What is Digg?Sponsored by Best Buy
Maybe The Best Tech Deal EVER--Give Computers To Whole Family view!
bestbuy.com - Geek Squad(r) installation, HP desktop, monitor, laptop & netbook, wireless router--all for $1,199.99!
270 Comments
- temp444, on 10/11/2007, -12/+84This article is a good summary of why the iPhone is such a threat to other cell phone makers etc.
The whole point that techies or value-for-money people still dont get (eg Alex2) is that IT IS the other parts of the iPhone infrastructure that competitors will have trouble matching (elegant sync software, link to music, etc)
Corporate customers and these digg readers represent the 1% that Apple AREN'T even marketing to ... yet.
So every time you write another "iphone doesnt have feature X or too pricey", remember that you are like the smart arse mechanic standing outside BMW dealer, telling customers why a Chevvy is sooo much better.
Alot of people buy things that just work and integrate ... try think about that. - ScrumFritter, on 10/11/2007, -14/+76Software updates and opening it up to 3rd parties will make the iPhone a much bigger success than it is now. I imagine they're going to take it slowly with all that though, to just draw it out. I'll bet they have big plans ahead.
- drewfer, on 10/11/2007, -17/+73I love the comparison with the Rio and iPod about how when the iPod came out, people just said, "It's just another mp3 player." Boy were they wrong. Now I could ask people on the street about a Rio and I would be willing to bet they have no idea what it is. The iPhone will revolutionize the cell phone market just like the iPod did by making it easy to use and simplistically beautiful.
- streak, on 10/11/2007, -9/+59How could Apple possibly leapfrog the competition so badly with their very first entry in the smartphone market? How many cell phone manufacturers also write the software?
- dusingaz, on 10/11/2007, -9/+49or those who hate the iPhone I offer just my own experience. Besides my computer the electronic device I use te most is my phone, and for all too long now I have had to put up with slow bad interfaces, and ugly cheap aesthetics. Having the iPhone in my life just makes reaching into my pocket to make a call that much more enjoyable and comforting. I know it will work when and how I want it to, and not ask me dumb questions, or make me jump through hoops to do what I want.
Lastly people keep comparing the iPhone to smart phones, I think you'll find that the customer that buys and iPhone is much more likely to be coming from "normal" phones, they are probably not looking to edit excel files, or install 3rd party apps. - adude, on 10/11/2007, -6/+42I think this article makes a great point: the iPhone as it is right now doesn't need to appeal to the big business types. Instead, it's giving the advantages of the smart phone to the masses. Personally, I wasn't very interested in smart phones until the iPhone came out. And now that it has, the other phones pale in comparison, because personally, I don't need removable storage, tactile keys, Exchange server connections, etc. What I want now is the iPhone experience--most notably being the interface and beauty.
- ericdano, on 10/11/2007, -17/+44Geeze, I argued something like this on a discussion list, and you'd be surprised how entrenched people are in their views. Apple is going to easily take the smart phone lead. Before Christmas.
- anonym41414, on 10/11/2007, -4/+27You mean they WERE the market. Just like businesses were the original market for small computers, but are now just one segment of a giant market.
- CampfireMike, on 10/11/2007, -3/+23I traded in my Treo 650 for an iPhone and in my personal experience it is an improvement all around. The email and web functions are significantly better on the iPhone, and while the Edge network is actually faster than the Treo 650 on a Sprint, I don't have 3G experience to compare or feel like I somehow downgraded in that area.
Google Maps is better on the iPhone as well.
Most significantly for me, the synchronization is hugely improved. I had to buy a 3rd party piece of software to get the Treo to sync with my mac, and even then there was always a moment where I'd hold my breath and hoped the sync would complete properly. My palm sync failure rate was at least 20% of the time, and the Palm sync cables were ALWAYS breaking, even though it just sat on my desk connected to my computer.
The iPhone is not perfect by any means, but for me it is a huge improvement over my Palm Treo 650.
And while the Palm OS is mature, the iPhone is 1.0 which means that the iPhone will quickly improve over time whereas Palm will have to pretty much scrap the current OS to even come close to what the iPhone is doing. - gctoinfinity, on 10/11/2007, -3/+22You know what... the iPhone has way too much hype over here in the states. You know why? Because we are deprived of actual modern high quality phones because of the popularity of the two year contracts and us having phone carriers pick what is best for them instead of what is best for us? When was the last time anyone over here has gone out and bought a phone that wasn't at a cell carriers store? None? That is what I thought. In Japan, the cell market is amazing and is packed with phones that waaaay outdo the iPhone. Just check out DoCoMo's website. http://www.nttdocomo.com/
Seriously, when the phones are chosen by the user instead of the carrier, much more high quality phones appear on the market. - inactive, on 10/11/2007, -2/+19Thank you for saying so accurately what needed to be said! Its the first smartphone targeted to normal users who just want the integration. Exactly.
- JlmAWP, on 10/11/2007, -9/+25You know, you don't HAVE to comment....
- greatblackowl, on 10/11/2007, -2/+17Corporate customers are the smartphone market, but the iPhone is not marketed to those people. anonym41414 is right: the demographics of those purchasing smartphones will change because of the iPhone.
- LowRentDiggs, on 10/11/2007, -1/+15Alex said something on Cranky Geeks last week that made a lot of sense: the major cellphone companies have been making phones for 10+ years and are building on what they already have. Apple has entered the market with all of that knowledge but without the baggage of existing technology, r&d and the politics that come with it.
- angers, on 10/11/2007, -8/+22apple made non tech savvy users feel like they are tech savvy with the Mac's, and that's exactly what they did for the iPhone with the simple interface. simple as that.
- ClearNed, on 10/11/2007, -7/+21Thank you. I've had my iphone for a week and absolutely love it. I don't give a ***** if it doesn't take videos, use songs as ringtones (why is this so important!?!) or support third party apps (for now). I learned how to use all the functions on it immediately with no manual and no effort. I had a Blackberry and it sucked. I don't want to struggle to figure out how to get my phone to function the way I want. If you don't like it, then that's fine, don't call me a sheep because you think your device is better because you can chop and hack it to fufill your fantasies of the perfect device.
- GregR, on 10/11/2007, -0/+14About a million to date!
- dusingaz, on 10/11/2007, -5/+18What you saw was a crash, but I'm guessing that demo phone that thousands of people ***** with every day was messed. I use mine tons and get a program crash once about every 2 days. Compare that to my Moto Q which would constantly crash when calls came in, and not have the processor power to tell of my notifications, while doing anything else.
- leo78, on 10/11/2007, -8/+21I have to disagree with that comparison just on the basis that the when the IPod came out MP3 players in general weren't that popular yet. The IPod came in to an emerging market with little major competition. Plus they were offering an easier way of getting the player and a way to purchase your music all in one(innovation). Now the IPhone comes in to a market with many other big dogs who like to try to drop new phone models every year or two. I find it hard to believe that people will want to spend $600 on new hardware every year or two, while I don't think I know anyone who has used the same phone for more than two years.
To me the only real innovation in the IPhone is the multi-touch screen and if you don't think it the other manufacturers will do something similar for less money and with less limitations you are mistaken. - FearlessFreep, on 10/11/2007, -4/+17What many people, especially critics, fail to realize in looking at the iPhone as set of features is that the iPhone is not designed to be a set of features. Apple first and foremost concentrates on the total user experience. It's not about price versus memory versus battery time versus network. It's about which device that I have to use several hours a day is going to piss me off and which is going to be enjoyable to use. Apple starts there and works backwards to features that make sense in a convenient form. That's why the iPod dominates everything else; that's why people who use Macs don't like to go back, and that's why those who see the iPhone as a phone with a list of features are missing the point
- raskali, on 10/11/2007, -6/+18SOS84 = village idiot
- inactive, on 10/11/2007, -0/+12sony ericsson and nokia smartphones generally run on symbian mobile os anyway :p
- sv650touring, on 10/11/2007, -2/+14Protip: A lot of people may agree with your basic statement, but still digg you down for sounding like a bitter, jealous bitch.
- inactive, on 10/11/2007, -2/+12hmmm- have you actually _used_ and iPhone?
The visual voice mail saves me tons of time every day. - ketha, on 10/11/2007, -2/+12People who talk about 3rd party apps, or lack of specs.. JUST DON'T GET IT... it's not for you, ubergeeks.. it's for the five BILLION OTHER PEOPLE ON THE PLANET. Some people don't mind something that doesn't run linux, they just want something that works, out of the box, well, and that's it.
- dusingaz, on 10/11/2007, -6/+15It is conforming to know your not going to take the Q out of your pocket and try to place a call only to find out watch it respond to your clicks in slow mo and then lock up because someone sent you a text while trying to dial, thus making you throw it a crossed the room lodging it in the wall.
yeah I'd say it's conforming, I don't need any more stress in my life. - cupofjoe84, on 10/11/2007, -2/+11You cannot possibly believe that they are targeting everyone with a $600 phone. It's not necc. a smartphone, it's moreso a media phone.
- inactive, on 10/11/2007, -0/+9Actually, the iTunes Store only started with iTunes 4.0. It wasn't at the start of the iPod, and the iTunes app (and thus the iTunes store) wasn't available for Windows users until 4.5. I just checked Wikipedia, and it says the iPod debuted in October 2001, while the iTunes Store in April 2003. Not your main point, of course, but a minor history correction to keep in mind.
- h0m3styl3, on 10/11/2007, -2/+11but they came back to the tech savvy users with os X and the shell.
I've never felt more at home on a mac since os x - emadsenus, on 10/11/2007, -7/+16I couldn't agree more. I was at lunch with some co-workers yesterday and one of them was complaining about how they would never abandon their Blackberry. I had actually never used one before so I asked if we could swap devices for just 10 minutes. After 3 minutes of trying to figure out the archaic Blackberry I wanted my iPhone back. The co-worker did not want to give back the iPhone.
Anyway... who wants to alpha test my iPhone application? Submit your email at www.irovr.com - cthellis, on 10/11/2007, -0/+9There are innumerable things you can say "X group IS the market!" about at certain places and points in time. Eventually, they become commonplace--even intrinsic and "mandatory" to own--at which point the WHOLE MARKET is the market.
Much advantage goes to the company that can take a product out of a limited or "complacent" environment and make it broadly appealing. - jbob2000, on 10/11/2007, -13/+21It still costs 600+ dollars, and if I know Apple, it will stay at that price until they release the nano iphone (you know its coming) at which point the price will drop briefly before it is discontinued. Look at the iPods as a prime example. Not only that, but the iPhone is locked to one service provider which allows Apple to have a monopoly on the service plans. If iPhones are the new everything, then they need to be accessible to everyone.
- ChrisHB, on 10/11/2007, -7/+15The same thing was said about the iPod and missing features. Only time will tell if they got the iPhone right.
- 25mL, on 10/11/2007, -4/+12People shouldn't be so biased when it comes to Apple. Regardless, Apple has put forth an interesting mobile device, why can't people just accept that? The fact that you may not find it "revolutionary" doesn't amount to anything, because frankly, the phone has taken the spotlight this year as the must have device. That alone is a statement to other competitors. The reviews and user reviews have been nothing but very optimistic ones. As the article stated, with Apple backing this phone up with their own hardware, software, and iTunes as the core for updates/syncing, the "big dogs" should take a closer look and learn because this "is" the standard of simplicity and user friendliness.
- ronmexico, on 10/11/2007, -0/+8It's pretty hard to define that as a monopoly. That's like saying Sony has a monopoly because I can't play a game made for the PS3 on the XBox.
- jbob2000, on 10/11/2007, -14/+22Corporate customers are 1%? Are you mad? Corporate customers ARE the smart phone market.
- kernyboy, on 10/11/2007, -0/+7we dont live in japan. and unfortunately this is the best we have. so of course people are excited by the iPhone. not hype, lack of alternatives
- inactive, on 10/11/2007, -6/+13That would make too much sense.
- thcobbs, on 10/11/2007, -10/+17Pssssssst.....
Turn off the "Apple" stories. - h0m3styl3, on 10/11/2007, -1/+8i strongly agree. As cool as it looks, I really like a lot of features my phone has and the iphone doesn't, like the ability to tether to a laptop through USB or bluetooth for ev-do wireless browsing wherever I am...on my 15in notebook.
They're really going to have to hit the sweet spot with price to features like they did with the ipods and be able to keep up with the other phone makers releasing products with the newest technology while still being affordable every year or two. - avatarpalin, on 10/11/2007, -0/+7You may be right, but I'm sure that all the phone companies now, Nokia, Motorola etc are now going back to their leadership teams and the message will be 'software on the phones is important, not just the case' and for that alone I thank Apple. The big winner here also is Linux, because now that software matters companies are going to want to move to a platform where they can tailor it for their needs.. Unless M$ makes Windows Mobile actually decent, which is a stretch...
- Ireland, on 10/11/2007, -0/+6That is a good point, but that doesn't mean that if another company came in fresh, and did the same thing, they could pull it off first time. I think the most important part of phones is the software, particularly when you have just a screen, and Apple has more experience, expertise and talent at making powerful, easy-to-use software than any other company, I think in the world.
- deadbaby, on 10/11/2007, -2/+8It's no surprise to me Apple can come in and dominate the cell phone makers in software. Look at Windows Mobile -- it's basically a 10 year old PalmOS competitor with a dialpad tacked on. It's atrocious to use. The software from Motorola, Samsung, LG, etc is even worse. It's a 15 year old bare bones embedded OS with some clunky Java apps running on top of it. The only companies who do it right are Nokia & RIM.
- dippyskoodlez, on 10/11/2007, -0/+6In america, Phones are chosen by the price, not provider or features.
Service is part of that price too.
99% of america doesn't know the difference between a motorola and an LG.
Whereas the japanese do. - hiro, on 10/11/2007, -0/+6My HTC Trinity
- gctoinfinity, on 10/11/2007, -1/+7Call me when the OQO is about a quarter of its size and has a decent battery life.... and oh.... is a CELL PHONE.
- deadbaby, on 10/11/2007, -1/+7A lot of people have $600 to spend on a phone. When I was in line for the iPhone I saw quite a mix of people -- young old, black, white, asian, hispanic. Everyone there looked like they probably just had a job and could afford $600.
- ronmexico, on 10/11/2007, -1/+76 clicks? Have you used one? It's not that complicated.
- Kardall, on 10/11/2007, -2/+8Depends how you look at it. A lot of people want functions but are scared of the technology. Look at the older crowd (40+) getting the iPhones. They are business men/women and they like it because it's easy to use, you don't have to know rocket science to use every feature of the phone.
When the 3rd party development can get started, I think it'll take off. Until it's hacked or every provider allows it to be added onto their network, I don't foresee it becoming a massive success. In Canada, Rogers (only GSM provider in Canada) doesn't have it yet. There will be no CDMA version of it as far as has been reported by Apple, therefore cutting out the Big-Three in Canada.
If Development capabilities arise, where you can make actual applications aside from web apps, multiple carrier functionality, and a cdma phone version or at least Telus' ability to put their "world phone" chips in them and it functions (which would rule so much ass), then it will make it big world wide or at least in North America for the time being. Until then, I'm looking at other products other than smart phones. We get the shaft here for Data plans, so I'm very hesitant on getting a data device atm. -
Show 51 - 100 of 271 discussions
© Digg Inc. 2009
— Content created and posted by Digg users is