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Why the iPhone Wannabes Just Don't Cut It

businessweek.com — And with the impending shipment of a new version that should put the iPhone in the mainstream of consumer and business markets worldwide, Apple is extending its sway over much larger players such as Nokia and Samsung.

Who dugg this? Made popular Jun 20, 2008

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  • aimhelix, on 06/20/2008, -15/+136Apple can't Cut it either. Nor can it Copy or Paste.
  • IphtashuFitz, on 06/20/2008, -5/+76I think this nicely sums up their argument that the software is what makes the phone:

    The iPhone's Mobile Safari browser is in a class by itself: It is the only handheld browser I have used that makes it pleasant to view Web pages designed for big computer displays. The Instinct browser benefits from a big screen, but it is otherwise typical of the lame software found on other non-Apple handhelds.
  • megadan76, on 06/20/2008, -2/+40From the first time I used Safari on an iPod Touch, I knew I needed one. I looked at other Wifi enabled handhelds, but I just knew that none of them were going to compete with the Touch.
    I was not wrong.
  • colasrtney, on 06/20/2008, -2/+37I still have a rotary cell phone.
  • ermau, on 06/20/2008, -2/+32For me, this is the single most important feature of the iPhone and puts it above any other device.
  • rdas7, on 06/20/2008, -5/+31Because everyone is skating to where the puck is.
  • oyster, on 06/20/2008, -2/+27I've never understood these arguments...either of them...and I hear them all the time.

    1. The camera sucks? Dude...its a PHONE!! Its not a high end piece of photographic equipment. Need to take pictures? Buy a camera. Seriously.

    2. A decent amount of songs. Any 16GB device...by Apple or any other...can hold (conservatively) 3500 songs if thats all you load it with. 3500!!! At an average of 10 songs per disc, that's 350 CDs worth of music, and would run continuously for 10 days without repeat. That's not a lot of music? I grant that my library has more music than that, but I don't need it all in my pocket at all times. You taking 2 week trips through the Mojave? Because if not, this "doesn't hold enough" argument is just foolish.
  • colasrtney, on 06/20/2008, -0/+24I'm so sick of Raptors messaging me.
  • Emery, on 06/20/2008, -3/+26Why the iPhone wannabes just don't cut it:

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/7227807@N02/259404426 ...
  • IphtashuFitz, on 06/20/2008, -13/+35Only dinosaurs use MMS
  • rebotfc, on 06/20/2008, -4/+24You mean the Sprint Instinct with no wi-fi, app store, push exchange or VPN ?
  • madk, on 06/20/2008, -2/+22This really upsets me. Personally the most exciting thing about the iPhone was the thought that Apple will force innovation in the industry. I can honestly say that no one has yet to step up to the plate...not even close. Hopefully a few Android sets will be able to compete. Apple has set the new standard.
  • subliminalurge, on 06/20/2008, -3/+20@Foot

    If you're in a room full of drunk, horny chicks, and your first instinct is to send MMS messages to your buddies....

    Dude, we need to have a serious talk.
  • blackinthmiddle, on 06/20/2008, -1/+15I didn't buy the first gen iPhone because I didn't like the overall specs. Recently, however, I was in a Mac store and decided to play with it. They've managed to do something that I thought would be impossible with a phone: make surfing the web practical.

    I currently have the Samsung blackjack with AT&T. It's pretty damn annoying when you want to click on the 21st link and have to cycle through the first 20 to get there. Or when you see a tiny portion of a screen and have to scroll to see different parts. I'll be getting the 3G iPhone when it comes out next month.
  • Kinnkster, on 06/20/2008, -4/+16Yeah, but it's the first multitouch interface on a phone that worked well.


    Phone with sylus=/=iPhone.
  • WomensUnderwear, on 06/20/2008, -11/+23The Mac Book Air can cut it
  • ThirstyEar2, on 06/20/2008, -6/+17Apple is in a place right now where every product they release is cool. Not only is their product good, but they have that brand recognition that every company strives for. This is why there are so many knockoff products with the letter 'i' in front of it.

    Another thing I notice is that the other phones that are trying to be "iPhone killers" aren't designed quite as well. I just think that the iPhone looks better than something Nokia or Samsung could make. Some companies aren't forgoing the 'keyboard' idea just yet while Apple got rid of buttons on its device.
  • leontes, on 06/20/2008, -2/+13You can always, you know, block your caller id and give your number to only people you don't mind calling you. The handheld computer that you are carrying is yours to do with as you please.
  • timdastis, on 06/20/2008, -0/+11a jailbroken phone won't work with sprint...
  • oyster, on 06/20/2008, -1/+11Unless you work for Blackberry, neither have you. I'm very excited about the Thunder, but Verizon has a history of doing pretty bad stuff to otherwise really nice devices. Only time will tell how capable the Thunder will truly be once Verizon is done screwing with it.
  • Radan, on 06/20/2008, -0/+10Well, I think the hardware is as important for the iPhone as the software, or more precisely the fluid combination of the software and the hardware. Since Apple designs both the hardware and the software, there's not a single button on the iPhone that doesn't have a distinct function and works perfectly with the software.
  • George0rwell, on 06/20/2008, -8/+17he stopped being funny a while a go.
  • Kinnkster, on 06/20/2008, -4/+13Or rather he never really was.
  • Kinnkster, on 06/20/2008, -3/+11Now come on if Apple stopped leaving out critical easy to implement functionality we'd really have reason to doubt Steve's health.
  • burgerboy06, on 06/20/2008, -6/+14Why don't more articles feature pictures. I hate words.
  • dcmjzero, on 06/20/2008, -1/+9it may have the same rendering engine (i am not sure about s60, but safari uses webkit), but the interface is still different.
  • Sairynn, on 06/20/2008, -2/+1016GB` is plenty of space for music + a few movies, though I suppose it depends how you define a "decent" amount. I have 3700 songs on my iPod (mainly because when I download I get albums, not songs) and that only takes up roughly 22GB; I think 2000 songs would fit on 16GB and should be enough to get anyone through the day.
  • SPECOPS, on 06/20/2008, -4/+12The 2.0 iPhone software will fix the end to end encryption for a lot of folks, as well as the push email, calendar, contacts - where it's lacking for a lot of corporate fans is the iPhone doesn't use local encryption for the data (e.g. on the device itself). Yes, you'll be able to remote wipe it, but the "spies" maybe able to get your data still, and if they do, it won't be encrypted (a requirement in a lot of businesses if you deal with that type of data).
  • EvilJohn, on 06/20/2008, -0/+8You control your actions, my friend. Nobody else. What you're looking for is away to avoid making choices about what to do with these people.
  • MacParrot, on 06/20/2008, -1/+9...and the dwarf is redefining yet again how people interact with their tech.
  • luchid, on 06/20/2008, -0/+8Opera on phones sucks. It sends the page to be transformed on Opera's server and then it fetches that crappy watered-down version. That's not a true browser.
  • spjmm0, on 06/20/2008, -7/+15So? If you want the full functionality of an IPhone, buy one. If you want to get by cheaper suffer the lack of some functionality.
  • cowsgonemadd3, on 06/20/2008, -0/+7Madox has a dirty mouth and needs a bar of soap to rinse it.
  • IphtashuFitz, on 06/20/2008, -0/+7You might want to try reading the article. It's not just the browser but the whole interface to it. Being able to dynamically resize the screen by just dragging your fingers in a pinching motion is huge. Browsers on other phones just give you options like full size, half size, etc. It's the whole end user experience that makes it unique. Opera also has servers that do scaling of pages to fit on mobile devices, which just distorts some pages. Safari on the iPhone doesn't do any of that. It just lets you resize on the fly as you need.
  • VeritasAequitas, on 06/20/2008, -0/+7Apple doesn't have Woz anymore either.
  • George0rwell, on 06/20/2008, -3/+10Oh Noes
  • GutterMoo, on 06/20/2008, -5/+12A $100 a month plan is a killer for sales. That is a lot of money for phone and internet. Bless the employee plans from Sprint. Well under $50 a month for unlimited everything on an HTC Vogue.
  • KibibyteBrain, on 06/20/2008, -1/+7“If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.” Isaac Newton
    In short, I don't think you quite understand what that quote means, unless you think Newton was an idiot. The giants represent the movement of progress before the dwarf, not really the "big minds" before the thinker. The purpose of the quote is to debunk the "super genius" model of every 50 years or so we get a super genius who single-handedly revolutionizes everything.
  • inactive, on 06/20/2008, -1/+7I prefer my OGC
  • Radan, on 06/20/2008, -2/+8Yeah, this is exactly why the iPod/iPhone/iWhatever killers never work. Trying to copy every aspect of the device you are trying to kill will never grant you anything else but that cheap wannabe that no one wants.

    First of all, the companies need to understand what makes the iPhone sell; functionality over features.

    Clearly, that is something neither SE, Nokia, Samsung or anyone else for that matter have understood. They are still running the "features over functionality" race which isn't necessary a bad thing, but you can never compete with the iPhone in that manner, as they are two completely different markets.

    A iPhone killer will never win simply by adding another feature, since that is not what the target group wants. What they need to do is make a phone that does what the iPhone does, but better.
  • inactive, on 06/20/2008, -3/+9Not a deal breaker. I can count on one hand how many times I have need to use cut and paste on my iphone.
  • hangman16, on 06/20/2008, -0/+6You should have brought it back into the store and complained...that's not normal.
  • BigW, on 06/20/2008, -0/+6I do not need a camera on my phone....
  • NiX0n, on 06/20/2008, -7/+13Gimme my damn Android phone!
  • inactive, on 06/20/2008, -1/+7Here is an example of a 'reply'. You use the reply function when you are posting a comment in response to another persons.
  • McHoffa, on 06/20/2008, -0/+6actually there is a single button with a distinct function.... just sayin
  • dcmjzero, on 06/20/2008, -0/+6i hate to tell you, but the year is 2008. my grandmothers have cell phones. and cell phones have off buttons.
  • hangman16, on 06/20/2008, -1/+6the iphone doesn't have a hard drive.

    call it a toy now, but as soon as software v2.0 comes out it will begin infiltrating the business markets. Disney, the major airlines, pharmaceutical companies, and even the army are already involved in iPhone programs to use them in their daily operations.
  • BigW, on 06/20/2008, -1/+6Then buy an ipod touch. All the wi-fi goodness, no interruptions....
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