iPhone in NZ

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189 posts

Master Geek

#76484 1-Jul-2007 15:57

Overhyped, I dunno.

The iPhone in implementation is significantly different from any existing phones... and not just because it has an Apple logo on it.

Geeks compare devices as if they are just a list of features. Average people are more concerned with being able to actually use the features they want without having to read a manual, or stuggle to find it in a poorly designed interface.

As with many things Apple does, the iPhone is combination of invovation, but more importantly, implementing specific features in a way which frankly just makes life easier.

Plus they take pride in developing products which both look good, and are fun to use.

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#76486 1-Jul-2007 16:46

I would disagree about them making them look good. The ipod is ugly, the current imacs are VERY ugly with that cheap transparant back painted scratchprone gloss plastic, usability is hell on their imacs because the ports are all on the back where you cant see them to plug stuff in without moving the whole computer.

They have cocked up the headphone socket on the iphone from what I have read making it so that hardly any good headphones will work on it, but no worries, they will sell you an adaptor lead. Just like their computers with propriatory plugs that you need to get a NZ$40 adaptor to get svideo or VGA out of a macbook.

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#76487 1-Jul-2007 17:26

lduncan: As with many things Apple does, the iPhone is combination of invovation, but more importantly, implementing specific features in a way which frankly just makes life easier.

Innovation? Really? Apple listed vibrate mode as one of the iPhones 'innovative features', doesn't strike me as innovative nor does the lack of 3G. I think Apple missed the mark with this. Once people get over the initial hype I think there will be quite a few disappointed customers out there.

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#76490 1-Jul-2007 17:48

bradstewart:
Innovation? Really? Apple listed vibrate mode as one of the iPhones 'innovative features', doesn't strike me as innovative nor does the lack of 3G. I think Apple missed the mark with this. Once people get over the initial hype I think there will be quite a few disappointed customers out there.

Prob tried to patent it too.

I really wish some other company with loads of cash would come along and challenge all of apples patents that fail the obvious to an expert in the field requirements. Jobs was even bragging about the number of them at the launch of the phone.

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#76492 1-Jul-2007 18:02

It looks like the iPhone software is not that great sometimes - look at the iBrick...

freitasm

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#76493 1-Jul-2007 18:07

And some balanced comments on Slate.

macuser

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#76495 1-Jul-2007 18:47

The Activation isn't going well because AT&T can't handle the massive amounts of activations per second...You think they would have figured that they needed to beef up the servers, but obviously not!

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#76496 1-Jul-2007 18:58

bradstewart: Innovation? Really? Apple listed vibrate mode as one of the iPhones 'innovative features', doesn't strike me as innovative nor does the lack of 3G. I think Apple missed the mark with this. Once people get over the initial hype I think there will be quite a few disappointed customers out there.

The iPhone is engineered and marketed to appeal to those who would not have otherwise considered purchasing a smart device. Because these buyers are likely to be unaware of the feature sets of existing smart devices they won't realise that the iPhone's core features are available in many devices that have been on the market for some time, hence they won't be disappointed as such.

Still, the fact remains that anyone who bothers to do their research will realise that the iPhone's clever user interface doesn't justify its high price tag and frankly I'm getting a little tired of seeing that damn iPhone every time I visit any of my favourite tech sites. Why didn't Nokia get this sort of attention when they released the N95? I'm guessing it's because the media have a very poor understanding of technology, as those of us here on Geekzone are well aware.

Sadly, we can draw only one conclusion from all the iPhone hype : Slick marketing is more effective than producing a good product.

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#76498 1-Jul-2007 19:05

bradstewart: I think the iPhone is way overhyped. There is nothing special about it, people only want it because it has an Apple logo on it.

Personally I would rather have a phone like the N95, it has 3G, can take video and it isn't heavily locked down (battery included)

I dissagree...Although I have used neither device I would have an iPhone

I'm a fan of Apple products...To ME they just seem much better thought out, I'm not going to get many kicks out of 3G(Nokia) but I'm going to use the iPhones tight intergration with iTunes and my MacBook.

When a device offers many features, how well are these accessable? Thats always been a point I like to think about, I dont want to have to install new specialised software to take advantage of something, I just want it to work with what I have right now.

I know Nokias great, I don't doubt that, but I just like Apple better.

I personally think, Many will be pleased with the iPhone.

I think the Nokia N95 caters to a much more hardcore market, those who are willing to put alot of effort into making it work for them.

Just my 2 cents! :-P

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#76500 1-Jul-2007 19:27

macuser: I know Nokias great, I don't doubt that, but I just like Apple better.

I personally think, Many will be pleased with the iPhone.
I think the Nokia N95 caters to a much more hardcore market, those who are willing to put alot of effort into making it work for them.

There's no denying that Apple has a great talent for designing devices and software with a focus on being user friendly, but I honestly believe that Nokia acheives this to the same degree. A few years ago I bought a Nokia 3310 which I loved because it was so simple and elegant and having used many phones since then, I still always prefer Nokia's user experience.

I don't think I would be any more comfortable with an Apple iPhone than I would with a Nokia N-Series.

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#76507 1-Jul-2007 20:26

This is also serious flaw in term of usability:

When I click on a link in Safari, before I can read anything, I have to futz with the display resolution of the browser to make the text visible. This may not sound like a problem, but what a distraction, when following a link, before getting the idea, your mind has to take a detour into managing the device. In reading as in the movies, suspension of disbelief is broken when your mind has to exit the space of ideas and manage the projection device.

It's wrong for the device to ask you this, even as a setup issue it shoudl work out of the box, but it's unacceptable that it make the user configure the browser every time it displays a new page. Today's iPhone isn't a reading device.

It's behaving like no web browser I've ever seen, and it's behaving badly. It's breaking an implicit agreement between all platforms that co-exist on the web. We create sites that assume nothing about the device they're being rendered on, and browsers should take care to make our text readable for users of their device. The iPhone web browser doesn't keep that promise.

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#76511 1-Jul-2007 20:42

Of course most websites have also broken this so called agreement by using nonstandard code, terrible menu structures (which breaks on mobile devices), excessive dependence on javascript, and ugly activex/java/flash addons.

Though it didn't really help back in the days when browsers only paid lipservice to web standards.

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Master Geek

#76541 2-Jul-2007 08:46

Funny how quickly mentioning anythin APPLE brings out the flamers+fanboys!Cheers for the info anyway, I think the fact that it's not 3g is reason enough to give it a miss. Maybe I'll wait for it to come out in europe, because then it surely will have some change of hardware!:)

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#76543 2-Jul-2007 08:54

I don't think it's flamers... Really, trying to bring some balance is hardly flaming. Trying to let people understand that "vibrate mode" is hardly an innovative feature as claimed by Apple is just trying to bring reality back.

Pointing out that people can't activate the device is just reality. If it was a Windows Mobile device people would say "oh, it's Microsoft", but pointing it out on an Apple device, then the blame goes somewhere else.

As Fake Steve Jobs says, there's a distorted reality field that needs to be maintained. Or again as FSJ says, hypnosis works.

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#76546 2-Jul-2007 09:05

This looks good: unlocking the iPhone (unconfirmed)...

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