[sanford]

I knocked back and forth about buying an iPhone -- basically to consolidate three devices into one -- but there are a few things I can't get over:

It doesn't wirelessly (Bluetooth and/or Wi-Fi) sync or transfer files with my Mac as my Palm will.
It won't sync to-do lists as my Palm will.
It doesn't have video-out capability for iTunes movies and TV shows as my iPod does.
It won't act in a pinch via Bluetooth as a wireless modem for my Mac or Palm as my Nokia phone will. (Least important, just odd it won't.)

Some of the other things that are bothering people really don't bother me. Music ring tones, I don't care. No MMS, I don't care. No IM, no problem. No video recording, don't care -- I likely wouldn't use even the still camera much as I had a camera-phone and went back to my older Nokia without a camera as a use my high-quality optics Canon camera for photography. Only 4 or 8GB storage, iTunes does such a good job shuffling sets of music and video, I could easily swap out what I want to carry with me.

The main thing is the missing to-do lists and missing video-out. Without those it won't replace my Palm -- which I'd rather not use, but I use iCal, and syncing the Palm is just so much faster than transcribing from iCal to a paper datebook -- or my video iPod. It would only replace my phone, but I'd still be carrying around the other two devices.

It seems to me that this is a device for people who want another, extra gadget, not to pare down to just one. That Apple expects people to own an iPhone and an iPod of some sort, especially if you want more storage or more robust video playback options. I just keeping thinking that with my current Mac laptop and my iPod, I have everything and more I'd get out of the iPhone without the $2,400 work of two-year contract -- except the mobile phone, which I use sparingly, and already have on an inexpensive plan.

Unless I'm just flat missing something, it doesn't consolidate anything for me really, and unless someone can convince me otherwise, I think I'll pass.

[JonoMarshall]

But it's such a cool little gadget!

(I agree with you in general though: aside from the "cool" factor it's essentially another toy and it would seem wise to wait for future revised versions?)

[icruise]

It's not really our responsibility to convince you to buy an iPhone. If you don't think you want one, you shouldn't buy one. Still, I personally don't think that the lack of To Do syncing and video out are deal breakers. This is just the first iteration of the software. Plus, with the number of people buying the iPhone, you can be sure that there are going to be solutions of various sorts coming out to deal with its shortcomings. Maybe you should just wait and see what happens.

[sanford]

Originally Posted by JonoMarshall 

But it's such a cool little gadget!

(I agree with you in general though: aside from the "cool" factor it's essentially another toy and it would seem wise to wait for future revised versions?)

That's what I thought. Rather than becoming the only thing I need to carry around, sync, and plug in and charge every night it would become the *fourth* thing I have to do all of that to every day or two. There's a point at which you spend so much time looking after your so-called time-saving gadgets you'd be better off going back to a pen, notebook and CD player -- except for me the benefits of the iPod itself do outweigh the care-taking required.

[msuper69]

It's not for you. Stay far, far away from the iPhone.

[sanford]

Originally Posted by icruise 

It's not really our responsibility to convince you to buy an iPhone. If you don't think you want one, you shouldn't buy one. Still, I personally don't think that the lack of To Do syncing and video out are deal breakers. This is just the first iteration of the software. Plus, with the number of people buying the iPhone, you can be sure that there are going to be solutions of various sorts coming out to deal with its shortcomings. Maybe you should just wait and see what happens.

I'm sorry to burden you with all that responsibility. I was framing my concerns to get some opinions; I'll refrain from doing that in the future.

And To Do lists aside, if there's no composite video signal band on that headphone jack or similar signal wire to the iPhone's dock connector, no amount of software upgrades will ever get video out of that thing. I also doubt they'll update the Bluetooth to support wireless sync'ing and file transfer, although I suppose it may be possible.

After reading around this morning, I think I have my answer though: the iPhone is an expensive toy with a beautiful interface, a weak feature set and an almost five-year commitment (the contract is two years, but if you still want to use it after that, you're stuck with AT&T, perhaps indefinitely) with a poor provider of mobile phone service and a terrible customer service presence.

[JonoMarshall]

After reading around this morning, I think I have my answer though: the iPhone is an expensive toy with a beautiful interface, a weak feature set and an almost five-year commitment.

You've got to admire what Apple are doing here though.. I'm extremely excited by the iPhone and the future of Apple products, etc, I'm just not going to buy one. (Initially anyway: think of the opportunity costs and all that jazz!)

[sanford]

Originally Posted by JonoMarshall 

You've got to admire what Apple are doing here though.. I'm extremely excited by the iPhone and the future of Apple products, etc, I'm just not going to buy one. (Initially anyway: think of the opportunity costs and all that jazz!)

I agree entirely on the the interface design, the relative ease of use, the simple integration with iTunes. I guess I just don't want a mobile phone, smart or not. I never owned one before we had children -- I wasn't a fanatic anti-mobile person; I just don't like the perception of required instant interaction of telephones in general -- and then I bought one admittedly as a sort of crutch to curb worry when I want to check in on them but find myself out of easy contact with them.

My children and I enjoy video games and we have -- laughably -- all the current generation game consoles. But there are only three pieces of high technology that I think have greatly contributed to what I do as a professional or what I enjoy the most, two of which came from Apple. The Mac. The iPod. And the DVD. I'm a writer and occasionally still write drafts in longhand and make almost all my notes in that form. But I just cannot justify the typewriter or notebook as a reasonable substitute for, say, a MacBook. Over the years, the Mac has almost certainly not improved my writing, but it has without a doubt greatly streamlined the process of getting work from first draft to publication. I'm more productive in a shorter span of time and I can't ignore that. As for the iPod, I love music and have had a portable music player since I bought a cassette Walkman in Japan before they were available in the States. But the iPod has allowed me to enjoy music in more places, more flexibly -- still with reasonable sound quality -- than ever before with any other audio equipment. I'd count the iTunes Store in that, too, as though I still prefer the so-called "richness" of analog recordings impressed on vinyl, the industry has moved beyond that with the compact disc -- you flat can't get a quarter of what you want on vinyl, it's not very portable, and those are just facts -- and with the horrendous shutting of not only independent record shops but also large music-centric chains with more diverse offerings, I find an always-open store with instant access to a very diverse collection never out of stock to be worth the trade-offs imposed. The DVD, the one non-Apple item, I love movies and there's no arguing that the DVD and now its HD counterparts are vastly superior mediums for films than was tape, and the format has allowed me to regularly enjoy new and favorite movies with great convenience.

But, frankly, most of the other technology, smart-phones, PDAs, the list goes on, that many people find very useful, I just don't get it, and I've tried. I feel like they're ornery pets which I must care for because I took responsibility for them in the first place.

The greatest disappoint for me has been Internet-based video "chat". I thought this would catch on quickly as vastly superior to text messaging and even voice, for keeping in touch with friends and family. And it just hasn't. To me it's the one use of the Internet, now integrated into all Macs, that has for reasons I do not understand not created a revolution in personal communication.

I should make it absolutely clear that I would not discourage anyone from buying an iPhone (I might discourage people from putting up with AT&T, but despite the carrier requirement, the iPhone is still somewhat distinct from the carrier service). Just because it's not right for me doesn't mean it's not right for others. Even if they enjoy it merely as an "expensive toy", they're still getting something satsifying out of it. I mean, that's how I feel about video games: fun but I could certainly do without them.

[Mrjinglesusa]

Originally Posted by sanford 

After reading around this morning, I think I have my answer though: the iPhone is an expensive toy with a beautiful interface, a weak feature set and an almost five-year commitment (the contract is two years, but if you still want to use it after that, you're stuck with AT&T, perhaps indefinitely) with a poor provider of mobile phone service and a terrible customer service presence.

Weak feature set? Name another phone that has EDGE, Wi-Fi, a multi-touch interface, visual voicemail, an impressive web browser, and runs on OS X software? If you think that is a "weak feature set" your expectations are too high and you will NEVER be happy with anything.

I've had Cingular (AT&T) for over a year now. NEVER had a problem. Reception has been great everywhere I go and I have yet to drop a call. I even got good reception in the Bahamas. And, according to Consumer Reports, Cingular (AT&T) was up there pretty high in customer service. Unless you live in a ghost town, you're going to have adequate reception with AT&T. Also, remember that reception does not depend just on the carrier, it also depends on the phone. Crappy phone, crappy reception no matter who the carrier is.

[sanford]

Originally Posted by Mrjinglesusa 

Weak feature set? Name another phone that has EDGE, Wi-Fi, a multi-touch interface, visual voicemail, an impressive web browser, and runs on OS X software? If you think that is a "weak feature set" your expectations are too high and you will NEVER be happy with anything.

I've had Cingular (AT&T) for over a year now. NEVER had a problem. Reception has been great everywhere I go and I have yet to drop a call. I even got good reception in the Bahamas. And, according to Consumer Reports, Cingular (AT&T) was up there pretty high in customer service. Unless you live in a ghost town, you're going to have adequate reception with AT&T. Also, remember that reception does not depend just on the carrier, it also depends on the phone. Crappy phone, crappy reception no matter who the carrier is.

I did post above I wouldn't discourage those who want an iPhone from buying one. As an acceptable integrator of three different devices, however, the iPhone doesn't work for me, so in that regard, for me, the feature set is weak. Also remember I'm not thinking of a phone, per se, but a mobile communication device -- a category of product which I'm not too hot about it, anyway -- and there are plenty of mobile communication devices that include most of these features and more. But no one designing devices today will beat Apple's talents with human interface. So the browser, the multi-touch functions, you won't see implemented as well elsewhere -- the visual voice mail, if it proves popular, anyone can do, although Apple will have pride of first offering.

Note that your Cingular coverage may not ultimately be your AT&T coverage. Most carriers provide broad coverage by renting time on other carrier's towers without passing that cost directly on to the customer -- sure you pay, but not on some sort of metered system when you happen to leave first-party coverage. I believe Cingular did this, leased time as necessary to handle calls across large areas. AT&T's policy is not to do this. So, if AT&T imposes their policies on the Cingular system -- although, granted, they've picked up quite a few more first-party towers with the Cingular acquisition -- you will probably see a slight to significant drop in coverage area as AT&T fully integrates Cingular into their operations.

[besson3c]

Patience people...

Geeks are so attracted to new and shiny things, as am I, but this device is $500! There is no hurry to be the first person on the block to have one. You've survived this long in your life without one, you can survive a little longer.

This decision will be much easier if you give it some time and see:

1) Whether Apple makes software upgrades available to first generation iPhone users

2) Whether upgrades will require hardware missing in the first generation iPhone

3) What options are available via third-party software and how much they cost (don't forget that this software doesn't have to be iPhone based, Mac software can push data to or pull data from an iPhone, I'm sure)

4) Whether this thing lives up to its hype


Personally, I can be a little impulsive with a product around $100-200 or so, but a product this expensive requires careful research.

[sanford]

Originally Posted by besson3c 

Personally, I can be a little impulsive with a product around $100-200 or so, but a product this expensive requires careful research.

Absolutely. While my daughter was away skiing, I went out on launch day and bought her a Wii for $250. But I spent months waffling over buying a $600 PS3, finally just deciding I'd at the very least have a perfectly suitable but least expensive Blu-ray movie player if the games didn't pan out as I'd like (slowly, the games are panning out).

Of course the $500 is just to get in the door. It's $600 for something even approaching a suitable iPod replacement. And there's $2,400 over 24 months for a suitable voice/data plan. It is indeed a lot of money for an impulse purchase that does the same things in new, perhaps better ways rather than doing entirely new things.

I have to admit if it did all the same things, minus the phone features and carrier contract, plus 30GB of music/video storage and all the other features of the current video iPod (like composite video out), I could probably go $300 - $400 on impulse in this case. But I do really like iPods, and having had a few I know unless Apple were to just tank one like that I'd be satisfied with it.

But you have my vote that no matter how much discretionary income you have available, $500 plus thousands in carrier contract, that's one sizable chunk of money to run out and spend the moment the product becomes available. Especially for people who already have mobiles phones and iPods, and the iPhone doesn't immediately fill some void for which you have no other solution at all.

I've made only two expensive release-day impulse purchases, both Apple products. The original iPod, and the MacBook. But I'm not sure the MacBook counts as it was time, after much contemplation, to upgrade my AppleCare-expired PowerBook and I went fully prepared to spend almost $3,000 on an Intel PowerBook, but they'd just received their first new MacBooks. I spent an hour with one and decided for less than half the price, the smaller size, the lighter weight, the better keyboard, the point was reached where I would gain nothing from the pro line over the consumer line. Fortunately, I did not wind up with impulse-buyer's remorse on either product.

[BRussell]

Originally Posted by sanford 

It doesn't wirelessly (Bluetooth and/or Wi-Fi) sync or transfer files with my Mac as my Palm will.

I'm not getting an iPhone right away either, but I really don't get this one. You just keep the dock - which comes standard with the iPhone - connected to your Mac, and pop the iPhone in it to charge and sync. What advantage would syncing wirelessly have? You'd still have to be close to the computer. It would be slower - I can't imagine syncing movies and music over bluetooth. It wouldn't charge. What does it gain you?