Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, iPhone
10 things wrong with the iPhone, from someone who has never used one
There is no denying that the iPhone has enjoyed a ridiculous amount of hype. After years of rumors the much heralded iPhone will be a reality in a few short weeks, and the press (including blogs) have been falling all over themselves writing breathless posts, articles, and odes to the wonders of the iPhone. Never mind that much of what it does isn't groundbreaking (that's usually the case with Apple's products. It isn't the features, but how they go together), the iPhone is a game changer.Given all this positive press it was only a matter of time before the backlash began. That's when the very same websites that couldn't get enough of the iPhone decide that it is time to bash it. And so you get posts like this one on Red Ferret Journal that lists '10 things you should know about touchscreens before June 29th.' The litany of woe that will befall anyone using an iPhone seems pretty daunting. It looks like you won't be able to make a single call on your iPhone before grease, scratches, and sunlight render the thing useless.
Some of these points about touchscreens are valid, but I think it would be wise to save the criticism, and praise, until you have actually used an iPhone. A shocking idea, isn't it?
[via bookofjoe]
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Klemens said 3:15PM on 6-17-2007
Hey Scott, update the Paul McCartney-Post! They've been avaliable for HOURS now ;)
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Gist said 3:25PM on 6-17-2007
Couldn't agree with you more. Now if you could please tell your friend David Chartier to do the same before he starts knocking Leopard, we'll be OK.
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AS said 3:40PM on 6-17-2007
Totally agree with your point on trying it out before bashing it; and totally agree with No. 2 on Chartier and Leopard. His post on the Menu Bar in Leopard was...lame.
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Rob said 3:53PM on 6-17-2007
He is missing the BIG problem with the iPhone -- NO replaceable battery.
It won't be a surprise to anyone who has used a smart cell phone, but battery life for the iPhone will likely be awlful.
How can one live with a cell phone that has no replaceable battery?
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Roger said 4:08PM on 6-17-2007
I second the replaceable battery. We all know batteries degrade a little over time when it's charged. However, many have said the same about the iPods battery yet you can buy a new, higher capacity iPod battery for about $20 and it'll last you another two or three years. It's just a matter of time for some battery manufacturers to get their hand on an iPhone, take it apart and begin making batteries that work with the iPhone. We'll also see repair shops like iResQ offering overnight battery replacements for iPhones. It'll happen and people will most definitely pay.
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Thayne Miller said 4:08PM on 6-17-2007
I've been using a cell phone for ten (+) years and I've never felt the need to get an additional replaceable battery. I find that charging it every few days does the trick. Why do you want to be on your phone so much in a single day that you'd need more than one battery? The iPhone gets 16 hours of ipod playback, and 5 hours talk time. How many more hours in the day do you need to be on your phone?? Again, I've used cell phones for years and never had a problem with charging when the battery gets low...
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Joe said 4:10PM on 6-17-2007
I'm sick of these harbL's writing so called "reviews" of the iPhone listing the things it doesn't do. I've seen about 3 so far. No doubt there is more wofting around the internets somewhere. But hey glad TUAW said exactly what was on my mind. Hold your "reviews" until you actually have an iPhone to review!!
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narco said 4:13PM on 6-17-2007
I can understand if the post was written to warn potential buyers, but this seems like it was written in anger and hatred for the iphone. i had a feeling too which is why i almost didn't want to click it.
Fishes,
narco.
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Steve said 3:26PM on 6-18-2007
I don't see the issue with battery life. The only times it will not be re-charging is when I'm not at my car, or at my desk. I use my ipod in the car all the time so I use a FM transmitter/charger, and since I listen to it all day at work, I also have a charger there, so its almost always charged. The iPhone will replace my iPod so will get the same kind of use. If I have to get the battery replaced, then I will (but by then I will probably be like most American's and just purchase the new generation of iPhone.)
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StretchDog said 4:27PM on 6-17-2007
"Why do you want to be on your phone so much in a single day that you'd need more than one battery? The iPhone gets 16 hours of ipod playback, and 5 hours talk time"
A. 16 or 5 hours of "supposed" talk time. No one outside of Apple has tested this...
B. Batteries degrade. As an example, my 1.5 year old Powerbook got 4+ hours of battery life when I bought it. Last week I had to buy a new battery because I was getting less than 45 minnutes. Same goes for iPod/iPhone/Cell Phone batteries. If someone uses the iPhone as much as expected (being the "end-all be all device") the batteries will likely degrade quickly. It was the same way with my Treo 600, that's why every Treo since that model had a replaceable battery.
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lakiolen said 4:27PM on 6-17-2007
A lot of those points are just plain WRONG for the iPhone. It uses capacitive touch technology (if I'm interpreting the tech video correctly, most likely the same as what's in their notebook trackpads). And also Steve Jobs said at the keynote that they were working hard to engineer a screen that doesn't get all smudgy and other people, who have actually used the phone, say that the smudges don't show up as bad as they do on other screens.
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Chris Jefferson said 4:57PM on 6-17-2007
Except, my Nintendo DS has a touch screen, which I use with my finger all the time, and it works fine, hasn't scratched and works fine in the sun. Has anyone ever heard of a broken Nintendo DS touch screen? I've personally never seen one, and people abuse those things hard, much harder than they will an iPhone.
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Emory Dunn said 6:45PM on 6-17-2007
Well, those are all good points, exept number 8. Wich states that dirt under the screen will be able to select things for you... not true for the iPhone. The iPhone uses a capcitive touch screen- like a clear trackpad on your laptop, and last time I checked, dirt isn't moving my mouse around. If they iPhone used a RESISTIVE touch screen where it relies on two pieces of plastic to complete an electric courent then dirt could select something by completing the circuit. So this guy needs to do just a bit more research into the underlying technologies of the iPhone beofre he bashes it.
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Lamplightphoto said 5:51PM on 6-17-2007
First Apple gets slammed for not being green, now they are being slammed because they are trying. Fickle people. Millions of iPhones means millions of batteries. Take them to be properly replaced and disposed of instead of filling landfills with them. Of course someone will probably moan about this too.
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Bobo said 5:46PM on 6-17-2007
Ironically, the "hype" that everyone keeps talking about around the iPhone isn't even generated from Apple. I mean, a couple of posters at a local AT&T store and a webpage on Apple's own site.
Yet, the hype machine (and every blogger who needs to draw attention to their paltry web counters) needs to go into overdrive.
What has this got to do with the article?
Nothing, of course. Much like the substance of the article itself.
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jerome said 6:05PM on 6-17-2007
The article even deals with stylus-related issues, and there won't be any stylus with the iPhone. Looks like an article copied and pasted here but written for other devices.
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Upgray3dd said 7:30PM on 6-17-2007
This site is fully of whiny posts lately. I don't want to read diatribes that are low on news value or even interesting information. Come on, you're better than that.
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Jim of Davao said 8:30PM on 6-18-2007
I agree with Steve (not Jobs) regarding battery life. I've owned no less than 5 different cellphones for the past 7 years or so and I've never needed a second battery. I have the habit of charging my cellphones every other day and if I do get the iPhone I'd pretty much be doing the same thing. The only time my cellphone ever ran out of charge was when I would forget to plug in after 4 or 5 days.
The reason why I had so many different cellphones had nothing to do with the battery or anything. I just change my cellphone every 18 months or so.
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Jamie said 6:48PM on 6-17-2007
I think after WWDC this week, most people would say the thing wrong with the iPhone is the lack of SDK. And Jobs saying "Sweet". Old men should not say "sweet". It was embarrassing.
Anyway, here's a suggestion on how they could make it a little "sweeter".
http://curmi.com/blog/2007/06/17/iphone-development-not-so-sweet/
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chris said 6:51PM on 6-17-2007
"Never mind that much of what it does isn't groundbreaking (that's usually the case with Apple's products. It isn't the features, but how they go together), the iPhone is a game changer."
I was very surprised to read this on a blog about all things Apple. Here's a short refresher list of innovations Apple has brought to the marketplace which have gone on to become standards.
The iMac: No floppy drive, someone had to put that deadman walking technology out of its misery and Apple was the first to do it. The iMac came with USB ports before any other major computer manufactures were doing USB.
iEEE 1394 aka firewire, need I say more?
802.11b (Not developed by Apple but Apple was the FIRST Computuer manufacturer to sell it on their desktops and laptops. Apple branded it as Airport and it caught on in a big way.
iPod: First harddrive based MP3 player. This was unheard of at the time as most older units came with paltry flash storage that was capable of holding maybe a 100 or so songs at the most. Compared to the rest of the mp3 players by RIO and company circa 2001, the iPod was on a whole other playing field. 1000 sounds in your pocket was "ground breaking" not just a couple features Apple through together in a pretty package.
And last but not least what about what iTunes. With the iTunes music store Steve Jobs has literally taken the Bull by the Horns and thrown the music industry into the 21st century. Forget the technology, the progress Apple has made on the business side is nothing less than "groundbreaking."
This is just a short list that popped into my head as I write this, there are certainly other innovations I've left out that were even more groundbreaking.
I'm sorry but I think it's absoultly ludicris for you to be so cavalier about all of the major "groundbreaking" technologies (and I havn't even scratched the tip of the iceberg) that Apple has brought to market over the past 23 years. I enjoy your blog and I read it on a daily basis but I (And the majority of my friends in the IT industry) consider Apple to be a cutting edge company that is usually at least a year ahead of what the rest of the industry is doing. With all due respect, if you consider Apple to be anything less than one of the most innovative and groundbreaking technology companies ever...well you're flat out wrong.
Before you peg me as an Apple fanboy, I'm actually writing this from my laptop which is a Dell Inspiron 5100.
p.s. Did someone saw something about an iPhone? =)
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