I’ve spent way too much time considering an iPhone purchase since the release and appearance of the first reviews. Today I made a trip to the Apple store to bring in my son’s Macbook for repair (intermittant keyboard) and so had a chance to experience the gadget first hand.
I was surprised that in a store that was relatively busy for a summer Tuesday afternoon, the 6 or 8 iPhones on display were mostly untouched. I watched the sale of 3 iPhones while I was in the store, but somehow I had expected more curiosity about the phone from mall patrons. While I was playing with it, two people drifted over when they saw video playing on the big wide screen. As a display item, the iPhone is small and inert. It doesn’t invite interaction.
Of course, the phone was using the Apple store Wi-Fi which is reasonably fast. So the experience was one of optimal connectivity.
First, I made a call home. To show off and judge quality. It’s a relatively uncomfortable phone against the ear with it’s hard-edged glass surface. I agree with the general assessment of reviewers that the sound is middling. Maybe it was partly due to the load environment in the store, but it sounded like “a cell phone” to those I spoke with. The sound for me was fine. The controls for hold, conferencing, etc are truly ground breaking and with visual voice mail, the biggest draw for me as a phone.
Of course the second great draw is the browser experience. However great it looks though, functionality is not all that much better than I get on my Blackberry. Aesthetics aside, the browser pages as presented are generally impossible to read, so you need to zoom and pan to read. On my Blackberry, the page gets reformatted into a long scroll- so I move vertically rather than panning. On the websites I read frequently, the important information comes up quickly as presented by the Blackberry.
Everything else? Not really compelling one way or the other for me. I like the keyboard.I don’t think I’d be faster or slower than on my SureType Blackberry or on any other style of keyboard. The iPod function? I’d rather have my 80GB video ipod even with the small screen for it’s dedicated controls and high capacity. Mail and calendar are unimportant as I spend most of my time using Outlook in it’s various incarnations on the web, on a PC, or on the Blackberry.
It’s interesting, but I left with a greater appreciation for how useful browsing is on my Blackberry. Plus since it’s a 7130e on Verizon it’s provides high speed internet access for my work laptop in tethered mode.
If I gave up my Verizon Blackberry for the iPhone I’d lose the tethered modem capability, the corporate push email and calendar sync. And while the superior browsing capability might offset the loss of the tethered modem, I wouldn’t be able to download documents, edit them on a laptop and return them to the author- a big part of my mobile work during travel.
A big gain I’d have with an iPhone would be international roaming. With my CDMA-EDVO phone, when I arrive in Europe, I’m without a phone. I’ve filled in with an unlocked GSM phone and buying pay as you go SIMs in Europe, but it’s a pain. I’m reimbursed for the high cost of internatinal roaming, so I’d rather have a phone that works on both sides of the Atlantic.
I’ve considered a two phone solution, but I’d have to have two carriers until my contract expires early next year. Or pay to get out of the Verizon contract. But I’d use a Blackberry for corporate email and calendar and iPhone for phone and browsing- but it’s a complicated and profligate solution since the Blackberry has the phone and browsing capabilities.
So the iPhone actually has me considering upgrading my current Blackberry to the new 8830 which has dual CDMA/GSM capabilities, allowing international roaming. It’s cheaper than an iPhone and even lets me use it as a bluetooth modem with the macs- although a bit slower than the tethered mode.
I’ll agree with those who think that the iPhone will help sales of all kinds of web enabled phones. It’s best in breed, but not the only option.