Seven Reasons Why the New iPhone Sucks

News Type: Opinion — Seeded on Thu Jul 17, 2008 9:02 PM EDT

Article Source: divinecaroline.com

technology, apple, iphone, cell-phones, browser, mobile-phones, safari, computing, pda

Look before you leap before buying the new iPhone. This is the iPhone that all of us have been waiting for. It promised to address the deficiencies of the first generation iPhone, but does it really?

Here are some reasons why not:

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6.3

{"commentId":2218631,"authorDomain":"josh-of-arc"}

Josh of Arc

The no copy/cut and paste and no ability to tether it to a laptop... I thought Apple would do better for such an expensive device.

- J

{"commentId":2218631,"threadId":"314910","contentId":"1674986","authorDomain":"josh-of-arc"}

1 vote

#1 - Thu Jul 17, 2008 9:04 PM EDT

{"commentId":2222013,"authorDomain":"jaybutler"}

Jay Butler

Cut-and-paste may show up soon. Who knows why it was excluded. But, the 2.0 software release had a lot of new features. One of the guys on the development team admitted that cut-and-paste is on the list of features that they wanted to include. But, other features had higher priority for this release.

I would expect a 2.x software update that will include it.

{"commentId":2222013,"threadId":"314910","contentId":"1674986","authorDomain":"jaybutler"}

1 vote

#1.1 - Fri Jul 18, 2008 10:53 AM EDT

{"commentId":2232505,"authorDomain":"somefool"}

MatthewM

Its not a laptop, why should you assume it should have copy/paste? I dont understand the copy/paste obsession.

{"commentId":2232505,"threadId":"314910","contentId":"1674986","authorDomain":"somefool"}

#1.2 - Sat Jul 19, 2008 6:07 PM EDT

{"commentId":2220729,"authorDomain":"spike41615"}

mike122287

granted some basic things are missing, but, really mms, for me anyway i only mms a few people, in which case i have the phone's email address saved. Its pretty easy to send a picture to another phone. you jsut enter their phone number and the 6ish long domain for their carrier and it goes to them as an mms message. Stereo bluetooth...im pretty big audiophile and i havent heard a stereo bluetooh headset yet that comes even remotely close to sounding as good as a moderate pair of wired headphones. Cut and paste would be nice to have as i would actually use that.

However look at its UI. Its by far the best touchscreen UI ever made for a phone, its not the first, but again, no one else comes close. More and more apps are coming out everyday for the iphone. It really is a great device it just depends on what you need, but if far from "sucks"

{"commentId":2220729,"threadId":"314910","contentId":"1674986","authorDomain":"spike41615"}

1 vote

#2 - Fri Jul 18, 2008 6:23 AM EDT

{"commentId":2221610,"authorDomain":"josh-of-arc"}

Josh of Arc

Stereo bluetooth...im pretty big audiophile and i havent heard a stereo bluetooh headset yet that comes even remotely close to sounding as good as a moderate pair of wired headphones.

A very good pal of mine who has been a drummer for 50 years (read "his hearing sucks") uses his iPhone's bluetooth capability with his fancypants new hearing aid to have the call or song routed from the phone directly to the hearing aid's output. Given it works with any bluetooth device, but that still pretty damn cool.

-J

{"commentId":2221610,"threadId":"314910","contentId":"1674986","authorDomain":"josh-of-arc"}

1 vote

#2.1 - Fri Jul 18, 2008 10:08 AM EDT

{"commentId":2221392,"authorDomain":"masternav"}

MasterNav

I want voice dial and cut n paste. In all other respects the iPhone still unloads majorly on any other phone/smartphone I've owned. Stereo bluetooth is really bad from an audio perspective for me - it introduces too many audio artifacts into the listening profile. I can wait on that easily until they get it right. No other screen, OS and interface out there is seriously close from my experience - your mileage and preferences may vary of course. Tethering to a laptop is a serious annoyance for me - I'd rather have a dedicated card to handle that connectivity.

{"commentId":2221392,"threadId":"314910","contentId":"1674986","authorDomain":"masternav"}

2 votes

#3 - Fri Jul 18, 2008 9:38 AM EDT

{"commentId":2221807,"authorDomain":"josh-of-arc"}

Josh of Arc

Tethering to a laptop is a serious annoyance for me - I'd rather have a dedicated card to handle that connectivity.

For you it doesn't matter as it is a personal preference. For poor schlubs like me who don't want to fork out the cash, it's ridiculous. The point is that you must go out and buy another device and buy expensive service in order to extend a basic function of the iPhone you just shelled out a ton of cash for.

Most web-enabled phones can be tethered to a laptop via a cable, IR, bluetooth, etc., to provide connectivity for the laptop in the absence of a handy wireless network.

That the "top of the line" smartphone can't speaks to poor design or really sticking it to the consumer. Given it's Apple, I'm guessing the latter.

-J

{"commentId":2221807,"threadId":"314910","contentId":"1674986","authorDomain":"josh-of-arc"}

1 vote

#3.1 - Fri Jul 18, 2008 10:31 AM EDT

{"commentId":2221995,"authorDomain":"jaybutler"}

Jay Butler

Something tells me that the tethering is technically possible on the iPhone, but AT&T does not want it enabled (yet?). Many other carriers that do allow tethering impose some fairly restrictive bandwidth caps. There was a story a few months back of a guy that tethered his phone and tried to use its unlimited data plna as his primary broadband connection. On top of that, the guy must have been continuously downloading movies. His carrier sent him a bill for something like $50,000, agreed to settle the account for a fraction of it and, ultimately, dropped the guy.

{"commentId":2221995,"threadId":"314910","contentId":"1674986","authorDomain":"jaybutler"}

1 vote

#3.2 - Fri Jul 18, 2008 10:51 AM EDT

{"commentId":2225683,"authorDomain":"tcervo"}

gecko85

I tether my Treo 755p to my MacBook Pro using 3rd party software, as it's only "officially" supported if you buy a dedicated card. So, I'd imagine we may see something in the App Store eventually...as long as Apple doesn't mind.

{"commentId":2225683,"threadId":"314910","contentId":"1674986","authorDomain":"tcervo"}

2 votes

#3.3 - Fri Jul 18, 2008 5:26 PM EDT

{"commentId":2235068,"authorDomain":"masternav"}

MasterNav

Most web-enabled phones can be tethered to a laptop via a cable, IR, bluetooth, etc., to provide connectivity for the laptop in the absence of a handy wireless network.

That the "top of the line" smartphone can't speaks to poor design or really sticking it to the consumer. Given it's Apple, I'm guessing the latter.

*sigh* I love this sort of claim. Certainly most web-enabled (more accurately cell-data network enabled) phones can be tethered - but using cable is marginally OK, IR is patently absurd, and bluetooth problematic - all have horrendous data-transfer rates. I know - I've used them - and based on my experience - they sucked majorly.

That Apple gives a care about reasonable useability (as in we won't make a 3G iPhone until we can provide a reasonable battery life for the darn thing) and doesn't tether is OK by me. Tethering is a poor excuse for bad engineering.

The rest is functionally an argument from perceived and real need - you don't have the georges to shell our for extra hardware - sad but justifiable. So you don't shell out georges for the iPhone - you find an inexpensive cellphone that will tether to your laptop. Then you find a cheap carrier to allow you to clog their data network with your tethered packets. Fine. That is your need set and has little or no reflection on either the design or service of the iPhone in any incarnation.

SO to summarize: you want cheap-as-chips equipment and service and are willing to not pay an arm and a leg for it. I want a solid, easy to use interface, a reasonable dataplan for my socioeconomic position, and a focussed design and use profile. You get what you want - I get what I want. Apple doesn't really care to address your needs - but are willing to address mine. I guess I'm OK with that.

{"commentId":2235068,"threadId":"314910","contentId":"1674986","authorDomain":"masternav"}

3 votes

#3.4 - Sun Jul 20, 2008 2:48 AM EDT

{"commentId":2235876,"authorDomain":"josh-of-arc"}

Josh of Arc

SO to summarize: you want cheap-as-chips equipment and service and are willing to not pay an arm and a leg for it. I want a solid, easy to use interface, a reasonable dataplan for my socioeconomic position, and a focussed design and use profile. You get what you want - I get what I want. Apple doesn't really care to address your needs - but are willing to address mine. I guess I'm OK with that.

Well, make sure to take a valid criticism of a piece of hardware REALLY PERSONALLY.

::Siigh::

{"commentId":2235876,"threadId":"314910","contentId":"1674986","authorDomain":"josh-of-arc"}

2 votes

#3.5 - Sun Jul 20, 2008 9:33 AM EDT

{"commentId":2236416,"authorDomain":"kirklennon"}

Kirk Lennon

Well, make sure to take a valid criticism of a piece of hardware REALLY PERSONALLY.

That wasn't taking it personally. He made the point that Apple made the phone to address the needs of a certain user. Not everyone fits that profile. If you don't, then don't buy it.

{"commentId":2236416,"threadId":"314910","contentId":"1674986","authorDomain":"kirklennon"}

3 votes

#3.6 - Sun Jul 20, 2008 11:28 AM EDT

{"commentId":2360835,"authorDomain":"masternav"}

MasterNav

I'm sorry Josh - not at all personal. Just evaluating personal need for the function and analyzing based on that.

{"commentId":2360835,"threadId":"314910","contentId":"1674986","authorDomain":"masternav"}

1 vote

#3.7 - Mon Aug 4, 2008 11:56 AM EDT

{"commentId":2222144,"authorDomain":"jaybutler"}

Jay Butler

5. Wimpy 2 MP camera.

Megapixel madness. The limiting factor of these phones is not the number of megapixels. Contrary to what the authot implies, more megapixels does not always equal better pictures. Could the iPhone add more megapixels or improve the camera? Sure. Would the tiny lenses that these phone have be the quality bottleneck? Probably. Would more noise be introduced as the pixel density increases? Sure and it could degrade the quality of the photos.

The iPhone should be able to stream video by now just like many other cell phones can already do right now.

The link provided to document the "many other cell phones" is to cell phones that play video. Doesn't the iPhone already play video?

{"commentId":2222144,"threadId":"314910","contentId":"1674986","authorDomain":"jaybutler"}

2 votes

#4 - Fri Jul 18, 2008 11:07 AM EDT

{"commentId":2228689,"authorDomain":"brianford"}

Brian Ford

Yeah, megapixel worship is exactly what the marketing agencies for camera manufacturers want to hear -- because it makes their job easier:

"More megapixels = better"

(It's the same old argument as the megahurtz frenzy.)

And, that simply isn't true. There are a lot of things wrong with the iPhone's camera, but megapixels isn't one of them.

{"commentId":2228689,"threadId":"314910","contentId":"1674986","authorDomain":"brianford"}

6 votes

#4.1 - Sat Jul 19, 2008 1:55 AM EDT

{"commentId":2228824,"authorDomain":"TeddRi"}

Tedd Riggs

"More megapixels = better"

Every single Technical spec of the Sony Beta Max system was also better then VHS, trouble was they forgot to get any studios lined up first and killed the project off rather fast.

My guess is the with the ease of operation, the iphone will still be the winner.

{"commentId":2228824,"threadId":"314910","contentId":"1674986","authorDomain":"TeddRi"}

4 votes

#4.2 - Sat Jul 19, 2008 2:26 AM EDT

{"commentId":2232515,"authorDomain":"somefool"}

MatthewM

Want a decent camera? Buy a camera. This is a phone.

{"commentId":2232515,"threadId":"314910","contentId":"1674986","authorDomain":"somefool"}

3 votes

#4.3 - Sat Jul 19, 2008 6:08 PM EDT

{"commentId":2233021,"authorDomain":"TeddRi"}

Tedd Riggs

Thats why I don't care about cell phone camera's, they all look bad compared to even a fairly cheap camera and look horrible compared to my Nikon D-80.

{"commentId":2233021,"threadId":"314910","contentId":"1674986","authorDomain":"TeddRi"}

4 votes

#4.4 - Sat Jul 19, 2008 7:52 PM EDT

{"commentId":2235284,"authorDomain":"somefool"}

MatthewM

Indeed, the iphone is great for quick snaps and Ive even got some pretty decent night-time pics. I have a cheapish digital compact for better pics and would love a DSLR as the prices are becoming pretty reasonable.

{"commentId":2235284,"threadId":"314910","contentId":"1674986","authorDomain":"somefool"}

1 vote

#4.5 - Sun Jul 20, 2008 5:01 AM EDT

{"commentId":2235693,"authorDomain":"TeddRi"}

Tedd Riggs

They have come way done. I bought a good friend a Nikon Coolpix S52, 9 Mega Pixel for $200 and the photos are unreal, very close to my D-80. Olympus FE-340 is a stunning little camera also, 8 MP for $180. Cheaper at Costco usually also.

Canon EOS Rebel XS Digital SLR just came out, so my guess is the Xti price will drop real fast ($650)
Nikon D40 & D 60 are both great camera's. the D40 for me is too small for my hands, there are alot of used D70's and D80 on the market as people upgraded to the D300 and D700

{"commentId":2235693,"threadId":"314910","contentId":"1674986","authorDomain":"TeddRi"}

2 votes

#4.6 - Sun Jul 20, 2008 8:38 AM EDT

{"commentId":2235940,"authorDomain":"jaybutler"}

Jay Butler

And, for a slightly larger point-and-shoot, the Canon G9 is a spectacular camera (about $500). Expanding on what Tedd mentioned, there may be a number of D300's hitting the used market as the D700 starts shipping in a few weeks.

{"commentId":2235940,"threadId":"314910","contentId":"1674986","authorDomain":"jaybutler"}

2 votes

#4.7 - Sun Jul 20, 2008 9:51 AM EDT

{"commentId":2237529,"authorDomain":"TeddRi"}

Tedd Riggs

Hah....I sent Calvin the first announcement for the D700 and hinted to him if he wanted to sell his D300 to let me know :-) However I don't think I totally use all the functions even the D-80 has as its a excellent camera.

I have never tried the G9, but the test reports sure sound nice on that one, For a 12 mp camera with a 3" LCD, RAW + JPG & Image Stabilizer for less then $500 and when I have gone thru all the reader comments, I almost never see anything critical, I would say they did some good choices on that one.

{"commentId":2237529,"threadId":"314910","contentId":"1674986","authorDomain":"TeddRi"}

2 votes

#4.8 - Sun Jul 20, 2008 2:37 PM EDT

{"commentId":2239263,"authorDomain":"jaybutler"}

Jay Butler

I have a few friends who are far better photographers than me that absolutely love the G9. It is one of the least expensive ways to shoot raw. The quality of the G9 shots I have seen is astounding for a point-and-shoot class camera.

{"commentId":2239263,"threadId":"314910","contentId":"1674986","authorDomain":"jaybutler"}

2 votes

#4.9 - Sun Jul 20, 2008 8:24 PM EDT

{"commentId":2239363,"authorDomain":"TeddRi"}

Tedd Riggs

Didn't that grow out of the basic design of the S3 IS ? That was one amazing little camera, those 6MP pictures looked as sharp as most 10MP camera and that was a fast and very full featured little camera that sure surprised me. I went thru all of the review of the G9 and there were just nothing but raving reviews and some of the photos that were posted were amazing.

{"commentId":2239363,"threadId":"314910","contentId":"1674986","authorDomain":"TeddRi"}

3 votes

#4.10 - Sun Jul 20, 2008 8:42 PM EDT

{"commentId":2225713,"authorDomain":"tcervo"}

gecko85

There's a rumor that TomTom may be developing a guidance application but you have to wonder how they'll get it past the Apple police.

It's always nice when an article attempts to be objective, then throws in snarky comments like "Apple police." Why on earth would Apple *not* allow TomTom to develop an improved GPS guidance application? Clueless...

If you take into account the regular monthly fee, the data fee, the text message fee, which used to be free, and the $99 annual mobileme fee...

MobileMe is entirely optional. The rest is par for the course with the rest of AT&T's smart phones. AT&T is more expensive for unlimited data plans, plain and simple. That has nothing to do with the iPhone. It's true of all AT&T smart phones.

Still no Flash player for rich media content (what grudge does Steve Jobs hold against Adobe).

Thank GOD! Quick question: which cellphones have a Flash player? How well do they work? Therein lies the answer as to why there's not Flash support on the iPhone.

{"commentId":2225713,"threadId":"314910","contentId":"1674986","authorDomain":"tcervo"}

3 votes

#5 - Fri Jul 18, 2008 5:32 PM EDT

{"commentId":2225769,"authorDomain":"TeddRi"}

Tedd Riggs

TomTom already has iPhone navigation software ready to roll

{"commentId":2225769,"threadId":"314910","contentId":"1674986","authorDomain":"TeddRi"}

3 votes

#5.1 - Fri Jul 18, 2008 5:40 PM EDT

{"commentId":2225993,"authorDomain":"jaybutler"}

Jay Butler

I was going to say that Garmin can't be too far behind. But, your link reminded me of the nuviphone. I cannot see how Garmin expects this to be a successful device. I would have to believe that they would be better off, like TomTom, selling their software for iPhone or Symbian devices.

{"commentId":2225993,"threadId":"314910","contentId":"1674986","authorDomain":"jaybutler"}

4 votes

#5.2 - Fri Jul 18, 2008 6:18 PM EDT

{"commentId":2226912,"authorDomain":"TeddRi"}

Tedd Riggs

Garmin I would say is very close to make the final annoucnement of details on nüvifone™ and if you look on the Garmin New products Web page, the hyper link is now up to the original "Buzz" nuviphone site and a few tiny detail changes, but no real data add yet.

Garmin already has the software for BlackBerry and SmartPhones

{"commentId":2226912,"threadId":"314910","contentId":"1674986","authorDomain":"TeddRi"}

3 votes

#5.3 - Fri Jul 18, 2008 9:00 PM EDT

{"commentId":2232518,"authorDomain":"somefool"}

MatthewM

Please, for the love of Jobs - no flash. In fact, ban it from the interwebs too.

{"commentId":2232518,"threadId":"314910","contentId":"1674986","authorDomain":"somefool"}

#5.4 - Sat Jul 19, 2008 6:09 PM EDT

{"commentId":2230118,"authorDomain":"kirklennon"}

Kirk Lennon

Copy-and-paste is eventually coming, it's just lower down on the priority list. However, Apple has already conveniently provided solutions for many problems that obviate the need for cut-and-paste (and indeed make it easier than if it were there).:

Suppose you're browsing a web site and want to capture some text or a URL, or someone sent you an email and you want to grab some text from it and send to someone else.

If I'm on a page and want to email someone a link to it, all I need to do is click the + button and select "Mail Link to this Page." And if I just want to point out a part of that page? I could just add a message to that email saying something like, "read the 3rd paragraph." As for sending text from an email to someone else, I could just, you know, forward the email. If there's some private stuff in it, I could delete that part.

None of this isn't to say that copy-and-paste isn't ultimately a desirable feature, but only that its absence isn't as problematic in real use than it first sounds.

7. The list goes on.
Still no Flash player for rich media content (what grudge does Steve Jobs hold against Adobe). Still can't send pictures in MMS messages, still no native voice dialing, no mobile TV, no replaceable battery, no flash memory card, and on and on.

Flash is a nightmare and will never be on the iPhone, nor does any sane/knowledgeable person want it on there. The user experience can never be anything other than atrocious.

Mobile TV? I'm not really interested in whatever a wireless carrier feels like streaming at any given moment. The iPhone, however, can play my movies, TV shows, and video podcasts that I have downloaded. It is also fully capable of streaming video from the web. You can go on Apple's website and watch the iPhone commercial, on your iPhone! It's better-written and more entertaining than 90% of TV shows anyway.

User-replaceable battery? Total non-issue in almost every conceivable situation. How many people talk/surf on their phones all day long and are also never near a source of power? "Road warrier"? Get a car charger.

Flash card? Phones that use flash cards don't come with 8 or 16 gigs of onboard storage.

{"commentId":2230118,"threadId":"314910","contentId":"1674986","authorDomain":"kirklennon"}

2 votes

#6 - Sat Jul 19, 2008 11:09 AM EDT

{"commentId":2231342,"authorDomain":"tcervo"}

gecko85

Mobile TV? I'm not really interested in whatever a wireless carrier feels like streaming at any given moment.

I have mobile TV on my Sprint Treo 755p. I've used it exactly once, just to see what it was like. I've never, ever, had a need or want to use it again. I think it's one of those features that looks good on a feature list, but in reality is very under-utilized by consumers.

{"commentId":2231342,"threadId":"314910","contentId":"1674986","authorDomain":"tcervo"}

2 votes

#6.1 - Sat Jul 19, 2008 2:44 PM EDT

{"canLink":false,"threadId":"314910","isPrivate":false}

JOSH OF ARC

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