iPhone: what's the catch???

[Santilli]

Besides SWEARING never to own anything by Apple, ever again...

My girlfriend just asked me what's the big deal about the iPhone?

Problem is, I can't find much that isn't Apple hype. It does appear to be a blackberry at half the price, which means one, it's not paying for windows, and, two, the hardware, while looking nice, is probably 1/4 the value of the blackberry, at half the price...and, that's if the consumers are lucky...

I do notice folks want to hack it, and, unlock it. Why?

Thanks

S

 

[ddrueding]

Unhacked, the only provider you can get with it is AT&T (due to an agreement with Apple). Also, unhacked, for the moment, there is no way to get 3rd-party programs on it (IIRC, they are going to change that).

If you want a better phone, get an LG Voyager. I've used one, and I'm thinking of getting one for myself.

 

[ddrueding]

Here is a comparison.

 

[Fushigi]

IMO the only thing the iPhone adds is the stylistic Apple UI. Almost everything else is either a generation or two behind the times or just keeping pace with other devices.

Treos from 3 or more years ago could do just about everything the iPhone does. Camera, MP3 & video player, browser, etc. Ones from a year before the iPhone was introduced could do high-speed data over the cell network.

Windows Mobile units could do all that and many also had WiFi.

Blackberry support for multimedia is getting better, but I'd give the iPhone an edge there. BTW your post implied that Blackberrys run Windows Mobile; they do not. They run a proprietary OS. And a Blackberry at half the price? Try double the price. The most expensive BB on AT&T's site is the 8820 at $299; the cheaper iPhone is $399.

iPhone is behind when it comes to email and things that make the device useful for a business person.

3rd party application support is minimal due to Apple policies.

There's the carrier lock in to consider as well. If you like AT&T, fine, but if you want any other GSM service provider in the US you have to hack the device (and hope future firmware updates don't brick the phone like they've already done). And there's no CDMA version so it is not an option for those who prefer Sprint or Verizon.

And being an Apple product, you've a 43% chance of it failing within 60 days of the warranty expiring with failures being mostly batteries and screens.

 

[udaman]

Here is a comparison.

Yes, it is well settled that SF members as a whole are:

i think a lot of people (read: 16 year old girls) just prefer a physical qwerty for texting. other than that the iphone takes a poop on the voyager.

Thanks for nothing CNET! (LG voyager vs. iPhone)

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=478328

Verizon's 'iPhone Killer', the LG Voyager, Disappoints?

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=390756




you are all referring to the new 3G iPhone announced today, correct?

 

[ddrueding]

You do realize that you are referring to a clearly mac-fanatic site, right?

I heard about the new iPhone, and although it is almost cheap enough to be worth it as a regular phone/mp3 player, it is far from a smart phone.

 

[ddrueding]

Voyager ordered. I'll have some info to share when it is delivered in a couple days. Sucks that I wasn't eligible for a new phone, total cost $440.

 

[LunarMist]

I-Phone is for consumers or perhaps SOHO. Most of the multi-billion companies we work for and with are issuing the Blackberries and to a lesser extent, the Palm-type units. TCO is probably a large factor. For example the I-Phone seems to contain many costly entertainment features not needed for pro use and basics such as a spare battery are missing. The lack of a true keyboard makes the I-Phone useless for people like me.

 

[Bozo]

I bought my phone at Wally-Mart for $19.95. It is a Motorola something or other. I use Tracfone as my carrier. My wife has one too. In the last 6 months I have spent about $150 on the phones and service. Sure beats paying Verizon $80 an month for the same service, and sh*tty phones.
If I loose my phone, so what!? Nobody can run the bill up; I can get another for $19.95; and Wally-Marts are everywhere. Maybe next time I'll splurge and get the $29.95 model with a camera; probably not though.
The money I save goes into my 401k.

http://www.tracfone.com/index.jsp


Bozo :joker:

 

[Stereodude]

Just remember while the new iPhone is cheaper, the monthly plan to support it is not. There is no iPhone specific plans anymore, so you can pay an extra $10 a month for a data plan verses the old one. Voice now start at $39.99, and unlimited text messaging will cost you an extra $20 a month (which used to be part of the data plan).

AT&T is taking advantage of the general publics seeming inability to multiply by 12 or 24.

 

[mubs]

AT&T is taking advantage of the general publics seeming inability to multiply by 12 or 24.

:rotfl:

 

[Santilli]

AT^T=MY MOST HATED PHONE COMPANY.

Recently, I got phone calls, and turned off service, because I had been late on my bill. I said something like,
you send an email, you get payment. You've done this before.

Then they came up with some corporate garbage that as long as I was getting paper bills, they couldn't notify me by email...

The !%&T cell phone plan works, since I pay for stuff, and, I tend to go in spurts on minutes used. Nice to be able to actually use eventually, the minutes I pay for, unlike Verizion, and their POS Razors...

Now, I'm seriously considering going with a local astound 9.95 special for a relatively half speed internet connection, for 12 months. Figure I'll have to move soon anyway...

Currently paying nearly 70 bucks a month for landline that is nothing but a telemarketing line for companies, and, a T1 speed internet connection, with a fixed IP, that works real well with my current hardware...

time for sleep...

 

[ddrueding]

Landlines are silly, but I need one for my fax. The only thing hooked up to my landline* is my fax**; no handset at all.

*Landline actually is Vonage over cable internet.
**Fax machines are silly, too.

 

[Santilli]

I have the fax problem too, and, a nice fax machine. Wondering about your solution, or, just take it to a Kinko's, and send from there, for the number of faxes we send.

On the other hand, Murphy will probably get me, and, right after I cancel it, I end up doing a bunch of faxing...

 

[Fushigi]

If you have a scanner, use an eFAX service that lets you FAX via email.

In theory I can FAX via my land line but I've never bothered. It exists primarily so my satellite box can call the mother ship (dumb thing lacks Ethernet/WiFi). We still get some calls on the loca line but most are telemarketers. Usually solicitations for donations since we're on the Do Not Call list.

I'm using Teleblend VOIP.

 

[LunarMist]

Landlines are silly...

No they are not. Landlines actually *work* for making phone calls the vast majority of the time in comparison to cable which is frequently unreliable. Do you want to be in the middle of a medical emergency and have no phone service for an hour or two? The cable company won't give a damn whether you die or not. Consider that everyone does not live near a cell tower for home cell phone service either.

 

[ddrueding]

My cable internet has never been down in the 18+ months I've had it. In that time my Vonage telephone has never been down. While I have run out of batteries or been in a bad reception zone, my Verizon cell has never disconnected a call except for those reasons.

They may not have 99.99999% uptime like a landline, but I'm quite comfortable taking my chances with 2- or 3-9s reliability.

 

[Santilli]

David what are you using for cable internet, and, what do you pay?

How was Russia?

S

 

[ddrueding]

I use Comcast and have no idea what I pay. I'm not trusted with the bills.

Russia was...as expected. If I were to use the same standards that I used elsewhere in my travels, it would be nice. But I have interests there, and we even discussed living there. By those standards it is absolute crap.

 

[Tannin]

What's an iphone?

 

[ddrueding]

What's an iphone?

It is a phone without any buttons from a manufacturer with massive markup that you can only get if bundled with a service agreement and only with one cell provider.

 

[Tea]

Sorry Dave, there might be a trans-Pacific language problem getting in the road here. I don't understand what you mean by "one cell provider".

No, no ... wait ... I think I figured it out.

It means that they only provide it to people who have one brain cell, is that right?

 

[Tannin]

Not quite, Tea, but probably close enough for practical purposes.

 

[ddrueding]

There are a few companies that provide cell phone service. Typically, the cell phone manufacturers (LG, Samsung, Motorola) make a slightly different version of all their phones for use on the different networks. Apple signed an exclusive agreement with AT&T, so that if you want the iPhone (no idea why), you have to switch to AT&T. This is typically quite a hassle, especially if you want to keep the same phone number.

 

[Tannin]

Dave, Tea was just being obtuse.

 

[Tea]

What's an obtuse?

 

[Tannin]

sigh ...

Can't take her anywhere these days.