Filed under: iPhone
NY Post says don't get "hung up" on the iPhone
NY Post contributor Glenn Fleishman writes that tens of thousands of customers will line up for the iPhone and he recommends that you not be one of them. It might be flashy, it might have lots of features, but with its small screen (compared to a laptop) and its high price tag (compared to an iPod), its lack of 3G and minimal onboard storage, and its two year calling commitment, Fleishman thinks you should wait for the next iPhone rather than buying this first release. If we weren't so busy trying to get our own iPhones to play with, TUAW might even admit that Fleishman makes several good points.
Thanks, SimDan.
Update: Fleishman has written a follow-up post on his personal weblog. He has used the iPhone (briefly) and the column was not meant as a review.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
PeiPei said 3:11PM on 6-26-2007
This is one of the things that makes me gratefull I live in Europe, It'll get to the second batch, at least, until it gets here.
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Rob said 3:17PM on 6-26-2007
I kind of agree. As hard as it is to resist opening a box of shiny Apple goodness, I know that the 2nd Gen iPhone (complete with 3G, more storage, and more) can't be far behind.
Only problem is that I'll probably have to nail my feet to the floor in order to keep my impulse from kicking in and nabbing a 1st Gen iPhone.
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Andrew Falconer said 3:20PM on 6-26-2007
The comment that it's got a small screen compared to a laptop is just idiotic. You can't compare a smartphone to a laptop, otherwise you'd be saying it's lack of a DVD burner and hi end graphics card are also reasons not to buy it.
However I do agree that the lack of 3G is a big BIG problem for us Europeans, i don't know anyone who even bothers to use Edge in the UK.
They haven't even mentioned if they're going to release it here.
The two year contract is a joke and won't fly in the UK either, plus we don't even know enough of the small details yet... all these people lining up to get it on the day don't even know if we can use our own custom made ringtones yet!
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Jon Wilson said 3:32PM on 6-26-2007
I've heard about this story elsewhere on the web and it's being touted as the first iphone review.
Has anyone else thought to question is access ot the iphone. He even admits "After spending some time, albeit briefly, with the iPhone, it's clear to me that Internet and e-mail are the parts that suffered."
His review does not talk about the features such as call quality, music/video playijng quality, speed of web browser, email, SMS etc.
It makes his review sound more opinion based on press coverage that everyone has access to more that review based on testing.
I do think he some out had some time with an iphone but I thinking it's only about 5 minutes worth. This is an a commentary not a review.
Some of his points are valid but don't chalk this up as a review. A smart person will weight his arguments but also question if he is basing this on amount significant time spend with the product.
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Gordy said 3:27PM on 6-26-2007
Don't make the mistake of sleeping on Apple's gen 1 offerings, just because they're gen 1. They're on a roll.
Despite it being Apple's first foray into the market, the gen 1 iPod was awesome. It trumped the competition. I had a Rio--I think they went out of business.
Same with iTunes. Mac only, and 1 million sales in the first week.
Apple Stores are just awesome. Sony, Dell, and Gateway don't know what happened.
MacIntels hit the ground running. Out the box they were on par or faster than PCs running the same processors.
AppleTV anyone? This thing is awesome, trumping the 3 other boxes I tried before buying it.
I predict iPhone will have a similar impact.
In the Mac world, we call this FUD. Any quirks will be fixed via software updates as usual. The hardware, I predict, will be rock solid.
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Greg Barton said 3:31PM on 6-26-2007
How do morons like Glenn get a gig writing about technology. Do I need to remind you that this phone is basically a computer running OSX? And like all computers, THE SOFTWARE CAN BE CHANGED. I also "guess" a DSP is also on the mainboard which means this phone can be upgraded simply by loading an update. Folks, seriously, are you going to listen or trust those who are invested in Microsoft being successful ???? LOL
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Michael said 3:33PM on 6-26-2007
I just for once.. just once! want to see people do something as simple as show comparative screenshots of things like how contacts are displayed... or calendar/tasks. Or even a step further on how they are edited. I am not talking about access... or other interactive aspects... but I know with absolute confidence and certainty that the iPhone is way ahead of the curve. UIQ, Symbian and Windows Mobile have had a very long time to perfect how to do this... yet they have never been able to understand this at all!!!!
Concerning web page width and content rendering. Without a doubt if the developer of a given site does not accommodate the individual blocks in 320 or 480 width, then yes you will have to scroll. it is just one of those "DUH" thoughts. The NY Times site is used because they do offer a traditional press layout that does provide for this. Most sites these days do not even comply to the 800x600 rule. Should developers & designers rethink about how this is done? I say YES!. Not just for the iPhone, but for any future on-the-go communication devices that can possibly visit their sites.
as a (very) bitter owner of 3 iPod 3rd-gens that have all failed after only a few weeks of use (all HD problems)... and never EVER being able to get a resolve to the issue... after 2 years of effort... I will NEVER buy a HD based player... so yes.. the Flash store is small... but... it is SOOOO much better in all regards.
Btw - how dare this guy be from Seattle.... he must live in Renton or Kent... maybe Federal Way... never the less.. he is nothing more then a narrow minded typically clueless reporter. Can't reporters be unbiased... maybe even look into the deeper aspects of what they report on.
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AaronS said 3:34PM on 6-26-2007
It's worth noting that he did not actually receive a unit to review like Mossberg or Pogue did...
...you know, if actually having a unit to use and test means anything...
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Poop! said 3:36PM on 6-26-2007
Yeah! You should wait! Wait five years for Micro$loth to roll out its inferior, copycat product!
This OPINION comes to us from none other than the NY Post; a Rupert Murdoch (Fox "News") owned propaganda outlet, known for manufacturing its own highly-biased, severely dumbed down version of the truth.
Form your own opinions and don't buy into this crap.
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Billy K said 3:39PM on 6-26-2007
But a laptop has a small screen compared to my 30" monitor!
Don't get hung up on a laptop!
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Bob said 3:44PM on 6-26-2007
worst...review...ever.
Not even a review.
"the iPhone has a very small screen compared to even the tiniest laptop." Gee, really? I wouldn't have figured that out on my own.
"Consider also that Apple engineers already are hard at work on iPhone 2.0." Again, who is this genious writer that could have predicted this statement?
Fanboy bloggers have given more in-depth, objective "reviews" than this.
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KeynoteKen said 3:54PM on 6-26-2007
Between their slow speed (compared to cars) and double the number of wheels (compared to a unicycle) I just can't see a market for bicycles...
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Glenn Fleishman said 4:03PM on 6-26-2007
Hi, Glenn Fleishman here. Thanks for all the praise and abuse.
Wanted to respond to a couple things.
First, on the "first review" business. I'm not a staff writer. I was asked to contribute this. I explained that I had used an iPhone briefly in January at the Macworld Expo press event. The Post chose how to play up my combination of that experience with the rest of my analysis.
Second, I compared the iPhone with a laptop for the very specific issue of browsing. The comments about how I'm an idiot to compare a phone to a laptop--it's relevant when Apple is promoting it as device you can read Web pages on. And it's not quite that easy. I used the iPhone in January to look at the New York Times, and it's just not wide enough to have a comfortable type size for reading (I have 20-15 corrected vision) and avoid dragging the page back and forth.
Watch Apple's 20-minute video and tell me, honestly, when they zoom into the middle third horizontally of the Microsoft Word document -- pause it, and look. Can you really read a Word document in that fashion? Not so well.
Finally, I think folks who read this blog aren't the average Post reader. The article wasn't written for the Web; it was written for the million plus people who pick up the newspaper. The writing is punchy (punchier than I wrote it, of course; that's what editors are for), and saying that engineers are hard at work on the next version -- if you read the article, you'll see what I think is missing from 1.0, having used a prototype that was feature complete in the areas I write about.
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Skoalbandit said 4:43PM on 6-26-2007
Never ever believe anything the NY post says. It is not a real news paper in any sense of the word. You read it to get a laugh and see pictures of celebs out in public. They have a good sports section. Anything news worthy is mostly lies.
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Dave said 4:08PM on 6-26-2007
I actually think that Apple was right in not going 3g on the iPhone. I have a Samsung Blackjack on AT&T and I have been so annoyed by 3g that I've turned it off. I live in the Dallas metroplex and the phone is constantly going in and out of 3g coverage. Every time it switches, there is a noticeable pause and my battery life got a lot better when I turned 3g off.
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Mystic said 4:10PM on 6-26-2007
NY Post? Cmon TUAW, you should know better. As you may have heard, conservative neocon media do not traditionally like Apple and their 'liberal' image they have.
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Dave said 4:15PM on 6-26-2007
I Think we can file this under "No Sh*t!" category.
While I would love to support Apple because I know this is going to change everything we know about cell phones...I want to wait for the iPhone 2.0.
I want more storage and price drops.
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Art W said 4:16PM on 6-26-2007
...."It might be flashy, it might have lots of features, but with its small screen (compared to a laptop) and its high price tag (compared to an iPod), its lack of 3G and minimal onboard storage, and its two year calling commitment...."
It's a (smart) PHONE people!!!! Want a bigger screen or a bigger KB on a portable device? Use/buy a laptop or tablet! I think a lot of people compare this device outside it's realm. It has a lot of neat features and I'll look into it the next time my contract rolls around (end of 2008/early 2009), not that important to have one myself right now.
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mcdj said 4:18PM on 6-26-2007
This being the first review, it doesn't have all the kinks worked out. We should all just wait for the 2G reviews.
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S.R.L. said 4:29PM on 6-26-2007
Glenn Fleishman made some relevant remarks.
You need to keep in mind that many people that read the Post's articles are not regularly perusing TUAW or engadget, and have little knowledge of the intricacies of technological software and hardware. The masses are simply interested in the iconic style factor of this device. That being said, calling him and "idiot" and belittling his integrity only reflects the lack of intelligence of the source of those insults.
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