But I Want an iPhone Nooooow, Daddy!
First off: Go here and take the “Jaiku, Twitter or Pownce” poll. I’d posted the poll here myself, but it seems to disagree heartily with our WordPress, so it landed squarely in the “DELETE!” bin. Sorry bout that, Geoff!
Now, onto business.
Over delicious Bluebeery Lager this weekend, my overeager co-blogger informed me of his intentions, $600 price tag be damned, to get his mitts on an iPhone sooner rather than later.
Having already scoffed at the overpriced little space phones once already in this space, I scoffed again, and pointed out that a year from now they’d probably be better, and maybe even cheaper (according to Wikipedia, the first generation iPod cost up to $499, and only held 1,000 songs! Pff!).
So imagine my delight this morning in learning that uber-blog Gizmodo agrees with my take on things. They aren’t as anti-Apple as I am (actually, they aren’t anti-Apple at all, which makes my delight even more profound), and they do love many of the features offered on this first iPhone offering.
But they are quick to point out that for a 600 dollar phone, there’s plenty it can’t do. (I’m thinking for 600 bucks, it ought to be able to make me a margarita and give me a damn backrub, but that’s beside the point.)
From the incredibly long–yet incredibly interesting–Gizmodo iPhone review:
The real elephant in the room is the fact that I just spent $600 on my friggin’ iPhone and it can’t do some crucial functions that even $50 handsets can. I’m talking about MMS. Video recording. Custom ringtones. Mass storage. Fully functioning Bluetooth with stereo audio streaming. Voice dialing when you’re using a car kit. Sending contact info to other people. Instant friggin’ messenging. Sending an SMS to more than one recipient at a time. [...]I know these minor things don’t sound like much to bitch over, but the negative sum of these granular functions really bites into my satisfaction; I’ve come to miss the little things as I live with this superphone and realize its staggering shortcomings in the practicality department.
As I examine my Treo, and that long list of complaints, I notice that for half the price of the iPhone, my own PDA does almost all those things: MMS, check! Video recording with sound, check! Custom ringtones, check! Mass storage, check! Bluetooth, check! Etc etc etc.
The problem is that the Treo is nowhere near as sexy. And that’s what’s going to get people. They need to have the sexy new device, and they need it noooooow, as darling Veruca Salt might say.
Confession time: I will probably buy myself an iPhone at some point. They are pretty much the coolest looking things I’ve ever seen, and I am enough of a geek that I will give in and get one….eventually. But I’m definitely holding off for now.
Unless I win the lottery or something.
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Okay, how’s about a little point counterpoint:
1. When has video recording been a crucial function? Seriously.
2. Custom ringtones- I know how crucial it is to have Lil John as your ringtone, but this really isn’t that big of a deal to me.
3. Mass Storage? Um, yeah. I also can’t play DVDs on my toothbrush, but I don’t let that cloud my oral health judgement.
But honestly, I understand these gripes because it’s all about expectations. We expect the iPhone to include all the things we’ve come to expect from other phones PLUS all the sexiness of design and awesomeness of the touch screen. So yes, I really do get it. Doesn’t mean I don’t want one though!
I’m also very curious about this phone, though it’s not even close to Apple’s design, it does make up for the iPhone’s shortcomings:
But just look at it:
First thing I thought of: Nascar. It looks sort of trashy and Nascary, yes? I don’t know, that’s just my Rorshach reaction (I have no idea if I spelled that right).
As for your point/counterpoint: I totally want one too. I think half of my hostility is that I totally can’t even afford it, even a little.
Plus, as we know, I just enjoy being hostile. Hehe.
Sorry the code did not work. Wait, Sarah, wait. A better iPhone comes in 6 mos.
All due respect, the question is not whether an iPhone is worth $600, it’s whether an iPhone is worth $600 to you.
The hardware is a slam dunk at what, $250? $300? If so… is it worth $300 to you – what you might spend on a big night out in the city – to carry around a beautiful object that gives you pleasure the 15-20 times you use it every day?
For most people fortunate enough to be reading these words, I believe the answer is yes, and that this thing is going to be a massive success.