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Unless you are living under rock, on the moon or in a cave, then you will have heard about the iPhone - you will also have heard about the heartache, the hacks and the potential problems some iPhone users have experienced. In this article, you will find out what it is like to have lived with the iPhone for four months in a traditional environment - that is, a user who uses Windows, is jumping between home and office and is roaming in and out of wireless hotspots.
The good
It is easy to fall in love with the iPhone. Normally, I am not one to gush about my product. It is my job to give a fair and honest appraisal. Once in a while, a new solution does hit the market that does cause a change in attitude. In 2006 that product was Nintendo?s Wii ? a revolutionary game device that has brought gaming to the whole family, not just the teenage boys (including the grown up teenage boys like myself).
The reason why the iPhone is so well praised is down to three simple reason:
1. The phone ? you have a really good phone, with great features, easy access to contacts and the capability to complete complex tasks (such as set up a three-way conference call) with ease.
2. All applications are tightly integrated - what you find as you work with your iPhone is that all of the applications in the phone are integrated with each other. An example is using the Google Maps. You may be looking for a restaurant. Not only do you find the place you are looking for, but you can view the restaurant?s Web site, call the restaurant and add the restaurant to your contacts for the future. Effortlessly you have used three applications in the iPhone without having to remember information from one screen to the next.
3. The details ? it is almost a hallmark of Apple. The success of any of its solutions is in the details. It is clear when you use the iPhone that a lot of thought has gone into how each application works and how the functionality can be made easier. An example is when you write email. Holding your finger down on the screen, you create a magnifying glass that allows you to easily move about your message. Suddenly the small screen real-estate is no longer a problem.
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| iPhone's small screen is not a problem. |
The ease of use continues to add to the success of the iPhone. No matter where I go, people want to see and use the phone. It is a great conversation starter.
The bad
Can I get my money back? Only 8 weeks after the release of the iPhone Steve Jobs slashed the price 33%. Price cuts are expected, but never so much in so short a time. To help soothe wounds, Steve Jobs gave each early adopter a $100 gift certificate to the Apple Store ? not iTunes, but just the store. The reason was simple, iTunes does not give Apple a significant mark-up on each song sold whereas the Apple store only sells product with significant mark-ups. Did Apple loose $100 million when it gave the 1 million early adopters the $100 gift certificate back? No. Maybe it lost $25 million.
The lesson learned: how to make a quick $175 million, frustrate your customers and then still be seen as a generous company by ?giving back? to the customer. Next time, just introduce the product at the price you really want to sell it.
The ugly
One word: brick. Apple has done a terrible job of allowing developers to extend the functionality of the iPhone. You cannot develop solutions on the native iPhone. Apple tells us to develop solutions using Web 2.0 features in Safari ?but then they do not give us support for Flash.
What happens is inevitable: developers find a way to ?hack? the iPhone and run applications directly on the device. There are dozens of applications that can run on the iPhone this way. The problem is that each update for the iPhone deletes the capability to use these applications. What is worst is that if you have effectively set up your iPhone to be able to connect to a different carrier such as T-Mobile, then any update from Apple will completely shut down your phone. This is called ?bricking? because your iPhone is now a $600 paper-weight. Nothing will bring it back.
What to expect over the next 120 days
As a freelance journalist, I have to be always connected. My clients expect it, my readers expect it and I expect it. With the iPhone I have all I need for my work ? my phone, my email, my web, my contacts and my calendar. I am always connected and always available. For me, the most effective tool is the integrated Safari ? with Web 2.0 support, I am able to read reports online and update Blogs.
Already I know that the iPhone has changed my business life. Is there room for improvement in the iPhone? Absolutely. However, I feel like we have only just seen the beginning of what to expect from Apple with this product. The first 120 days were spent integrating the iPhone into my life ? now, I need to see more productivity solutions being added to the phone. I need to have an Office Suite added to the tool. For Safari to truly call itself Web 2.0 compliant, I need to see Adobe?s Flash added. And, finally, there must be continuous updates to the foundation feature, the capability to make phone calls.
The iPhone has kick-started the Smart Phone economy. The challenge to Apple, in the face of intense competition from Samsung, Nokia and other mobile phone manufacturers, is to keep their edge.
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Matthew has written four Flash books, contributed to a dozen Web books, and has published over 400 articles. He is passionate about exposing Internet's potential for all of us. Matthew works directly with many companies as a business strategist coaching IT architects and business leaders to work tightly with each other towards common goals.
Related Sites: Digital Producer , Audio Video Producer , Corporate Media News , Oceania , CEN - Consumer Electronics Net , CEN - Audio , CEN - Gadgets , CEN - PDAs , CEN - Phones , CEN - WiFi , CEN - iPod
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