[as2]

Been reading some of the more recent fact/fiction about the iPhone, and have realised there are two things that will need to change for me to even consider buying an iPhone if and when it's released in the UK.

Firstly, the lack of 3G, which has been mentioned time and time again is pretty much a deal breaker in itself. With even the most basic of mobile phones in the UK now starting to offer 3G connectivity, not for video-calling, but for downloads, the internet, and mobile video, the lack of 3G will have a significant impact here.

Secondly, after reading some of the details from the iPhone training manual here, the lack of MMS seems again like an oversight. I know it's being marketed as a smartphone that can do email, web etc, but for those of us who are likely to have friends that won't be even slightly interested in getting an iPhone, a much used method of communication is missing. Although you can send an MMS to an email address, it's not quite the same if you want to reply. Without MMS, how am I supposed to send that all important picture of me sitting with my first beer of the day, while my colleagues are still stuck in rush hour traffic?

[krove]

MMS in the US is rarely used, or at least among people I know, most have never heard of MMS. Plus, MMS costs something ridiculous like 40 cents a message (to send AND receive). At horrendous prices like that, it's no wonder Apple said, "Thanks, but no thanks" on that feature.

It is interesting, though. In areas of redudancy (SMS/IM and email/MMS), Apple chose a single technology to implement. I think this is very smart because when you start including more than one way to do something on the iPhone that costs different amounts, consumers get confused. The power and beauty of the iPhone is not so much what Apple put in but what they left out.

I'm sure, however, that Apple will fine-tune the iPhone for other markets. That said, MMS in the US just isn't that big and never was.

[analogika]

Both of those are things which should probably be discussed when we actually know when and how the iPhone is to be released in Europe.

Yes, omitting those two features for the European market would be stupid.

No, Apple are not stupid.

[Nivag]

[QUOTE=as2;3401668.... Without MMS, how am I supposed to send that all important picture of me sitting with my first beer of the day, while my colleagues are still stuck in rush hour traffic?[/QUOTE]

Always a favourite, unless receiving it!

[latts]

Reading this what comes to the front is the basic differences between the two markets of Europe and the US (keeping with these two for now).

SMS in Europe is huge although with the incorporation of IM in phones now it may lose some of the teen users but its used quite a lot mainly due to the cost of phones calls the the inclusion of text bundles tariffs. MMS also has these bundles but my thought is that MMS is slightly more complicated for people as it usually involves pictures, movies or sound as well as text and connecting to GPRS.
I remember going to the US around 2000 and text messaging was the new fad then when in Europe it was common place. I guess the expansion of the GSM network in north America has helped this but it does show the differences.

You can also see this with Apple's problems over selecting a carrier in Europe. It seems that in the US most people are with a carrier because of coverage whereas in Europe you generally have (and yes some carriers are better than others in certain areas) 3-4 carriers in the same area and therefore, people choose their carrier depending on the services, tarriffs and phones. It very common place for people to change carriers every year when their contracts expire which doesn't seem to happen in the US.

Anyway, I'm off subject there. What I meant to say was that while the iPhone does pack a punch it doesn't lend itself to the European market when it misses out functionality that we use albeit on a small scale. IM, MMS, video recording and 3G being 4 that come to mind straight away.

I wonder if when the iPhone is released in Europe later this year a number of firmware updates haven't been released incorporating other features.

[veggieburger]

Apple tech reports UK release in 2008

[Geobunny]

Originally Posted by as2 

how am I supposed to send that all important picture of me sitting with my first beer of the day, while my colleagues are still stuck in rush hour traffic?

Or a photo of the only bottle opener with a single word "oops" upon leaving a party with your girlfriend who's on call! Yes, Tim, I'm looking at you!

MMS can be lots of fun and it's so much cheaper now - my tariff used to charge 50p/MMS but now it just subtracts it as if it were 4 regular text messages from my allowance of 500/month. I've yet to run out.

On the assumption that stuff like this will be added in the future through updates, I'd dearly love an iPhone and would willingly stump up the cash for one right now if I could. As it stands, my current contract with O2 runs out in 5 days and I don't know what to do: renew for another 12 months and just be patient, or battle on with my k750i's knackered joystick in the hope that Apple will release the iPhone imminently...?

[JKT]

Of the 4 to 5 years or so that I have had a mobile, I have never sent an MMS and I have only ever received one. MMS might be "big" for some people, but that doesn't mean it is for either the majority or for all.

FWIW, geobunny - I have a K750i and its joystick is knackered as well, after about a year and a half of use. So is the joystick on my mum's K700 (formerly mine). My T68i was constantly breaking when used in silent mode... never, ever getting a SE phone again.