Would you like to hate iPhone 3G? Get it out your system!
Here's the short form of a long list from APC's Dan Warne, advising us on how best to hate Apple's forthcoming 3G iPhone:
1. Crap camera.
2. No Flash.
3. No IM.
4. International roaming rates.
5. Crippled bluetooth.
6. No cut and paste.
7. No user-replacable battery.
8. No MMS.
9. No turn-by-turn navigation.
Bait reason: "Stunning hypocrisy."
If hypocrisy characterizes the industry to such an extent that Apple is now just on an even footing with it, why is it stunning? It's like being stunned by the run rising, or by the unbearable lightness of meringues.
Top 10... [APC via Cult of Mac]
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yes but compared to every other $199 phone out there, it has a lot more good crap in it.
200 free text message limit! This is what turned off "must purchase" mode for me. I text like a 14 year old girl.
That and you have to install iTunes. Stab me in the eye with an icepick now.
Why spend your time spewing hate when you can just be glad you were not one of the suckers who bought one.
Wow, that's a pretty weak list.
True, the camera is crap and it has no flash. Same is true of my current phone (and of most phones), so I won't be any worse off there for buying one. Besides, who buys a phone for the camera? That's why I own an actual *camera*.
IM is something that, again, most phones don't have, so to crucify the iPhone for lacking it is ridiculous. In addition, this will likely be a non-issue once the first of who-knows-how-many IM apps come from the official app store.
Roaming rates are a problem with the service provider, not the phone.
I generally keep my phones for about 2 years, and I have never, EVER had to replace a battery. I don't imagine that any of that will change with the iPhone.
Who cares about MMS? Tweens? I don't.
My current phone (and even that of the author of this list, I wager) also does not provide turn-by-turn GPS. The difference? It's possible that turn-by-turn GPS will be available on the iPhone eventually.
Really, the only valid gripes here are "crippled Bluetooth" and the lack of cut & paste. And really, both of those are relatively minor, and potentially correctable via a future software upgrade.
Seriously, this list only makes sense if you're holding the iPhone to some mysterious, undisclosed higher standard that no other device is subject to. If you compare it to any other actual phone or smartphone out there, it's not even a fair fight.
I submit that, if Dan Warne is truly smelling "stunning hypocrisy", he is probably just smelling himself.
I don't get the camera-is-crap argument, based on the imager size. A 5mp camera in a cell phone seems absolutely ridiculous. You know how many lines per inch you need for good prints? 200. That means a 2mp camera can get you perfectly fine 6x8's with no problem whatsoever, and can do 8x10 in a pinch. Who on earth is trying to get 11x14's out of their cell phone pics?
No video recording! Even crappy phones can do this.
@DIDYMOS: That's "No Flash", not "No flash". As in you can't view websites that use Adobe Flash. My shortlist is: no Flash (nor Java), no MMS, $100/mo for a plan with realistic minute allotment.
@DIDYMOS: There's one major issue: those IM applications will not work in the background, and will not stay connected when the phone is in sleep mode (ie when the screen is off). For something like an IM service, that's pretty piss poor. And you can get a Windows Smartphone with that functionality for $200 if you don't mind signing up for a contract.
With the iPhone's lack of unlock options, this is a problem with the phone itself. For pretty much every other phone on the market, you can request the unlock codes from the carrier so that you can use an alternate service overseas. The iPhone has no such option.
As an owner of a hacked 1st gen iPhone, I've actually seen a lot of complaint about the lack of MMS, especially from users in Europe. It might not be a big deal to you, but there are plenty of people to whom it is.
@Doomstalk: version 2 of the iPhone OS will let IM apps delegate their Internet connections to a background app, so you can have your cake and eat it too.
When my wireless contract was coming due, and knowing that a new iPhone was on the horizon, I temporarily opted for a BlackBerry 8800 from AT&T. I can't believe I'm actually typing this, but after having used the BB for several months awaiting the iPhone 3G to drop, I'm a BB convert. I am now anxiously awaiting the BlackBerry Bold, which addresses most if not all of the iPhone complaints above. While the media player aspects blow (doesn't matter to me, since I already have an iPod), it is an amazingly functional and powerful device. I know it's heresy, but if you haven't, I strongly encourage you to give the BlackBerry a spin. It doesn't look even 1/2 as sexy as the iPhone, but it is more open, functional, and useful than the iPhone, IMO.
The iPhone succeeded in one big thing. It changed my relationship with my phone from a frustrating over-featurized device I have to use - to a simple, friendly, device I love to use and tinker with as much as I can. That change in culture is priceless.
Why would I want to *hate* any piece of electronics?
Perhaps if it were a device I had to use for months on end that suffered from poor design and build quality... I might be able to hate that.
But I see no need to hate a product I don't own that hasn't parked in my space or called my mother names.
Get it out your system!!
...sorry, couldn't resist. ^_^!
Meebo is an awesome IM program already working on Safari for the iPhone/iPod Touch.
The iPhone certainly has its flaws, but this list is stupid.
#10 A pain to use for those who insist on having long, fake plastic nails handicapping their hands...
I could not believe this one when I heard about it, but apparently this is a big problem for some women.
I've had a Nokia N95, original line, for almost a year now. The camera has basically the same specs as a cheap digital point'n'shoot I bought for about a year before that (5MP, flash, Carl Zeiss lens, macro setting, very comparable image quality), and has completely replaced it functionally in my life. Having an entirely decent quality happy-snaps camera in my pocket at all times is one of those features I never imagined would become as absolutely necessary as it has done. I use it dozens of times every day, and get good photos off it- not high-end photography, but good enough that I can crop & print.
I wouldn't even consider spending money on a phone that didn't have a camera of equal or better quality. It's a deal-breaker for me with the iPhone. I don't think I'm in some strange marketing demographic, I think it's not unusual these days for built-in cameraphones to completely functionally replace low-end point'n'shoots for everyday photography. So, yeah, I completely agree with that item in this list. A phone as specced out as the iPhone deserves a better camera.
How about "No Tethering" for access to the internets from your PC?
That's the biggest reason for me not to like it... it doesn't support my mobile lifestyle on the lam!
TTFN
Seems like a lot of bikering and no concrete reason why I should not buy a iPhone 2.0. The only reason may be the copy paste feature. Anyways... guess this list proves the point, iPhone hate list is just a list of bickering bloggers and nothing more :-)
Sure, the iPhone is only a 2MP camera. But, now that my phone, iPod and GPS have been practically replaced, I have the handbag room to carry a small camera.
I HATE THE iPHONE!!! check out my review @ http://gregsblog123.blogger.com
I don't hate the phone, I hate the people who buy them and expect the IT department to jump through hoops in order to make their phone sync with Exchange. Yes, we understand that you can now VPN with your iPhone and we don't care. Buy a phone that's compatible with the network like everybody else or work someplace else.
Everyone is really impressed that you have an iphone. Now put it away and do your job.