Apple iPhone Review
The Apple iPhone is actually three devices in one: a cell phone, a wide screen iPod, and a wireless Internet device. It measures in at 4.5” x 4” x 0.46” and weighs in at 4.8 ounces. You won’t be able to squeeze the Apple iPhone into smaller pockets, but this is the case with most Smartphones and Pocket PCs. However, the iPhone is thin, which accounts for a lot of its appeal. The Apple iPhone is thinner than both the Motorola Q and the Samsung BlackJack cell phones.
The core of the Apple iPhone is its 3.5” touch screen. The iPhone will have the largest display of any iPod as well as the highest resolution at 320x480x160 pixels per inch. The screen is large because there is no mechanical keyboard to get in the way. However, the touch screen is also at the core of some of the controversy surrounding the iPhone. (con't after eBay auction listings below...)
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A touch screen provides no tactile feedback, which can make users less secure about what they enter on it. Apple has admitted that it will take users a few days to get used to it, but then they reassure us, it will then become second nature. The iPhone uses a built-in dictionary to predict the words being typed on the touch screen keypad in an effort to reduce input errors. Regardless of Apple’s confidence, it is still a big risk to release a cell phone without a mechanical keyboard since no device without one has ever been successful. However, if users approach the iPhone’s touch pad as a challenge to be mastered, and the prestige that comes with being the master of such as device, then the iPhone could catch on in a massive way.
Apple also admits that they’re not aiming the iPhone towards hardcore Blackberry users, but people who listen to music and surf the Web. Prior to launch, Apple announced that the touch screen cover has been upgraded from plastic to optical quality glass in order to resist scratching. Good move, as anyone who has used PDAs with touch screens knows how quickly their surfaces scratch without a protective cover.
The Apple iPhone of course is also an iPod which will play both MP3 music files downloaded from iTunes as well as video files. The iPhone syncs like an iPod to either a Mac or a PC. A 2 Mega-pixel digital camera is also built-in to the iPhone.
The cell phone portion of the iPhone supports quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900), thus making it a true “world phone” capable of working in the US, Europe, and Asia. On the data side, the iPhone uses 2.5G EDGE technologies. However, the multimedia features of the iPhone would be better served by the broadband capabilities of 3G networks, such as UMTS and HSDPA, which interestingly enough, AT&T now supports. One saving grace is that the iPhone will come with built-in WiFi to access high speed Internet connections.
The iPhone’s battery was initially rated for 5 hours of talk time, but has recently been revised upwards to 8 hours and 6 hours of Internet use. This will make it the longest lasting cell phone battery second only to some Sony Ericsson cell phones. The iPhone is rated for 24 hours of audio playback and the battery can retain its charge in standby mode for up to 10 days.
Just an FYI: the iPhone ill not accept memory cards, at least initially.
In the WOW department, the iPhone also comes with sensors that detect how you're holding the iPhone and will change the display appropriately. A proximity sensor knows when you bring the phone to your ear and will dim the screen and shuts off the touch screen. There’s an ambient light sensor that adjusts brightness to save battery power, and there’s even an accelerometer that knows when to switch between landscape and portrait mode. Pretty slick, huh?
Concerns about touch screen usability a side, there are a few other lingering concerns/knocks critics have leveled against the iPhone. Some can be brushed away as trivial or non-issues, while others could directly impact the wide spread acceptance of the Apple iPhone after its release.
Initial owners of the iPhone will be locked into AT&T as their wireless provider for at least 2 years (agreement between Apple and AT&T). Apple initially approached Verizon as a partner, but Verizon declined because of Apple’s demands on controlling just about everything including pricing and distribution. There have been complaints about AT&T’s (formerly Cingular) coverage and consumer consensus gives Verizon better overall marks for coverage and network quality.
In any event AT&T isn’t showing any signs of worrying, in fact, they can’t seem to contain their glee at potentially gaining as many as 915,000 customers in the second half of 2007 (Bear Stearns & Co.). About half of these customers will be siphoned off from competing wireless carriers, which most certainly will include Verizon.
The initial release of the iPhone will come without GPS. It’s speculated that Apple may provide for GPS modules via its expansion slot in the future, but don’t hold your breath. In reality, though a cool feature, GPS on cell phones isn’t a must have feature. You can do quite well finding your away around with Google Maps and the iPhone. GPS receivers also burn up valuable battery talk time.
Currently there is no Software Development Kit (SDK) for the iPhone. This means that native applications cannot be written for it. Instead, Apple is touting the use of Web-based applications accessible via the built-in Safari browser as the solution to applications for the iPhone. Smartphones using Microsoft’s WinCE operating system or Brew, have the advantage when it comes to creating a wealth of PDA applications.
It would have been nice to wirelessly download iTunes while away from your computer, but that will not be possible. Instead, you must connect to a PC to download iTunes.
We’re now seeing a cultural shift where the cell phone has become a fashion accessory. There are fashion shows that prominently feature cell phones along with matching clothing. The extreme in cell phone as status accessory, are gold-plated and diamond encrusted cell phone models selling for thousands!
Cachet is the bottom line. Regardless of the iPhone’s shortcomings, some of which may prove to be critical, there is no question that the iPhone will be a huge success and demand for it will be off the charts.
