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Microsoft slams Apple iPhone as 'irrelevant'

zdnet.com.au — Apple's soon-to-be-launched iPhone will be irrelevant to business users because it is a "closed device" and does not support Microsoft Office, a senior executive with the software giant said this week.

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  • TheRealDeal, on 10/12/2007, -131/+56Can you say FUD?!

    Come on Redmond, at least try to compete with half decent products, not rhetoric!

    Just sad really.....
    • Trention, on 10/12/2007, -47/+148Oh come on. Microsoft has a big chunk of this market already with Windows Mobile, and pretending like that's not the case is ignorant. If the iPhone is going to compete with RIM and Microsoft, it will need to be more Enterprise friendly.
    • geminitojanus, on 10/12/2007, -77/+39Microsoft just said "Hey, this phone doesn't matter because it doesn't support us".

      Meanwhile, the iPod's the best selling digital music device in the history of computers and not a single model has supported Windows Media. Not a perfect overlap, but you get the idea: just because Microsoft whines that the product doesn't work for them, doesn't mean the product won't be successful. Hell, if recent evidence is to be taken into account, the /opposite/ effect is true. Add to this Microsoft's intentional engineering of products not to be compatible with other's offerings and you can see how irrelevant and quite frankly how immature this statement is.
    • Dweller99, on 10/12/2007, -25/+105"Meanwhile, the iPod's the best selling digital music device in the history of computers and not a single model has supported Windows Media."

      Are you seriously comparing Windows Media support with Microsoft Office support? Seriously? the Market needs to hit with this expensive phone offering (outside of the "I would buy a pet rock if it had an apple logo on it... or even a $99 leather case for my iPod" crowd) is the Enterprise. As was stated before, if the iPhone wants to compete with the Big Players (Blackberry and Windows Mobile) they need to integrate into the enterprise environment. The initial offering does not do this, and therefore is irrelevant to the market that MS is targetting.
    • RedLion, on 10/12/2007, -15/+148"Can you say FUD?!"

      I would call this a fact. the iphone and windows mobile target different market segments: the iphone is for consumers, windows mobile instead is for businesses (that for example need office tools and custom third-party applications) so they don't compete directly.

      MS didn't say that the iphone would not have been successful, they simply said that the iphone is not relevant in the business segment of the mobile market that microsoft now targets with windows mobile so microsoft won't be threatened by it.

      the headline is a bit sensationalistic, MS just said "the iphone is not relevant in our market so sales of our products won't be affected"
    • swaggadocio, on 08/20/2008, -48/+12pot calling kettle...
    • geminitojanus, on 10/12/2007, -26/+62"the Market needs to hit with this expensive phone offering is the Enterprise."

      Or, you can look at it like Apple does, with more than half of teenagers recognizing the iPhone and most teens saying they'd want one, and apply that to the twenty-something market, who are already massively demanding smarter phones and carrying less devices. The iPhone doesn't need the Enterprise as much as you want to imply that it does, and if it's engineering, style and integration have anything to say about it, it doesn't want anything to do with the market.

      And everyone's missing the point (again) that it fits Apple's MO better than any other product they've ever released (look at the iPod when it was released, pretty expensive but it did things that everyone wanted it to do and it was a smash hit from the beginning, even after _everyone_ said it would fail for various reasons). Apple's never catered expressly to the enterprise with any of their products (most of their "enterprise"-quality products have been intended to work with the content creation crowd), and the iPhone's not going to be the first.

      So, I'll reiterate my point, Microsoft's miffed they're not going to be in yet another Apple product, and don't have a pissant's prayer of being in it, the market's buzzing around like a swarm of killer bees, and it's likely to change the game. Microsoft doesn't have a hope of getting onboard, so they start spreading FUD early that "oh it doesn't support us, it's crap". NIH taken to Microsoft's normal extremes. Next people will be complaining "Oh it doesn't have Exchange support, it's not a real smartphone"; Apple doesn't give a damn about Microsoft's Exchange, yet it knows most of their young-adult market is using a webmail offering from (Yahoo!, Google, Hotmail), and Mail.app works with at least two of those (and Yahoo! will do push).

      Know your audience, Microsoft (by publishing this statement) and Apple (by making the products they make) certainly do.
    • BlackStrain, on 10/12/2007, -27/+12"I would buy a pet rock if it had an apple logo on it... or even a $99 leather case for my iPod"

      I would so buy an iRock.
    • EtherGnat, on 10/12/2007, -12/+58Yes, the teenage/college crowd is where the iPhone will likely have the biggest impact. I still wonder how many people in that audience have $500 for a phone and can stomach an $80/mo. phone plan.
    • BorsKaegel, on 10/12/2007, -31/+20Microsoft, the captains of closed-source software, are complaining about a 'closed device'?

      Sounds to me like they are pouting because someone else is playing in their sandbox. (i.e. business model)
    • daborg, on 10/12/2007, -4/+45"It's a great music phone, and I'm sure it will be fantastic and have an interesting user interface," Microsoft's Asia-Pacific head of smartphone strategy Chris Sorenson told press during a recent visit to Australia.

      "However, it's a closed device that you cannot install applications on, and there's no support for Office documents. If you're an enterprise and want to roll out line of business applications, it's just not an option. Even using it as a heavy messaging device will be a challenge," the executive added.

      As has been pointed out in other comments, Microsoft did NOT "slam the iPhone as irrelevant". They're just saying it's not aimed at the business market, which everyone already knows. Sensationalist headline purely out to get FUD Diggs - buried as inaccurate.
    • geminitojanus, on 10/12/2007, -13/+22"I still wonder how many people in that audience have $500 for a phone"

      "Nobody's going to pay $400 for a music player" (yet it ended up being teens and young adults buying into it more than anyone else).
    • frprod, on 10/12/2007, -5/+27As a business user...I think MS is right..without a decent spreadsheet program..I wouldn't buy it.
      Microsoft Office on your Phone/PDA while you're traveling for business is priceless.
    • wargod18, on 10/12/2007, -12/+14i have to agree with Microsoft. I LOVE my 5G ipod don't get me wrong but I was talking to people in school and no one wants to get it. They all say its too expensive and that Cingular sucks their coverage of our area is horrible. I don't see the Iphone as a threat to anyone.

      /Now a 6G Ipod would be a killer :)
    • zachlutz, on 10/12/2007, -19/+10Hmm...I suspect this is the not the work of Microsoft, but of our number crunching friend, PC. To him, anything which doesn't do spreadsheets isn't a real phone. ;-)
    • drjones78, on 10/12/2007, -15/+7I'm sorry but the people posting these comments dont know a damn thing about the mobile market.

      Blackberry and Windows Mobile, while they do have a large share of business users, ARE NOT the big dogs in the mobile market, by a long shot. Windows definately is not the dominant tech. Nokia has the largest marketshare of phones BY FAR, without the benefit of syncing with exchange, or playing microsoft video formats.

      It just isnt that important, except maybe to the small % of buyers out there who get a phone, because they can open word doc's...
    • Herolint, on 10/12/2007, -12/+5@Trention

      I don't think it is the "enterprise" market that Apple is going after. I think it is the individual market; which is where they excel. Apple makes better products than Microsoft does hands down. They just focus on a different market and as we all know, when Microsoft doesn't dominate something, they whine about it.

      Also, I think you'll see open standards start hacking away at Microsoft's Office domination in the near future. If Apple's iPhone supports reading and writing ODF, then I think Microsoft's point will be even "moot-er" than it already is.
    • Herolint, on 10/12/2007, -11/+6@Dweller99

      As I said in response to a different post, I don't believe Apple is targeting the "enterprise" market.

      However, if the iPhone is cool enough, you'll see the "enterprise" market buying them anyway. When people like something, they alter their habits to fit what they like. It happens all the time.
    • cleverboy, on 10/12/2007, -18/+13"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you,
      then they fight you, then you win."
      Mohandas Gandhi

      I think Microsoft is still on STAGE 2.
    • gabacho2, on 10/12/2007, -9/+0I really hate it when people end posts with some random number of periods.
      Its just really pretentious sounding......
    • digitalarcanum, on 10/12/2007, -17/+8@ geminitojanus:

      that still doesn't stop the fact the itunes is the gayest thing on the planet.
    • sgglynn, on 10/12/2007, -3/+27@geminitojanice
      "Apple doesn't give a damn about Microsoft's Exchange, yet it knows most of their young-adult market is using a webmail offering from (Yahoo!, Google, Hotmail),"

      Until they finish their last year of college, get a real job, and realize 90% of their email needs to go through their companies email, which uses..... Exchange
    • pitlord, on 10/12/2007, -13/+3Wait till we see Parallels running Winblows Mobil right next to OSX on the iPhone.

      Then we'll see how "irrelevant" the iPhone is.

      8^D
    • compdude32, on 10/12/2007, -28/+19The iPhone is irrelevant it is a pointless, low feature, high priced toy. Teens will whine and cry about it until Mommy and Daddy break down in an attempt to buy their children's love and get them one, but then the children will never use it and it will become a $500+ fashion statement.

      Meanwhile as apple continues to cater to the stupid and technologically inept Microsoft and Palm will continue to improve their already kick ass mobile products.

      Of course the mentally challenged Mac fans will still be hanging around with their iPhone yelling that it is better, but that conversation will go just like the Mac vs PC conversations:
      Mac fan: Buy an iPhone
      Smart guy: Why my Windows Mobile phone does all the iPhone does and more
      Mac fan: but an iPhone is cool
      Smart guy: Why is it cool?
      Mac fan: because it looks good.
      Smart guy: But what does it do?
      Mac fan: it surfs the internet
      Smart guy: so does my Windows Mobile
      Mac fan: it plays music
      Smart guy: so does my Windows Mobile
      Mac fan: it checks my e-mail
      Smart guy: so does my Windows Mobile
      Mac fan: it makes phone call... ha beat that.
      Smart guy: so does my Windows Mobile
      Smart guy: What software is there for it?
      Mac fan: .......
      Mac fan: uh.......
      Mac fan: well there is uh........
      Mac fan: Yea but it looks cooler.
    • jiggawoot, on 10/12/2007, -12/+6@ EtherGnat,
      Is US$500 really that expensive for a phone? I'm not sure what the market is like there, but in Oz $600 (approx Aus Dollar equivilant to US$500) is pretty standard for a decent new phone. Hell, it's actually about $100 cheaper than buying a new Samsung D600 from the store. And as for a US$80 per month phone plan, that's not all that expensive either. Are y'all getting paid in peanuts or what?
    • macmcrae, on 10/12/2007, -6/+3I want the iphone to be the next ipod. Apple needs it. But I can't help but think that this thing has been so completely over exposed and dissected to the point that there is no way in hell that it will be a success. If jobs had it ready for the last mac world, it would have been a huge huge seller on hysteria alone. But a little sober observation shows the iphone for hat it is: a cell phone that has very little more to offer than any other smart phone on the market. Unless apple releases a killer new widescreen 60gig ipod in the iphone form factor, apple is going to lose a couple of chinese barge loads of cash.
    • cbreaker, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9@jiggawoot:

      If everyone in Austrailia has $500 phones, then I need to move there. They obviously pay you too much money.

      Back here in the land of reality, hardly anyone spends that kind of cash on a phone. They're too disposable. Most companies have replacement plans where as long as you stay with them they give you free phones every year or two, and that's on cheap plans too. Let's be real here: Most people still use cell phones to actually make phone calls.
    • krinthekuz, on 09/16/2008, -2/+8i'm a linux geek, and i'm going to have to go with MS on this one. i've used win mobile and EZX (the motorola mobile linux), and i have to say that the lack of applications will make the iphone suck.

      and don't forget, taxes and fees will put that $80 min service plan at about $100/mo, which over 24 months is $2400, and adding the phone puts it at $3,000 for that handheld that won't let you out of apple's walled garden. not for me. not for me.

      and i don't see why compdude is getting buried. i've seriously had exact conversations like that with apple fanboys, and my laptop running linux cost a quarter of the price.
    • cdahlkvist, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10"Meanwhile, the iPod's the best selling digital music device in the history of computers and not a single model has supported Windows Media."

      Actually, the CD-ROM and the computer sound card are the best selling digital music devices in the history of computers. Sure, a CD-ROM does more than play CDs but the iPod does more than play music so I would say by that standard iPod is a far 3rd place.

      Of course I am just arguing for the sake of arguing.

      I really don't think the Microsoft is saying anything we didn't already know. I can't imagine many people are going to buy iPhones for "office productivity".
    • miniboss, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10Its almost as if the whole apple community sits around scanning websites until they can find something negative said about Apple. Then they all rush here for a group therapy session. People used to not care about what others would say about Apple.

      I remember when Apple products were so impressive that all people could talk about were the products themselves. So I feel that it's a shame that they haven't made an "insanely great" apple product in so long that the only thing Apple people have to talk about now is other companies. I really hope Apple goes back to making impressive computers a priority rather than relying on mob anger to keep themselves in the spotlight.
    • Charlotte_Web, on 10/12/2007, -6/+4Not opening the iPhone up to third party developers is a HUGE blunder on Apple's part.

      At the very least, it has to support an office suite. I wonder if Google Office will work on it?
    • Ireland, on 10/12/2007, -8/+2The iPod wasn't enterprise worthy, yet that sold 100,000,000 units! Sure the iPhone is a slighly different kettle of fish, and Apple really need to make it more suited towards enterprise situations - still that doesn't mean it wont see 100,000,000 units as it become cheaper and even more powerful with several versions in the pipeline.
    • KoZo, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1Did Apple say it is marketed for business users?? If so the iPhone should not be an iPod, should not have a Camera. Steve Jobs should have demonstrated it's power with Exchange server. Should have incorporated Office right from the get go. But no. It wasn't the case.

      If Microsoft is slamming Apple with "it has no Microsoft office" should the end is near when Microsoft will say, Macs are irrelevant it doesn't have Office now?
    • akyra, on 10/12/2007, -6/+3Good, I guess that means they think it will be a success.
    • Ireland, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1^ LOL ^
      *applause*
    • BTime, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1@sgglynn
      ""Apple doesn't give a damn about Microsoft's Exchange, yet it knows most of their young-adult market is using a webmail offering from (Yahoo!, Google, Hotmail),""

      "Until they finish their last year of college, get a real job, and realize 90% of their email needs to go through their companies email, which uses..... Exchange"

      - Unless you work for the White House, then all bets are off..
    • 4NDr01D, on 10/12/2007, -7/+2news flash

      windows mobile sucks donkey butts

      seriously! its slow bloatware


      and yes I'm a QA device tester for every mobile phone in the US market.

      RIM sucks too btw
    • grumpyrain, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3> Is US$500 really that expensive for a phone? I'm not sure what the market is like there, but in Oz $600

      No, it is not a ridiculous price for a high end phone with a touch screen. It is however US$500 with a 2 year contract, which means its true cost is much higher.
    • r3zonance, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2"Until they finish their last year of college, get a real job, and realize 90% of their email needs to go through their companies email, which uses..... Exchange"

      Yeah but come on, what kind of sad ***** connects their "personal" Smartphone to their works e-mail servers.
    • r3zonance, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2"Its almost as if the whole apple community sits around scanning websites until they can find something negative said about Apple. Then they all rush here for a group therapy session. People used to not care about what others would say about Apple."

      Only cos the whole Microsoft community sits ready to pounce on any story about Apple and unleash their hoard of trolls.
    • r3zonance, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1"No, it is not a ridiculous price for a high end phone with a touch screen. It is however US$500 with a 2 year contract, which means its true cost is much higher."

      But I purchased a Nokia 9210 Communicator when they first came out in the UK for 1000GBP and that was with a 40GBP/month 1-year contract.

      So it isn't that bad. Still, I don't see too many chavs owning one of these phones. While they are rarer you will be able to own it with pride, a bit like when I got my 1st gen iPod in 2001/2
    • DarkJC, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1"No, it is not a ridiculous price for a high end phone with a touch screen. It is however US$500 with a 2 year contract, which means its true cost is much higher."

      No it doesn't. Reportedly Apple isn't allowing Cingular to subsidize the phone, which might mean a cheaper plan instead.
    • dogstar0125, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Maybe Apple has more vision than Microsoft gives them credit for. Is the future of the mobile market fat clients, synchronization and local storage, or is it thin clients and network storage? If it's the latter, it's Windows Mobile and Office that are going to become irrelevant.
    • grumpyrain, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1> No it doesn't. Reportedly Apple isn't allowing Cingular to subsidize the phone, which might mean a cheaper plan instead.

      If that were the case, why would Apple want the iPhone to be exclusive to Cingular? That seriously limits their potential market. The only reason I can see is if Cingular are prepared to return the favour in some way, ie. by subsidising the phone, or if you prefer, paying Apple a lot of money for the exclusive right to sell the iPhone.
    • HisShadow, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I'll tell you what is sad. People that believe the FUD that comes out of Microsoft with regards to whether a product is friendly to a certain sector or not.

      Microsoft has no interest in "friendly" or "useful". First and foremost, the only thing they are concerned with is getting more copies of Windows out the door, and to hell with interoperability. Because Microsoft's idea of interoperability is absolutely everyone running a PC with Windows on it. Period. Closed system, closed apps, closed file formats. User experience is a distant second.
  • ElectricSoup, on 10/12/2007, -53/+18Office on a phone? How ***** stupid. Only Microsoft could imagine editing a spreadsheet on a phone would be anything anyone in his right mind would do.
    • EtherGnat, on 10/12/2007, -19/+42You'd be amazed at how handy having Excel and Word on a phone can be. Millions of people count on having that functionality. Maybe you'll appreciate that someday when you get a job in the real world.
    • neuropsychguy, on 10/12/2007, -22/+2"You'd be amazed at how handy having Excel and Word on a phone can be."

      Or you could just go online and use Google Docs and Spreadsheet.

      Edit: Just saw that shrimpdesign said the same thing below (but earlier than me).
    • EtherGnat, on 10/12/2007, -2/+18Let me know how that works for you, particularly without 3G. I'll be done before you even get your document open.
    • TheUngod, on 10/12/2007, -1/+24@ElectricSoup
      You've been watching too many "get a mac" ads
    • mabhatter, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5It's not stupid, but Apple makes personal products. It doens't matter that the iPhone doesn't work with exchange because your company won't let you use it with their network anyway. Frankly, I'd not like my "play" toys mixed with my "work" toys. In adult companies you don't do that... and when you want to be left alone you leave the company cell turned off!!!
    • sauron256, on 10/12/2007, -5/+3@theungod

      "But I can edit videos on my phone!!! And hook it up to Asian cameras!!!"
    • Seidoger, on 10/12/2007, -9/+3My fridge doesn't support Microsoft Office either.. I mean SO WHAT. They didn't advertise it was a PDA or a Smartphone.. Anyway it is my opinion.

      Mr Everybody who's not working for XYZ Co. doesn't need it.

      But Office could come later on.. If they released everything from day one, then they wouldn't have anything new to introduce later.
    • lamda951, on 10/12/2007, -6/+0Preview on the Mac already offers the ability to view word documents. I assume it is the same for excel documents but I have personally never tried. I would be surprised if the iPhone didn't come with preview and wasn't able at least read office documents.

      Exchange is a good point but I believe that business view push mail as more important (does Exchange offer this?) and this is why Blackberrys are so popular. The iPhone offers this functionality and i suspect that there will be a work around for Exchange issue (IMAP? Also if you can't develop apps on the phone it doesn't stop you developing apps on servers that can communicate with the phone).

      If I were Apple I wouldn't ignore enterprise, Cisco wants to work with Apple to make the iPhone work with its equipment which will make it extremely enterprise friendly (have a Cisco voip phone? It will probably work as a handset and you will be able to make use of all of Cisco's voip functionality).
      Cisco is an enterprise that has seen the potential in the iPhone and I don't think they are going to be the last to do so.

      I think Microsoft is rubbishing the iPhone because that is what they do, I also think Microsoft is grateful. The iPhone is probably going to greatly expand the smart phone business and Microsoft will be able to enjoy the larger pie that results.

      (I'm willing to bet that within say 3 years you will see a software offering for the iPhone from Microsoft's Mac BU)
    • 4NDr01D, on 10/12/2007, -6/+3I mean I like to read giant spreadsheets on a two inch screen

      wtf?!
    • superkendall, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2It may be useful to read word and excel documents on a phone - APple already has software to do this in OS X, so it's not unthinkable you'd be able to read them in the iPhone email.

      What is less nessecary is being able to edit said documents on a phone. If you need to send a quick correction, you can always respond with text...
    • poedguy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3"My fridge doesn't support Microsoft Office either.. I mean SO WHAT. They didn't advertise it was a PDA or a Smartphone.. Anyway it is my opinion."

      They did advertise it as a Smartphone

      "Exchange is a good point but I believe that business view push mail as more important (does Exchange offer this?) and this is why Blackberrys are so popular."

      Yes, Exchange does offer this. It works very well with Windows Mobile 5 (AKU2) and 6

      Please, do some research before posting these kinds of comments people.
    • scottjl, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3i have no desire to be looking at word docs or spreadsheets on my phone. nor do i have any desire to be doing work outside of the office. sheesh. don't people have lives any more? get out from behind your desk, go outside, enjoy the fresh air and do something fun!

      M$ is crying sour grapes because apple's having another party and they aren't invited. boo hoo.

      everyone who wants a winCE phone so they can sit around typing away at a work document in word on a mini keypad. go right ahead. but don't knock me when i actually want to have some fun.
    • EtherGnat, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2"get out from behind your desk, go outside, enjoy the fresh air and do something fun!"

      Although it's a double-edged sword, having a smartphone does allow me to get away from the office MORE. There are many times when I have to be available--if it wasn't for my phone I'd be chained to a desk.
    • grumpyrain, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2ElectricSoup: Only Microsoft could imagine editing a spreadsheet on a phone would be anything anyone in his right mind would do.
      ElectricSoup: Or you could just go online and use Google Docs and Spreadsheet.

      Pick a point of view will you? It is either a useful feature or an impractical feature. If it is impractical, then how is using an online spreadsheet all of a sudden practical.
  • DOGPARTY, on 10/12/2007, -40/+15DUGG FOR COMEDY

    Bit jealous perhaps MS? Because Windows Mobile/CE have never ever in their entire history got this level of attention. And Apple come along and manage it first time.

    Also Apple nailed what people actually want on a phone, email/net/maps in a real nice interface and your still thinking ridiculous crap like office on a phone
    • EtherGnat, on 10/12/2007, -4/+27When you're on the go and somebody has e-mailed you a Word or Excel file for your approval you'll appreciate having that functionality. Hell, with a bluetooth keyboard I can be almost as productive on Pocket Word as I can at the desktop. I actually find it easier on a plane to create documents on my WM5 phone than I do on my laptop due to space constraints.

      Yes, people want e-mail, net, and maps. If that's all you want then more power to you. I also want an actual keyboard, removable batteries, 3G, removable storage, GPS, Slingplayer (for live TV/DVR streaming), Orb, a multiprotocol IM application, a stylus (try using your finger to draw or operating a phone with gloves on), hotkeys, physical buttons, full voice control, games, IR (I've got a great universal remote app), 3rd party apps, full Exchange server support, and the ability to add my own media codecs. Windows Mobile may not have the snazziest interface, but it is amazingly powerful and has a lot to offer.
    • DOGPARTY, on 10/12/2007, -17/+4Never going to get sent a Word or Excel document, I work in the creative industries not the Microsoft Office Chimp industries.

      I'd rather ***** hang myself than stare at that worthless office crap in a job some plankton could do.
    • EtherGnat, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11"Never going to get sent a Word or Excel document, I work in the creative industries not the Microsoft Office Chimp industries."

      Odd, I do web development and graphic design and I get sent Word documents (and sometimes even Excel documents) all the time by clients.
    • poedguy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3"Also Apple nailed what people actually want on a phone, email/net/maps in a real nice interface and your still thinking ridiculous crap like office on a phone"

      Yeah, too bad Windows Mobile already has all those features...
    • compdude32, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2So people only want email/net/maps? First that is insanely wrong, many people who buy smart phones may think that at first, but after discovering all the phone is capable of they change their tune. And your still avoiding the fact that none of you Steve Jobs kiss asses want to mention. IT COSTS TWICE WHAT MOST OTHER SMART PHONES COST. and also lets not forget it is bundled with the worst data network in the country, making the email/net/maps that you want insanely slow.
  • moisie, on 10/12/2007, -22/+7If you need to edit office docs on a phone that urgently then you'd be better of with a laptop anyway.
    • Nodaki, on 10/12/2007, -19/+36Having an Excel viewer and synching with Exchange/Outlook Calendar is absolutely essential to most business users. Editing/Creating documents and Excel files you are absolutely right though.

      The IPhone will be irrelevant to business users but not to web trendy dorks/hipsters who feel they must have the newest Apple gadget to go with their messy haircut, button downed sloppy shirt and Diesel jeans.
    • Vermifax, on 10/12/2007, -16/+6"The IPhone will be irrelevant to business users but not to web trendy dorks/hipsters who feel they must have the newest Apple gadget to go with their messy haircut, button downed sloppy shirt and Diesel jeans."

      Those people you've just described (insulted) are usually in a better mood than you. The irony...

      Put dem claws away, Kitty!
    • meez, on 10/12/2007, -20/+1"Having an Excel viewer and synching with Exchange/Outlook Calendar is absolutely essential to most business users. Editing/Creating documents and Excel files you are absolutely right though."

      Sorry but who the hell is this Business demographic and what do they actually do that requires "synching with Exchange/Outlook Calendar". I don't quite understand this "Business" thing, just seems like a bunch of people in suits doing ***** all except riding trains and reading Excel files on their mobile phones.
    • TheUngod, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10Ignorance is bliss vermifax.

      Have you ever had a REAL job Meez??
    • eyeraw, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1"The IPhone will be irrelevant to business users but not to web trendy dorks/hipsters who feel they must have the newest Apple gadget to go with their messy haircut, button downed sloppy shirt and Diesel jeans."

      I think I'm in the demo you referred to, but I've been using WM5 for 2 years, ActiveSync into Parallels on a MacBook Pro, run non-standard WinCE programs, organize my time with Pocket Outlook, etc. So not everything's so black and white out there, and you've probably got no idea what you're talking about. And if you've ever tried using Pocket Word, or Excel on a WinCE device, you'd realize it's essentially useless. Technically it works, but only technically. Exchange connectivity is probably the main deal-breaker for business types, true. That said, I'm almost ready to give up WM for iPhone if it works half as well as it seems to.
    • compdude32, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0@meez

      When you grow up and get a real job you will understand.
    • Vermifax, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"Ignorance is bliss vermifax."

      You would know so, I'll take your word for it.
  • bradspry, on 10/12/2007, -7/+33The textedit application in OSX supports Word documents. Just tried it right now to make sure. This stuff isn't rocket science.
  • frem001, on 10/12/2007, -14/+6meh as long as i can read PDF's i'm all good, i'd imagine it's have a basic text edit app in the future that would read word documents. who in their right mind would edit an excel spread sheet on a mobile phone? As for syncing a calander i'm sure it will have CalDAV support.
    • EtherGnat, on 10/12/2007, -4/+6I keep track of things like computer games I want to buy and movies I'd like to see in simple Excel spreadsheets. They're automatically synched with my phone and it's handy to be able to check off items or add a quick note. Other than that I don't find it very useful for EDITING spreadsheets.
  • cbrunet, on 10/12/2007, -24/+10Does that mean the same can be said about their ***** Zune?
    • Cyber_Akuma, on 10/12/2007, -5/+13I hope you are not implying that the Zune is made with business use in mind.
  • deadbaby, on 10/12/2007, -25/+17Typical Microsoft short sightedness. How many people actually need to edit Office documents on their phone?

    The problem with Microsoft these days is they're so concerned about their big business customers they've forgotten there is a huge market of people who don't give a damn about Office, Exchange or any of their other business oriented features.
    • darkblast93, on 10/12/2007, -7/+16You have a point. microsoft has thrown non-business consumers out the window. the Iphone isn't ment to be a business phone.
    • brandf, on 10/12/2007, -4/+24Considering Microsoft's smart phone business is selling millions of phones, I'd say the demand is pretty high. Seamless syncing with Exchange is the most important business feature IMO.

      The smart phone platform has thousands of third party apps. These range from inventory management to in-the-field database apps. These are not MS created apps, but rather essential line-of-business apps created on the platform MS supplied. The point is that the iPhone wont touch this market because it's a closed box filled with whatever Steve Jobs puts in it.

      The overwhelmingly apple-loving digg community can try to twist his words to make themselves feel better, but the fact is that Chris Sorenson is right.
    • foamcow, on 10/12/2007, -12/+3Does even Outlook "seamlessly sync with Exchange"?
    • deadbaby, on 10/12/2007, -10/+2^^ I'm not bashing Windows Mobile phones at all. Unlike Microsoft I don't go around calling competition irrelevant. Some people want Exchange/Office integration, some people don't. There's plenty of room in the cell phone industry for both.
    • Azio, on 10/12/2007, -4/+10"The problem with Microsoft these days is they're so concerned about their big business customers they've forgotten there is a huge market of people who don't give a damn about Office, Exchange or any of their other business oriented features."
      You forget that those people aren't the type who would spend $600 on a cell phone.
    • superkendall, on 10/12/2007, -4/+1Those people are willing to spend $500 on a phone + iPod - we already know they'll spend that much on an iPod alone!

      The phone makers have never given them a chance to spend that much money on a phone they would want, because all phones at that level have been targeted at business people. And there are a lot of more "casual" business people that can get away using the iPhone even without direct exchange support, simply by forwarding key emails.
    • compdude32, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2It is called smart marketing, Microsoft has always marketed towards business, and your average user when looking to buy something for home is going to get what their familiar with from work (i.e. Windows, Office, etc). Just like a person who works at an HP shop is a lot more likely to buy an HP where a person working in a Dell shop will most likely buy a Dell.

      It is a very intelligent marketing strategy and is much of the reason why Microsoft is the #1 O/S distributor.
  • acosta814, on 10/12/2007, -7/+23I am in IT for a major publishing company, we recently had a meeting about the iphone and should we implement it to the user's who work on audio books they can keep a ton stored on the 8gb.............. as techs of course we agreed so we can play with the iphone but when we asked the users if they would like a iphone they said HELL YEAH!!! as long as it can do everything my pocket pc does, to make a long story short we are not ordering 36 iphones come June 11th..........im sad know
    • EtherGnat, on 10/12/2007, -4/+10So use a Treo 750 with an 8GB SDHC card--problem solved.
    • praisethelard, on 06/06/2008, -1/+5I believe the point is he wanted to play with the iPhone.
    • brandf, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1the point I took away is that the iPhone is no use to his buisness. hence, microsoft 'slamming' iPhone as irrelavant FOR BUISNESSES is on the ball.
  • mochaman, on 10/12/2007, -20/+2You have to remember Microsoft has to say something of this sort FUD. After all they can't just rollover that would be uncharacteristic of them.
  • NeoTheta, on 10/12/2007, -16/+1Wishful thinking...
  • bjtitus, on 10/12/2007, -25/+4Couldn't you just hop online via the FULL BROWSER and access Google's tools which will open all these files anyway?
    • brandf, on 10/12/2007, -2/+18No.
    • Cyber_Akuma, on 10/12/2007, -3/+16"Couldn't you just hop online via the FULL BROWSER and access Google's tools which will open all these files anyway? "

      I think I can describe this scenario well:

      MS-based PDA Phone: Here are your documents, what would you like to do?

      iPhone: "Your documents are over there on that tall ledge, to reach them you will have to jump through a few series of hoops"

      The iPhone is for entertanment, not business, you CAN do workarounds to use it for business, but thats like using a magnifying glass and the sun to cook food when you could have just gotten a portable grill.
  • jull1234, on 10/12/2007, -4/+8Sure as hell is irrelevant to me. The day I don't take the free phone... oh that'll be the day.
    • Cyber_Akuma, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7I fully understand, for people that just want a phone to place calls most to all extra features are useless to them.

      However, I want to get a PDA, and I need a new cellphone as mine is compeltely outdated and rapidly losing support. So why get two seperate devices when I can get one? I am nto so much trying to get a phone with PDA features as I am trying to get a PDA with a phone in it.
    • Azio, on 10/12/2007, -6/+4"However, I want to get a PDA, and I need a new cellphone as mine is compeltely outdated and rapidly losing support. So why get two seperate devices when I can get one? I am nto so much trying to get a phone with PDA features as I am trying to get a PDA with a phone in it."
      Why the iPhone, then? It's not exactly the first device to fit that description.
    • Cyber_Akuma, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4I never said I was getting an iPhone.

      I have my eye on the Cingular 8525, but its getting dated...
    • compdude32, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0@Cyber Akuma

      Stay away from Cingular, their data network is sssssllllooooowwww you will think your using Dial up, Sprint has the best deal for the cost ($15 a month for unlimited data). Verizon's data network is good too.
  • ezheld, on 10/12/2007, -25/+4As is Vista apparently in China selling less then 300 copies
    • Cyber_Akuma, on 10/12/2007, -4/+9Speaking of irrelevant...
    • jaredseth, on 10/12/2007, -5/+11"As is Vista apparently in China selling less then 300 copies"

      It's China...only 300 copies sold, but a million installs.
    • Yazilliclick, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9wow, you're really stupid enough to believe that? Even after so many people pointed out that it was completely garbage article manufactured in large part on /. ? I suppose you also think that vista sales worldwide suck and that apple and linux are soon going to take over the market because MS is faltering so badly eh?

      Guess that's why they don't give spreadsheet support on the IPhone, apple fan boys aren't very good with numbers to begin wit.
  • tacklebox, on 10/12/2007, -8/+13The iphone has half the features of the top end phones already on the market. It isnt even going to be on 3G. If you look at the actually specs its pretty disappointing but at least it says apple on it.
    • MioTheGreat, on 10/12/2007, -6/+15It doesn't even have 3rd party support to make up for any of its shortcomings....
    • Nightspark, on 10/12/2007, -5/+5The iPod has proved that a good user experience is more important than feature lists for most users. That said, I agree that the iPhone would be better if it had a few more features, most notably third party support. Hopefully people can make web apps for the browser as a workaround.
    • superkendall, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1WiFi is much faster than 3G. I am around WiFi a lot more than I am around anyplace that supports 3G (as there are many major metro areas still without 3G support, at least we have Edge which the iPhone does support).

      As for third party apps, the iPhone will support them - Apple said so. What they also said is that they are being very picky who they allow to develop apps for the phone.
    • NSResponder, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3"The iphone has half the features"

      Way to miss the point, dude. It's not about having more boxes checked off, it's about making the features you have easy and pleasant to use. As long as Apple's competition keeps on trying to beat them by bloating up their products, Apple will continue to eat their lunch.

      -jcr
  • bassist, on 10/12/2007, -14/+5[sarcasm]Listen up! The king of Innovation speaks![/sarcasm]
  • ndfn8, on 10/12/2007, -9/+29Come on, Apple had it coming. They slam Microsoft all the time with those Apple ads.
  • djSyndrome, on 10/12/2007, -21/+5No-one seriously creates Word and Excel documents on their Windows Mobile devices, they simply view them and occasionally edit them. The iPhone is one plugin away from achieving this functionality, and I wouldn't doubt one being available by the end of the year.
    • brandf, on 10/12/2007, -5/+21you must not have got the memo that the iPhone can't run 3rd party software like the SmartPhone can and does.
    • foamcow, on 10/12/2007, -8/+9Isn't it more a case that 3rd party apps have to be approved via Apple?
      Who's to say Apple won't realease a plugin to read Office documents anyway?
    • cthellis, on 10/12/2007, -5/+6@brandf

      The Xbox360 doesn't run any unapproved 3rd party software, either. You notice any particular LACK of 3rd party software?

      We don't yet know how Apple is going to run things through central, but it's safe to say that A) no one ELSE has any idea either, B) while it may not be as open as Dashboard Widgets, there's a good chance Apple will let in many good apps (as they have no reason not to), and C) SOMEONE will be hacking the thing wide open for anyone interested. ;-)
    • lepton, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1I speculate Apple will start with iPhone and no support for custom apps, but We will see unofficial apps on the phone on day two, third party Apple-approved apps available through Apple on day three, and before the end of the year, wide open official support and development kits to all. [And new models.] Apple just wants the initial wave of phones to be solid to establish the platform, and so no third party apps at first. Once the rep for being a solid phone is established, it opens wide, and I believe that's always been the internal plan.
    • Yazilliclick, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3@cthellis

      And yet by far the majoirty of the market wants nothing to do with having to hack their phone. Most would never think of it and those that would think of it would be much less likely to buy a phone that they HAVE to hack to run things, as opposed to one that just works with what they want to do.
    • cthellis, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Meanwhile, the very same "by far the majority" doesn't really INSTALL things on their phone either; they just use what it came with. (Excepting perhaps a ring tone or two.) Except, of course, the geekier among people--who would be perfectly willing to fiddle with their phone to get whatever they want on it.

      Meanwhile, if Apple can actually make iPhone software installs quick, painless, good-looking, and integrated with typical system use instead of being yet another thing to search around for, they may make good headway into the "by far the majority" market.
    • superkendall, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3Oh, I'd say the majority of WIndows Mobile users install 3rd party apps - because the apps that ship with the devices suck. When you build an app that has good applications to begin with, you have a greatly reduced need for third party apps.
  • hdtvdust, on 10/12/2007, -22/+4Something that its own creators HOPE will manage just 1% market sahre IS largely irrelevent.

    Newsflash for oyu...people are NOT tlaking abot hte iPhone outside of hte fanboy sites. the average iPod user does NOT give a ***** about any other Apple product. More iPod owners use Windows PCs than Macs.
    • kodek, on 10/12/2007, -2/+21Whoa, get a new keyboard, dude!
    • ArthurSucks, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7He must have been typing on a blackberry or something.
    • Ireland, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5The iPhone's keyboard software would have prevented or corrected those typos on the fly :P
  • thesoze, on 10/12/2007, -7/+2people with iPhones will be mugged i tell ya
  • takepills, on 10/12/2007, -22/+0Microsoft is a closed device. Anything not "open" will be closed soon. America is a death cult.
    • Cyber_Akuma, on 10/12/2007, -3/+11From what I have expirenced, Apple products are generally a lot more closed than MS products.
    • CitizenBane, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7I think you should follow the advise of your screen name.
  • doulton, on 10/12/2007, -8/+2iPhone is a niffty SideKick12345 or whatever.
  • LeonardNimrod, on 10/12/2007, -12/+2In a related story everyone slams the Microsoft Zune as 'irrelevant'.

  • NikoKun, on 10/12/2007, -9/+3We are the Borg, you will be assimilated, resistance is futile, negotiation is irrelevant.
    o-o oh sorry... too much star trek voyager.. XD
  • Cyber_Akuma, on 10/12/2007, -2/+26Microsoft slams Apple iPhone as irrelevant "FOR BUSINESS"

    Why were those last two words left out of the title? They are in the summary after all. Nice attention-grab.

    On one hand, I have to agree with MS:

    First of all many people complained that they work in a field that does not allow cameraphones, this is why so many PDA phones have a normal version and a camera-less version that has all other features intact (except for camera-related ones of course). The iPhone only has a camera version. Second, being closed its not possible to install your own 3rd party applications on it, especially ones that could be work-related or could assist you with your work.

    However, on the other hand........ I don't think the iPhone was designed as being a business phone in mind. Seems more like a luxery than work-related item to me.
    • Azio, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7"Microsoft slams Apple iPhone as irrelevant "FOR BUSINESS" Why were those last two words left out of the title? They are in the summary after all. Nice attention-grab."
      It's irrelevant for business *and* consumers, because no consumer in their right mind could reasonably justify paying $600 for a ***** cell phone. Which is why Windows-based smartphones are aimed squarely at business customers.
  • anagoge, on 10/12/2007, -4/+9Is it just me who wants a phone that's a phone not a ohlookitdoestwentyotherthingstooPhone?

    Calls and texts. That's all I want. Calls and texts.
  • lopla, on 10/12/2007, -11/+6I'm sure iPhone will be so "irrelevant" that Ballmer will only throw 1 chair across the room this time..
  • laddie, on 10/12/2007, -5/+7No, no, no the iphone is irrelevant because it is closed to crappy Cingular. Steve Jobs = Dumb dumb on that one. I dont care what your strategic analysts say I am not switching my phone service for my "music service."
    • LeonardNimrod, on 10/12/2007, -9/+3You haven't grasped the iPhone's features, have you?y workign directly with avendor Apple is planning on bringing the cell phone out of the stagnant dark-ages where the carrier controls everything. By making features that require both the vendor and carrier to work together many new developments can occur.

      The first of these is Visual Voicemail, which lets you pick and choose which voicemail to listen to by seeing the numbr or contact name beforehand, just like an SMS or email message.

      The iPhone isn't even out and SPrint and Samsung have already teamed up. The iPhone emergenace into this market is good for all cellphone users regardless of the carrier and manufacture you choose. We will all benefit.
    • laddie, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2I still disagree if apple was truly innovative in its business strategy it would incorporate those featuring while abstracting away from a single carrier. The iphone could potentially have been the catalyst to force cell phone service providers to conform to a technology standard as opposed to building their own "Cingular Apple" i.e. Microsoft. I do believe there is enough market share for Apple to do that but I still maintain my bitter opinion. I am bitter because what they did to use a buzz-word was very "Microsofty", I think Steve Jobs could have made a much better move and "open sourced" it so to speak.
    • poedguy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I hate to tell you, but that "Visual Voicemail" thing isn't new. I can do it on my Windows Mobile phone right now. The only innovative feature on the iPhone is the dual touch-screen, nothing else.
  • inkswamp, on 10/12/2007, -13/+6"Apple's consumer products are irrelevant," says the maker of the Zune.

    There's your quota of irony for the week folks.
    • themanautomatic, on 10/12/2007, -9/+2Wasn't that the maker of a console which has lost 5.4 billion dollars trying to sell it?
    • Atomic1fire, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Yeah and it was also the company that has most of if not all of the youth under its business control due to the Ipod
      Nintendo made virtual boy
      Microsoft made bob
      failed ventures happen its how you learn from them that matters
  • jayliquori, on 10/12/2007, -14/+3I am a designer, I dont need microsoft office! who needs to do office work on the go?

    i mean really... businessmen are annoying enough answering email on the train, they don't deserve to be able to install their crappy programs on the iphone, thank you.

    i like it as it is, pure intertainment, media, email and web.

    love it
    • EtherGnat, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I'll see your "pure entertainment, media, e-mail and web" and raise you live streaming TV/DVR (via Sling), streamed audio and video from my desktop PC (via Orb), 3rd party media codecs, countless games (many of them free), and multi-protocol IM chat.
  • voidvox0, on 10/12/2007, -6/+5i don't really think the target audience for iphones are blackberry and wm6 crowd. and i think expecting iphone to be as successful as the ipod is a little ridiculous too.

    this phone will get marketshare in the teenager with rich parents demographics, apple/mac cult, and a decent portion of high-end recreational phone users. no company wants to buy a phone for its employees that has a large portion of its functionality wrapped into the ability to listen to music and watch movies. and its a stupid decision as a consumer to buy a device that is going to drain your battery quickly if you decide to listen to music or watch video on to get proper work done on.

    apple knows this, steve jobs isn't stupid. this device is not a business solution.
    • Atomic1fire, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3What Kind of Business person uses mobile entertainment for Microsoft office anyway
      slacking off much?
  • gquaglia, on 10/12/2007, -15/+7Talk about spin. If the iphone was a MS product, they would be saying its the most revolutionary product of all time.
    • Cyber_Akuma, on 10/12/2007, -2/+12This just in! Companies will promote their own products over a competitor's!
    • saska, on 10/12/2007, -4/+8If the iPhone was a Microsoft product, it would support all of the things Microsoft is saying the iPhone won't support. Which makes your point irrelevant.
  • vaaaska, on 10/12/2007, -8/+3Sooooooo, the fact that Webkit is installed on this thing and that it works quite well with the Google Office tools (just one example) is irrelevant?

    Perhaps one can do business and not use MS Office these days?

    Yep.
    • Atomic1fire, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Exept when Gooffice Is down for some server related reason
      (which is why a Enterprise version that could be hosted at the enterprise might not be a half bad idea)
  • masterofNone, on 10/12/2007, -7/+3i've got to ssay i've got a windows mobile device. at thetime i bought it up to the present day it is the best smartphone available for the money... without question. it holds all of my contact info and calander info... it's got bluetooth and SMS. it very cool. but it also sucks. it doesn't have a big enough screen, the operating system is fairly lame, it has a nasty habit of changing my date and time info weeks before daylight savings... sometimes just at random, and it doesn't allow me to do voice dialing with my bluetooth headphone.

    will i be buying an iPhone?

    as soon as they're available.
  • combustion8, on 10/12/2007, -3/+6If it doesnt support outlook I wont buy it... and I wonder how easy it will be for 3rd party software developers to make software for the device... I'm guessing not very.
    • Cyber_Akuma, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7"and I wonder how easy it will be for 3rd party software developers to make software for the device... I'm guessing not very"

      Considering that Apple is locking out 3rd party software from the iPhone, I would say you are right.
  • ajchavar, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9um, apple doesn't want to get into enterprise, i'm pretty sure they make that clear in the get a mac ads.
    • Yazilliclick, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Which MS made very clear in their statement which said the iphone would be great for what it's targeted for but has nothing to do with their business market so it would be irrelevent there. Add in an edited digg title, some apple fan boy digg users and voila, you have a huge story of MS bashing the iphone. All fan boys to the defence!
  • Nysul, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3As a business owner the iphone doesn't apply to me and my clients. I need exchange support and 3rd party applications. I can see it being a hit with celebrities, teenagers, and people who like to look cool and fashionable though, so I would expect it to sell well. I think they would kill the market if they made a 1gb version for $200 less.
  • mechanisma22, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Apple has a nubcj of possibilties with the iPhone. Its basically a stripped down tablet Mac. They will shoot themselves in the foot if they don't open the iPhone up for development or at least add some more features than google maps, a browser, and a phone. It has a touch screen and nice interface and I want to get one but not if its going to be useless.
  • fixprod, on 10/12/2007, -7/+2 the competion is scared and since they dont have anything to show off they keep bitchin...and for the most bitchin poorly... Big mucho macho Ape Balmer said that no one would want a phone with no buttons.... lol i bet many ppl will buy the iPhone cause it has no buttons :-)
    • mustard, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1My phone has no buttons. I don't like it. I want to be able to use my phone without looking at it. This hadn't occurred to me when I bought it. But you never know a good thing until you lose it.

      Dual-touch is nice and all, And I'd like it on my tablet, but on a
  • 4degrees, on 10/12/2007, -9/+4Microsoft bitching about how something is a closed platform? how can this be?

    They should open up their platforms before slinging mud at others for having a closed platform.
    Microsoft: open mouth, insert foot.
    • EtherGnat, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Yes, Microsoft should definitely open up Windows, Windows Mobile, and the Xbox 360 to third party developers. They also need to find a way to allow people to extend and automate Office while they're at it. /sarcasm
  • wallcloud111, on 10/12/2007, -7/+4***** executives, this phone is perfect for all us College and High School students
  • popothebright, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7As much as I hate to say it, he's right. The iPhone is an iPod with a phone. It is not a platform in any respect.

    Aside from the "closed system" aspect which Microsoft is absolutely correct about (as much as I hate to say MSFT is 'right'), there's a far, far
    bigger issue with the iPhone and its the onscreen keyboard.

    It needs to be said that the decision to go with an onscreen keyboard was as radical as it is risky. Anyone who uses a Blackberry is
    rightfully reserving judgement on this feature -- and I'm going to have to say its doubtful that it will be successful. I've used touchscreen
    text entry devices before and they're extremely difficult to use. There's a reason the PC keyboard hasn't changed much in 20 years --
    it works. And there's a reason that membrane keyboards have all but disappeard -- they suck. People need and want tactile feedback.

    So aside from the platform issues, which are valid -- and aside from the hilariously short battery life which is a deal breaker for any serious
    power user -- there's the input issue: which really can't be more vital or important.

    I'm very (very) interested in the third generation of the iPhone, but as for gen one -- I'm betting it blows. Apple is making the age old
    mistake of introducing new technology built on top of new technology. In product manufacturing and engineering terms that's
    very typically a recipe for disaster. My two cents.

    • CompanyMan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Whats so new about a cell phone ? All Apple Inc is doing is putting a twist on it ...but it's still a phone none the less.!!
    • popothebright, on 10/12/2007, -7/+1@ CompanyMan

      multitouch screen? its very new. never been implemented in a consumer electronics device.
    • popothebright, on 10/12/2007, -5/+2@CompanyMan

      It should also be said that Apple has a long, long history of failures with first gen products. Just look at AppleTV -- have you read a single "good" review about it? I tried it last week. It was very blah. Will they get it right? Yes, absolutely. Apple will "own" the digital living room long before Microsoft or Sony. But Apple has a long history of thinking they can leap further than they can. Its partially to their credit -- because ultimately they get there. My point is that first generation Apple products are 'high risk'.
    • intellimouse, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Just like they eventually got there with the Newton and their game console right?
    • MacParrot, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1The Newton was killed not because it wasn't a great product, but because Apple was in danger of drowning in red ink. That required certain products and services to die so they could focus more on what their core business was at the time. The Pippin was doomed almost from the get go from a lack of any real developement. It was almost a stealth product.

      Apple now has lots of cash thanks in a large part to the iPod and can afford to throw something out like the iPhone to see what people like and what they don't. All this speculation on whether or not it's going to be great is irrelevent since very few people (and I'm guessing no one at digg) has any idea what the final version will be.

      With what's currently known, it has no appeal to me even as a Mac and iPod user as I already have a cell phone that I only use to make and receive calls and it's lack of mass storage makes it IMO a sub-standard iPod.
  • vslnbg, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1Wow zdnet can you believe this, another thrilling story!? Dudes please lets dig smth. besides news of google and yahoo?
  • CitizenBane, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7I think the real question is: What can iPhone do that this MS phone CAN'T do?
    • Cyber_Akuma, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11Make thousands of people pay $600 for it?
    • jeffgtr, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Probably not much. It's going to be in the execution and how you go about doing those things. The average Digg reader could probably find their way around the MS phone just fine. But Digg readers are not your average person who wants something easy to use or they won't use it. Easy is relative to the user.
    • mustard, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2you can't use two fingers to make tiny stuff slightly less tiny.

      you can't look down your nose at squares.
  • jeffgtr, on 10/12/2007, -7/+2We'll see. Personally I think microsoft is a little scared. The truth will be told when it's possible to buy the device. Of course microsoft would put down the iphone. That's what they do with everything that doesn't have their name on it. You aren't going to hear any sort of positive spin from microsoft on the iphone so I don't know why this is even news.
    • CitizenBane, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6If Apple opened up the iPhone to developers, THEN Microsoft would be a *little* scared.
    • Yazilliclick, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Why is MS supposed to be sacred? MS largely targets the business market, the iphone is last thing on the mind of any business as far as mobile devices..... I'm not seeing a reason here. Maybe they're supposed to be scared by all the noises made by the apple fan boys humping their new apple toy while proclaiming that it will once again save the world!
  • mbthompson, on 10/12/2007, -4/+3http://digg.com/apple/The_iPhone_A_Nail_In_Apple_s_Coffin
  • winnch, on 10/12/2007, -9/+3I totally agree. I've always hated the iPod because it can't open Excel spreadsheets.
  • jockser, on 10/12/2007, -5/+3i just have to say that articles like this are of no real interest and only serve the fanatical groups.
    please grow up.
    • mbthompson, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3i just have to say that comments like yours are of no real interest and only serve the fanatical groups.
      please grow up.
  • Fredtheviking, on 10/12/2007, -7/+2Just Microsoft being Microsoft nothing to see here, move along people.
  • arcterex, on 10/12/2007, -7/+5This just in, Microsoft claims the iPod is irrelevant because it doesn't support the WMA format....

    I mean come on guys, did anyone expect MS to say "yea, the iPhone is going to rock"?
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