.
July 8th, 2007 at 1:55 pm
Great comments, Dave. Thanks. Very convincing argument. I haven’t had a chance to compare the speed of the 3G RAZR versus the iPhone. I’ll try that out soon. The 3G version is definitely juiced compared to my original RAZR.
Glad to hear that EDGE delivers on the iPhone. I often ask myself, how much heavy lifting would I really do on a handheld device? I’d pull out my laptop for really demanding stuff. That’s where my top priority (#1 on the list) came into play. I really want a device I can use to access the Web at any time, but that’s largely dictated by my job where I have to present a ton and access the Internet regularly.
Thanks again!
July 8th, 2007 at 4:14 pm
Hmm, That’s a good point. My RAZR was connected to the same AT&T that my iPhone is now. It’s speed was probably based on EDGE and back when EDGE was just 40kbps instead of the nearly 200kbps it is now. It will be interesting to see what the speed is like on a 3G network.
I do find myself popping over to my Twitter page and a few other sites that I would have normally just not have bothered with my RAZR.
When the iPhone gets a real chat client, I’ll probably be using that a lot too.
July 8th, 2007 at 8:48 pm
I hear all this, and it makes a lot of sense… but at the same time I’ll still be buying one the first time I can find one in Manhattan.
The battery point is a real draw back - I couldn’t be without my phone for 3 minutes, let alone 3 days.
July 9th, 2007 at 12:28 pm
Paull, The battery thing would be an issue if the battery stopped working after a couple of months use. However, I suspect that the battery will last as long as your use of the device. Just make sure to completely drain it and recharge it once a month and it should work for quite some time.
My MacBook has very little loss of range in the year that I have had it. It’s down to like 96%. Mind you, the MacBook has a replaceable battery, but still.
Also, I read that you can get a loaner phone while the iPhone is in the shop for a small extra charge. I would go for that. I wonder if the Apple Care plan will wave the fee for the loaner phone if you have it.
July 22nd, 2007 at 8:44 pm
Well, I picked up an iPhone last week. What can I say, it rocks. It is amazing to have the Internet at any time. The Safari browser rocks. I’m writing this comment from my iPhone. The EDGE network is slow but it is pretty easy to find an open wifi network. This is an incredibly useful device for me. I’m so glad I made the purchase.