(Un)Impressed: Sorry, iPhone, but you're not for me
I am a huge aficionado of Apple, Inc. Some might go so far as to call me a "fanboy." I would protest and argue, but I know that deep down, it's probably true.
Indeed, I'm sporting Apple's white iPod earbuds, which have essentially become synonymous with all mp3 players because of the sheer domination of the iPod over its inferior counterparts. I'm typing these very words on my sleek, shiny Macbook Pro, which, if prompted, I'll readily proclaim as my best purchase ever.
Earlier this month, Apple CEO Steve Jobs took the stage for a keynote speech at the MacWorld Conference and Expo in San Francisco. The speech tops off a week that brings further glory and buzz to Apple and humiliation to its competitor.
I was snowboarding during the keynote (bad fanboy, bad!), but actually texted a friend from a chairlift to ask what had been said/released. The answer, of course, was something along the lines of:
"OMG THERE'S AN IPHONE!"
I nearly fell off of the chairlift when I read that.
(Photo: Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs presents the company's new iPhone on Jan. 9. Credit: Paul Sakuma -- Associated Press.)
I was snowboarding with cavemen friends who cared significantly less than I did about this earth-shattering revelation, and they forced me to snowboard for the rest of the day instead of rushing to a computer to salivate at pictures of the glorious new device.
When I did get to a computer, I'll admit, there was more than a little salivation at the sight of Apple's newest product. Let's put it this way: Nellie, the German shepherd who was with us, was thoroughly out-drooled for a good five minutes. But after the five minutes, reality started to settle in again.
There is no denying that the iPhone is a gorgeous, innovative product. The smooth lines, single button and wide screen all compose an aesthetically pleasing product that lives up to Apple standards. It also has tons of features, highlighted by the new "Multi-Touch" interface.
But, in this case, it’s something with too many features. I don't need "visual voicemail." I don't want widgets. I sure don't want to pay $499 or $599.
All I wanted was my iPod and my phone to be stuck together, with special Apple-branded duct tape, if need be.
What I was hoping for was something more like this mockup, created by a fellow iPhone anticipator before its release. Something kind of like LG's Chocolate, except with my beloved Apple logo on the back. Instead, I got a gorgeous, innovative ... monstrosity.
Part of what makes Apple so successful is its clear knowledge of its target consumer. Each product is created with an audience in mind -- and it shows. There's rarely much confusion on the part of the consumer over which iPod or computer to buy.
The iPhone simply has an identity crisis. It's aimed at business people who need continuous Internet access, who have time to watch movies on the phone’s wide screen (but who don't make calls afterward because the battery is dead), who are constantly checking their e-mail, who have $500 to spare and no current cell phone contract (but are OK with waiting until June for a phone).
Apple will find that, after the initial rush of affluent devotees who will buy anything with the Apple logo on the back, iPhone just won't be that popular, simply because very few people fall into the above category. I truly wish that I could trick myself into thinking I need an iPhone, but it's just not plausible. No one needs one.
As much as it pains me to do so ...
Verdict: The iPhone lost sight of its target consumer and became a Frankenstein of innovative mobile technology. Apple Inc., I'm unimpressed.
I'll be sticking with my kPhone, thank you very much. Masking tape not included.
Keenan Weatherford is a senior at Aptos High. His column, (Un)Impressed, appears on this blog on the fourth Monday of the month.
Too True
I would have to completely agree on this one. I feel that apple just didn't have a clear vision of what they needed to be aiming at. They ether need to make it a little more full functioned for professionals or trim it down and give the majority of ipod users exactly what they wanted, a touchscreen ipod that could make phone calls. I have to give apple credit for keeping it so secretive until the launch but I feel as disappointed as when i found out the zune couldn't use its blue tooth for docking or buying music. But i get hope when i remember the early days of the ipod, it was good, but not great, and i look forward to the future generations of the iphone. Perhaps an iphone nano?
really good point
You bring up a great point about the early iPods. They were clunky, had little storage, and really weren't that "cool" until the second or third generation, and they've grown into simply the mp3 player to have.
What we're talking about is the iPhone 1.0, first generation. There is plenty of room for improvement, as well as branching like the iPod did, possibly into an iPhone nano like you mentioned or an iPhone shuffle (calls random people at random times or your entire address book in alphabetical order). Just kidding.
Steve Jobs compared the release of the iPhone to the release of the iPod and essentially predicted that the iPhone would dominate phones the way the iPod has dominated mp3 players. I don't know the future of the iPhone, but at this point, that seems like some serious pre-hatching chicken counting.
word
I have to agree with you on this. I watched the entire 2 hour keynote online and yelled at anyone who attempted to disturb my evening in nerd-dom by suggesting social activities. I also agree that the target consumer is off: millions and millions of teenagers aren't going to need/want 24/7 access to Safari (as cool as it sounds). All we want is to be able to make calls with our ipod and play any of our favorite songs as our ringtone for all the world to hear (and use MultiTouch). But I disagree with Thomas when he says it isn't right for the professional either. I think it will be a great tool for the buisnessman or woman who is constantly (pardon the cliché) on the go. Getting back to a better phone for a non-business world, it would be good to get rid of some of the internet capabilities and instead devote the space to more music storage, because, let's face it, 4 or 8 GB isn't going to hold enough music for the average person to be able to replace their existing ipod (which can be as large as a whopping 80GB).
So yeah. I like the kphone better.
Steve Jobs is well-known for
Steve Jobs is well-known for his "Reality Distortion Field" which he "turns on" during his keynote presentations, and last Tuesday was no exception. He's so charismatic that he could probably convince eskimos that they need "iSnow" because it's just so simple and cold.
The iPhone is "right" for business people in that it satisfies their "on the go" needs for mobile communication. However, it isn't "right" for them in that it is branded as 1/3 iPod and encouages listening to music and looking at album art, etc.
I'm glad you brought up the storage issue, that is something that I wanted to touch on. For the record, there are not 4 or 8 GB of music/video storage. There are 4 or 8 GB of storage total. So whatever you don't use on addresses, emails, bookmarks, pictures, and the operating system itself, you can fill with music and video.
I think that Apple probably release one new product soon, possibly two. Apple will release a pure widescreen iPod with their new multitouch technology. And hopefully they'll release an 'iPhone nano" as Thomas so aptly put it in the previous comment.
Thanks for the comment.
-Keenan
Hrm
Under normal circumstances, I would agree with you, being an opposer of excessive multi-functionality and exorbitant pricing, but this case is special.
You see, the iPhone is doing what Apple has to do to survive: compete and bite a chunk out of the market. In order to do that, they need to best all other competing cell phones. Recently, the cellphone is a tool that has been garnering more and more roles: MP3 player, digital camera, text messenger, internet browser, etc.
The iPhone, for all intents and purposes, is going with the flow and looking good doing it. I mean, why buy a cell phone that only calls, takes pictures, and texts when you can have it play music, browse the internet, and do all those other things that your parents will never understand?
So sorry to knock everyone off their high horses, but seriously, Apple doesn't care that you think their phone is TOO awesome. You are not the target; cellphone marketing is not targeted towards teenagers, it is targeted towards adults who actually have the money and the need for them. The same thing for cars; they advertise big expensive cars not because they're affordable and useful, but because they want people to feel proud and manly for owning such an expensive monster of engineering. You can pride yourself for being practical and whatnot, but you know that deep inside, you want that gas-guzzling Hummer, that ten-and-a-half bath ocean view house, and that everything-in-one cellphone, if only just to be the envy of your friends.
Oh, and the things that I disliked the Zune include to following:
- Nasty colors. If an anorexic girl doesn't want to eat it, it's a bad sign.
- Nasty size and shape. If it can't fit in an anorexic girl's pocket, it's not going to sell.
- Incompatible with Windows Vista. (Hello? Microsoft? You forgot about your flagship product?)
- No Bluetooth? I don't know... I hate wireless in general. If something goes wrong, I don't know where to check. I also hate leechers and whatnot.
- Songs can only be temporarily shared.
That kPhone looks awesome. But will it fit in my pocket? Oo'
--- The only thing I hate more than a dumb person who thinks he is smart is a smart person who thinks he is dumb.
reply: Hrm
I think that everything about the Zune generally ranges from poor to mediocre. The temporary song sharing is essentially Microsoft kneeling down to the RIAA, and the form factor/design/color is truly unappealing. The fake scroll/click wheel is downright tacky. I will give it this: the screen is nice-looking.
And as for your comments about the iPhone, of course I want one, just like I want a Hummer (well, maybe not a Hummer, but I get your point) and a 10.5 bathroom beach house. But how many Hummers do you see barging down the freeway? How many 10.5 bathroom houses do you see on the beach? The answer is: a few. Just like the number of iPhones that Apple will sell: a few. They might even make the 1% market share of all cell phones that they're aiming for, though I highly doubt it. It won't be a flop, it just won't be a Honda Accord type of hit among most people.
Lol.
Music player screens need to be easily sortable. I don't care for graphics. Hell. I once owned a Shuffle; no screen is fine by me.
Actually, the price of the iPhone seems reasonable. It'll probably be slashed through offers though. Sign up with us and get this $500 iPhone for FREE! See who wouldn't want THAT deal. >D
--- The only thing I hate more than a dumb person who thinks he is smart is a smart person who thinks he is dumb.
When was the last time you
When was the last time you saw any Apple product on sale/slashed through offers (myspace scams aside)?
Me neither.
Lol
Those MySpace "scams" aren't scams. My friend convinced 10 kids to sign up for Blockbuster online and he did get his iPod.
But it's a trend for cellphone companies to offer phones in deals. The companies will want the iPhone because it is the iPhone, thus Apple will profit from selling their phones to these companies for their promotional offers.
--- The only thing I hate more than a dumb person who thinks he is smart is a smart person who thinks he is dumb.
But you have to admit,
But you have to admit, Microsoft would be the subject of many lawsuits if it does not comply. Being a big company makes it a big target too. It got cited in numerous antitrust lawsuits for many things that other, smaller, companies would not have been cited for.
I'm not saying that Apple
I'm not saying that Apple should completely scratch the present iphone and go to something simpler. I'm just saying that they would grab a MUCH more significant part of the market share if they made something like the kphone because it would be cheaper. I garuntee there are people out there (myself included) who would love an iphone, but simply wwon't get one because of the price and the fact that the reasons it is so expensive (Safari, widgets, etc.) are what drive that price up so high. I'm proposing a downgrade in some of the features (widgets, Safari (even if it is awesome!), etc.) for the sake of selling more units. Apple will be marketing to a society of business people as well as a larger sector of the younger generation: people who don't need/want all the features and will purchase the simpler version because its cheaper. The reason not to buy a cellphone with all these features is because the younger generation would not have as much use for them, therefore they would be spending more money to have things they're not going to use. It's an amazing product for the consumer market being adressed, but it's simply not a phone for people without the means/needs for it. Apple could make a killing selling a simple phone/ipod combo to the younger generation.
That is all.
Oo
The features you mentioned are all software-related; they piggyback off the wireless signal. They can uninstall the programs, but the phone will cost the same if not only a little bit more expensive.
But yeah, think about it this way: the Motorola RAZR V3 began at $500, but it dropped and was introduced into many promotional offers (almost for free, because cellphone companies make money off subscriptions, not hardware). I forsee the same for the iPhone.
--- The only thing I hate more than a dumb person who thinks he is smart is a smart person who thinks he is dumb.
Sorry, but i disagree
Im going to have to very strongly disagree with you here.
First of all, cellphones are marketed to teenagers, thats why theres viral advertising and ads on myspace for cell phones. Because one of the biggest markets for "cool" cell phones is teenagers. Most adults don't care what kind of phone they get and are happy to get the free "brick" that most carriers give out. And thats the big point that Im trying to make. The big market that Apple is missing out on is the teen market. How many teenagers do you know that are going to want the Iphone? All of them!! But how many of them are going to be able to shill out the $500+ for it? Very few. We all know the market that apple is going after with the current Iphone, its the tech savvy business person, but lets face it, any business exec is going to go for a black berry or palm trio. If not for their superior compatibility with Microsoft excel, then for their built in key boards which is sort of a necessity for wrighting emails and editing documents. Im trying to say that Apple should have gone after the Teen market instead.
And speaking of the Zune, have you ever used one/read its spec sheets?
1) In many aspects it has a smaller form facter then the ipod so im sure it would be able to fit in the "anorexic girl's pocket"
2) just about every program imaginable was incompatable with vista when that report came out. thats why it was called a release client! It was still in testing and was bound to have bugs.
3) Of course there is bluetooth, how else would you transfer the songs? Did you think you would have to transfer over cat5 cables?
4) and finally, the Zunes screen and menus are very superior to the ipods in many respects, and please remember, this is Zune version 1. Does anyone remember the first gen Ipods?
ahh.. both you and
ahh.. both you and "Taishaku" make really good points. Apple, like any other company, is just trying to do their job.. compete and sell. But then again.. some of the features may seem impractical.. well maybe to some. *shrug* oh well..
i love your "kphone" by the way. Brilliant.. 8]
I feel so technology retarded...
But I was able to navigate my way through your blog. Hooray for me. Now I can warn my friends away from the iphone and actually sound like I know what I'm talking about. Thank you sir.
Ps. I liked the part about apple duct tape. :]
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how lovely!
Haha, that was such an awesome blog, Keenan! I don't keep up with computers and technology very much, but this was very amusing. I too will be staying away from iphone, simply because i would never in a million years understand how to use it. and it's expensive. :)
-Tarah