
I donât know what Paul Thurrottâs New Yearâs resolutions were, but apparently being objective about reporting anything Apple was not one of them. On his Windows IT Pro site heâs posted an article on how Apple can fix the iPhone. Forget about the fact that as a huge success the iPhone can hardly be said to need âfixingâ, when you look at his actual âfixesâ you see this is a ridiculous article even by Paulâs standards.
The article uses the same Microsoft/Verizon/Nokia/Motorola talking points weâve been hearing for a year. Indeed, the article could just as easily have been written right after the iPhone was introduced at last yearâs Macworld.
Of course, this kind of nonsense reporting is what youâd expect from a guy who posted an eight-part review on a phone when all other smartphones have garnered about 5% of the same coverage from him. Does Paul obsess much?
So letâs cover the iPhone’s “issues”, and how Paul says Apple should fix them…
Pricing
What is this, 2007? He’s still griping about price? What about the $200 price drop? According to Paul thatâs nothing:
While Apple did drop the price of the iPhone by a whopping $200 to $399 in August 2007 (and lose the “low-end” 4 GB model in the process), the price of this device is still extravagant.
No, itâs not. Paul suggests the killer is that AT&T requires a data plan, and that if only it were allowed to be purchased without one then the poor and destitute who want a data phone without a data plan could have one. However, he makes no case for why anyone would want a smartphone (any smartphone) and then not use the things that make it âsmartâ — which of course require a data plan.
In this instance, Apple’s no-choice policies really bite consumers where it hurts, in the wallet. The real-world cost of an iPhone right now is $2000 to $3000 for two years of use
This just shows Paulâs ignorance (or disingenuousness). The lowest data plan is $60 per month. Thatâs $1,840 over two years, including the cost of the phone, and right in line (in fact, in some cases less expensive) than any of the alleged “cheaper” smartphones out there, which typically require $80/month or more.
Paul says Apple and AT&T should lower the plan rate, ignoring the fact that for unlimited data and generous minutes the plans were the lowest in the industry when introduced.
EDGE Network
it can’t be stressed enough: EDGE is a joke and this “2.5G” network is clearly the iPhone’s Achilles Heel. In my own admittedly unscientific tests, EDGE was less than one-third the speed of Verizon’s EV-DO network
EDGE works great for email and most mobile browsing. Further, itâs everywhere, and easy on the battery. Paulâs 3G tests differ from others who found that the speed of loading web pages was not dramatically (or even noticeably) enhanced on another phone using 3G. And when battery is taken into consideration 3G loses there as well.
As for EV-DO, itâs a proprietary 3G network. Verizon uses it in the US, but most of the world utilizes UMTS (the WCDMA standard) for 3G. Why would Apple offer an EV-DO phone in the states that couldnât be used elsewhere, and only on a network that already turned Apple down because their management couldnât see the future?
When a 3G iPhone becomes available, it will have at least acceptable battery life and utilize the 3G networks available in most of the world. You and Verizon may be short-sighted, Paul, but Apple is not.
No high-speed modem for your PC
Paul brings this up only for the purpose of slamming the EDGE network again.
No hardware or software expansion options
Paulâs upset that you canât expand memory, and then says this:
This isn’t necessarily a huge problem given that the iPhone comes with 8 GB of flash storage, but the option would be nice.
Translation: Forget what I just said because it was stupid, but the talking points listed it anyway.
The iPhone is also a closed box. You can’t install new applications or uninstall the built-in apps you don’t want.
The SDK is coming Paul, as you well know. Heck, even without one there are probably more apps written for the iPhone than other smartphones. Thatâs gotta be killing the Windows Mobile bosses in Redmond; too bad for them.
The rotating screen that doesn’t
Paul is apparently trying to save us from the unpredictability of the iPhoneâs rotating screen:
While Apple touts the iPhone’s amazing rotating screen as a key feature, the reality is that the screen rotates in only a few of the available applications, and then in an unpredictable and haphazard fashion.
Apple touted the screen rotation for the iPod functionality (photos, cover flow, movies, TV shows), for YouTube, and for web browsing (Safari). During last yearâs demo they never showed it rotating for anything else. Media and web browsing, Paul. Thatâs what they touted, and thatâs what it does.
Since then, theyâve added rotation to email attachments, which is useful. Will they add it elsewhere? Itâs a useful feature, so probably. But did it âunder-deliver in a huge wayâ? Only if you didnât pay attention to what was touted.
Virtual keyboard
Price, EDGE, no expansion, and now the keyboard? Do you see what I mean when I say this article is just the talking points from Appleâs competitors?
While Apple fanatics were quick to hop all over complaints about the iPhone’s virtual keyboard, a simple truth emerged after all the tests were completed: Physical keyboards are simply better than virtual keyboards.
Ah yes, âApple fanaticsâ. It just wouldnât be a Thurrott article unless he slung a name or two at Apple’s supporters, or even those who simply like the iPhone.
As for the keyboard, there’s no question that no two keyboards — whether on desktops, laptops, or smartphones — are alike. Some are better than others. But Paulâs painting all other keyboards with a superior brush to Appleâs is nonsense. There are some smartphone keyboards the iPhone outperforms, and others it may not. And people will never agree on which is which.
Since the iPhoneâs keyboard works quite well, Iâll gladly take it because of the advantages it allows (i.e., itâs not there when I donât need it, leaving room for more important things).
Buttons, buttons, buttons
Basically, this section falls in line with old school thinking that the more buttons you have on a device the cooler you’ll be perceived as a technologist for knowing how to use it. Apparently Paul canât impress too many people with his knowledge of the iPhone because everyone knows how to use it. This is actually a triumph of design, but since it doesnât allow Paul to impress anybody he doesnât like it.
Battery
Oh please. I told you this was a talking points article, didnât I? The âargumentâ about the battery is no better than the same argument made about the iPod. Next.
Lackluster camera
It’s not like 2MP is bad for a mobile phone, especially considering that so many still use 1.3MP. No flash, or zoom, etc. are maybe the first legitimate issues Paulâs raised. Still, for quick pictures itâs not bad, and thatâs all the majority of people expect from a cell camera anyway.
The iPhone had undergone several firmware releases with features being added since it was released. Not once was I disappointed, or did I expect, that the camera would be updated. Itâs simply not anywhere in the priority list for most users.
PIM synchronization that doesn’t work
Paulâs harped on Outlook syncing before, but I have a hard time buying it.
While the vast majority of iPhone users are also Windows users, Apple seems to have done very little to enable universal PC-to-iPhone sync…. that sync feature is so horribly broken that it actually doesn’t work for many people
How many people is “many”, Paul? Not that Paul may not have had problems (Iâm not saying he made them up), but if there were rampant syncing issues with Outlook it would be well known by now. It certainly worked great for me on my Windows XP box.
Then Paul just starts babbling. Since Apple covers the big hitters in email, contacts, and web browsers, he simply pisses and moans about what it doesnât support. Yeah, Paul, go ahead and hook your other smartphones up and sync to all those apps. Good luck with that.
Apple supports their own products and the biggest hitters in other categories. They may add support for others in the future, but only a talking points drone would argue that the iPhone has sync that doesnât work. Does Paul believe the 1.25 million (as of last quarter, probably over twice that now) iPhone users canât sync, and didnât say anything?
I hate to point this out to Paul, but iTunes was syncing with Outlook long before the iPhone; itâs not new, so any major issues that may have existed were likely addressed long ago.
iPod issues
I love how Paul sneaks in some garbage matter-of-factly in the hope that youâll just believe it. For example:
And when you add to that the fact that the iPhone’s iPod application is notoriously buggy and crashes a lot
âNotoriously buggyâ? Um, no. Much like with Paulâs alleged rampant sync issues with Outlook, now heâd have you believe the iPod application is notoriously buggy. How can anyone doubt this is a shill-based talking point article when BS like that is flung around?
Non-configurable applications, home screen
No doubt the powers that be at Microsoft/Verizon didnât think the list was long enough, so they started repeating themselves and hoped no one would notice:
The iPhone doesn’t offer any way to install or uninstall applications…
Um, this was already mentioned in the section on “no hardware or software expansion”. Was the article written so blindly Paul didnât even notice? Did he just copy and paste the talking points received without reviewing them? Whatever. As I said before, there are a lot of apps for the iPhone and itâs not even âsanctionedâ yet. Imagine what will happen when the SDK hits the streets in February!
Actually, I’m sure Microsoft has imagined what will happen with the SDK, hence this hit piece, and many others Iâm sure weâll see.
As for the home screen, the forthcoming 1.1.3 firmware update will allow it to be customized.
No cut/copy and paste
Paul and I agree on something. Iâd like to see this as well.
Weak Google Maps application
While the Google Maps application that comes on the iPhone is attractive, it’s actually quite limited. There’s no GPS hardware in the iPhone and no way to legally add it
Since when did GPS have anything to do with Google Maps? Paulâs just being ridiculous, and he continues:
so you have to know where you are to begin with, making the notion of a map somewhat superfluous.
Wow. Just wow. Are you kidding me? Forget Google Maps, Paul. Forget smartphones as well. In fact, forget computers. Are you telling me that if you were lost in a city and got a map you couldn’t use it? You can find out where you are, you know. Really. Even you.
Getting back to the present, the Google Maps application on the iPhone is a great implementation, with additional features such as Hybrid Maps, Locate Me, and Drop Pin support coming very soon.
Weak Notes application
This is true. The consensus was that notes wouldnât blossom until sometime after Leopard was out because notes was a new function within email. It will be interesting to see what Apple does with this in the coming year.
Wi-Fi iTunes Store limitations
Leave it to Paul to take the cool WiFi Store and slam it. He bemoans that it only works over WiFi, and then gets in a classic Thurrott dig:
(I’m guessing Apple knew its fans would freak if they saw how long it took to download even a single song over EDGE.)
Paul, you wouldn’t want to wait for a song to load over your precious EV-DO either. You do know 3G pales in comparison to WiFi, right?
Paul decries that you canât use it for things like audiobooks, podcasts, etc. These may be coming, but music was first and foremost (by a wide margin) the priority. It works beautifully. Then Paul says this:
and you can’t wirelessly sync the iPhone to your PC.
What does this have to do with the WiFi Store? Absolutely nothing; itâs just Paul getting jabs in whenever he can whether it makes sense or not. (Remember, heâs writing this for Windows IT Pros).
Pathetic ringtone support
Apple hammered out better deals through the labels than anyone else. Paul wonât write about that because it doesnât help his case, so he just… makes stuff up.
Most consumers don’t want to edit their own MP3s or purchased songs. They want to pay a couple of bucks for a professionally made ringtone. This is a no-brainer and could easily be implemented.
Really? I’d rather pay 99 cents (for a song I already own) and pick the best part as my ringtone than have some “professional” pick a part for me. And I’d rather pay a “couple of bucks” (if I don’t own the song) and get my own ringtone and the song to keep.
Oh, and if youâre a Mac user ringtone support is even better because the latest GarageBand lets you make your own.
Final thoughts
Heh. âFinalâ thoughts? I read the whole article and didnât even see any first thoughts. Certainly not any original ones. This article was just a re-hash of every BS complaint from last year.