David Pogue gets his hands on the iPhone
We're just lowly bloggers here at TUAW, so we got no closer to the iPhone than the rest of the Macworld attendees, that is from the other side of a clear plastic barrier. David Pogue, though, is a different story. The New York Times columnist had an hour long meeting with Steve Jobs and Phil Schiller where he got to touch, and use, one of the iPhone prototypes. He typed an email (typing is a little awkward on the virtual keyboard), made a phone call (crystal clear), and found out that it isn't ready for prime time (some features aren't complete).Pogue addresses some of my concerns about the 'smudginess' of the display, but I'll still need to hold one myself before I pass judgment.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Greg said 2:06AM on 1-10-2007
Lucky son of a gun...
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Oje Ihonvbere said 2:48AM on 1-10-2007
Once the reviews start getting around and the hysteria has calmed (There'll be plenty of time for that since the release is 6 months away), I think we'll get a better feel for what the flaws are in the device which will bring it back down to earth.
I just find it funny that the same people that were saying the PS3 was outrageously priced have failed to make the same claims on this device. 600 dollars AFTER a 2 year contract is a lot of freaking money. Hell, 400 after signing two years of your life away is a lot.
And this is even before getting into the problems with Apple's locked system, Cingular's plan pricing, lack of expandability, etc.
It ain't perfect folks.
I will say however, that the interface looks sweet as hell.
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Nik said 3:23AM on 1-10-2007
it was my understanding that all phones sold by Cingular are unlocked. I was told this before heading out on a recent trip overseas and wanted to use my cingular phone with a local carrier versus roaming. When i called Support for an unlock code, they told me that I didn't need one.
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Anthony said 4:16AM on 1-10-2007
Jobs said phone calls was the killer app, but it appears to be missing the killer app for me: VoIP phone calls (iChat, Skype, Gizmo). Why should I spend suitcases full of money on cell phone calls when I can call my parents overseas for free over a WiFi connection? Looks like I'll be getting one of those mobile Skype phones afterall. Extremely disapointing.
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Rod said 5:57AM on 1-10-2007
Its obvious why Voip is not on the phone - the deal with Cingular. Why would you want to exclusively sell a phone and not make a dime on the calls? Makes a lot of sense why iChat is not on there either - Cingular want you to pay for your text messages, not freeload on a wifi hotspot. Apple could have easily put a camera on the front (and hidden it in the black at the top).
To be honest, I think they bowed to a little pressure to get the phone to market, a la Microsoft and the Zune with Universal.
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Christian said 8:02AM on 1-10-2007
Pogue points out what we've all seen in the keynote: Browsing seemed slow. I suspect that the iPhone renders HTML as images and that the very rendering process takes some time. This can be seen in the keynote video when Steve opens the NYTimes web site and zooms in further and further. You can see how the separate bits and pieces of the website initially are not displayed and then become clearer and clearer just like in Google Earth when you zoom in.
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Baz said 8:27AM on 1-10-2007
Given Apple's recent history with design, build and OS, one questions how wise it will be to pick up a v1.0 iPhone in June. I'm guessing you're not likely to find a stable (or sufficiently patched) iPhone until the early fall.
Build quality (including the components used) has haunted Apple of late, the OS hasn't entirely shown itself 100%with holding onto radio (certainly not bluetooth, but how about GSM as a phone?)nd Apple hasn't had a touchscreen since Newton.
Anyone here honestly think the iPhone 1.0 will work as advertised straight out of the box?
Meanwhile, it seems that The Stevo has once again been got to. People moaned dramatically a few years back when Microsoft appeared over his shoulder to announce their love for each other - now it seems he's sold out to a particular wireless company. So much for individuality, Stevo. Sell the iPhone unlocked at the Apple Store to maintain the individuality you promote so heavily. Partnership with a wireless provider and, well, not so much. As such, I for one won't be surprised if wifi is dumped before the first iPhone hits the shelves. The potential for cutting into a wireless company's profits just too great....
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Robert Durnford said 12:03PM on 1-10-2007
I find the critics remarkably quick to shoot without the product even being released for sale. Bundling, deals, Three devices, market competition pricing, and Wifi capabilities are still all in a state of flux. Pricing Blackberry pearl etc, iPhone capabilities and superiority, and Skype usable via Wifi will make this an attractive package. More phones a la iPod Shuffle etc will follow if the premium product does its job well. Don't count out Apple as a smart marketing company. They may follow the iPod iTunes Model and build services for more things and offer more and lesser models in the future.
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GmAnMac said 12:58PM on 1-10-2007
2.
I don't see where the two year pricing with a two year contract is out of line for a top of the line new PDA type product, if anything compared to similar NEW products ( which are far inferior) it's not bad at all.
I mean that;s how hte pricing model works for cellphone carriers. Discount on phone for long contract. What do ou want Apple to do , give it away and not get a profit on the calls themselves?
Apple really had little choice, given current status of cellphone service carriers and support, but to get in bed with a major like cingular and adopt their basic marketing strategy.
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john piercy said 5:01PM on 1-10-2007
I found an IPhone demo here
http://blip.tv/file/129029/
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michel said 8:32AM on 1-13-2007
@John Piercy : you can simply watch that on the apple.com/iphone web site.
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