3 Things that Kill the iPhone for me

1. Cingular only
2. No GPS
3. 1st-party apps only

I'll address these individually:

#1 - Cingular - Sorry, but Cingular stinks in my area. Verizon is #1. I don't even own a house phone because Verizon is so good (when paired with a quality phone, of course). This is a tough one...Apple wants me to switch to a lesser-quality cellular provider for an amazing phone that doesn't even allow you to write your own software for it. Or run GPS.

#2 - no GPS?? $500 - $600 and no GPS? Google Maps is great...if you know where you are. Many new phones are featuring GPS built-in, why not the iPhone?

#3 - 1st party apps only - this I don't understand. Possibly the coolest gadget of all time, and you can't write your own software for it. Sigh!

I'm hoping that the 2nd or 3rd revision will see these problems solved. There is some relief in the fact that all of the official details haven't been nailed down yet. I would really like to see a GPS solution available; if the tiny Razr phone can have it, why not the iPhone? The programming I've also not heard a lot about, other than it won't be open to 3rd-party developers. This really stinks because I had big plans for tying it into my work and home systems. Just think of all the amazing apps you can write for this phone...now you'll be relegated to building a web interface if you want to access your own apps on the iPhone. The iPhone is the first "smart phone" I've seriously considered, but I'm less than excited because of these three problems.

Also I can understand the Cingular thing with the exclusive contract, especially after reading articles about the Verizon offer, but man...Cingular stinks. Unless there's some major change to their cellular network in the next 5 months or so, I'll be sticking with Verizon.

You forgot the fact that it is also $500. People were complaining about the price of a PS3 (which WAS justified) ... well why not complain about the price of iPhone.

Also, I don't want to be talking on the phone and drop it in the toilet or something. Talk about $500 down the drain.

rpmgatech said:

Also, I don't want to be talking on the phone and drop it in the toilet or something. Talk about $500 down the drain.

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Cingular does offer insurance for $4.99 a month. Boy would that be well worth the cost! I bet they'll jack up the cost of that little feature before the iPhone hits.

Yeah, they would have to jack up the insurance. I was reading in USA Today about how Verison was offered the deal with Apple for iPhone but rejected it because it involved to much control on Apple's behalf ... such as repairs, maintenance, sales, and some service fees. The article said that the exact contract details between Apple and Cingular have not yet been made public. So if that is the case, it sounds like people will have many issues with trying to figure out who to go to for which problems.

Also a sticking point for me is the battery. I would really like to change my own battery.

As for 1st party apps, they want to cut down on support issues- which could be generated by poorly written 3rd party apps.

Cingular isnt my favorite either but I dont think it will stop me.

I'm with you about the battery

rpmgatech said:

You forgot the fact that it is also $500. People were complaining about the price of a PS3 (which WAS justified) ... well why not complain about the price of iPhone.

Also, I don't want to be talking on the phone and drop it in the toilet or something. Talk about $500 down the drain.

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Honestly the price doesn't bother me too much. I'm not rich by any means (poor college student, in fact), but the price makes sense: Smart Phone + iPod = $500. Granted I scratch my head that it's bigger than an iPod Video and yet they didn't stick an 80gb hard drive in there, but whatever (if you don't think they could, take a Razr phone and an iPod Video and stack them together => iPhone!). The battery thing is a little annoying (I've had to change my Moto v710's battery once or twice so far), but not a deal breaker for me.

karudzo said:

As for 1st party apps, they want to cut down on support issues- which could be generated by poorly written 3rd party apps.

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How do you figure that? Your Mac is just fine with 3rd party apps, is it not? Don't see a bunch of support issues there.

Non-bundled apps are going to be a big money maker, so Apple wants to be the one providing them, thats all.

But really, the deal breaker for me is Cingular/ATT-- I wouldn't go back with those SOBs if you paid me, and I can't recomend strongly enough for people to stay away from them.

Imagine Skype on the iPhone - that's like punching Cingular in the face. It might happen in the future, but right now I think it's good if apple keeps things under control. Maybe because thrid-party software would (as of now) be able to exploit the phone's inner workings... it's a matter of time until someone does something stupid like put Linux on it.

It's a product, it's on the market, it's marketed by marketing professionals, so they know what they're doing (usually). Final choice is yours, and you may choose either way.

im not entirely sure Cingular DOES offer insurance on pda phones. every smartphone on their site DOES NOT have the optional insurance option.

i wonder. thatd be strike one for me.

however to Cingular/apples defense, the **** phone isnt even out yet, lets give them some time, im sure some features will be added in the coming months

they provide insurance for PDAs. i know because i work for a cingular store. also is it just me or didn't steve say that emails would be pushed free from certain email providers? I know personally i am gonna get one as soon as it comes out and i am gonna love selling them cuz i am gonna make some sweet money off it. I wouldn't be suprised if i make about 50-60 bucks off the activation of one...

will this phone have a sim card?

w...b said:

will this phone have a sim card?

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yes. it is a gsm phone

im really interested in this phone, but cingular is the only negative part of the deal. i can't bring myself to go through that craptacular company ever again. not only was their service sub-par, but their in-store customer service could use some work as well. i'm happy with verizon right now and hopefully people will find some ways to get the iphones to work on their service plans.

I wonder what phone service provider Apple will choose in the UK? I am not really too fused though as all the providers give a good level of service, although the UK so is significantly smaller than the US so there is a lot less problems with mobile phones.

Unless they offer the phones on contract in the UK I can't see them really taking off at all. A lot of people want the expensive phones with lots of features many of which would only buy on contract because it is cheaper in the short term.

It would be nice to have a GPS service linked to Google Maps on the iPhone. Also what are accessories going to be like? For my car I use a bluetooth headset, which I assume will work fine with the iPhone. Also I have got an Alpine adapter in my car to connect the iPod up to my stereo. The Alpine adapter works on all generations of iPod. Hopefully the iPhone will beable to connect to the adapter similarly.

People complain about not having an 80GB model. Surely in the not to distant future with mobile data transfer rates increasing and Wi-Fi becoming more and more widespread we wouldn't need hardly any storage space on the iPhone because we would just beable to stream wirelessly from our computer at home. Then we could use VoIP etc etc. The list of possibilities are endless. I think this is where companies such as Apple and Microsoft are going, where the main PC is the central part of all our peripharals such as portable music players, TV etc. Virgin Media has already brought together phone, mobile phone, cable TV and broadband all under one service.

The negative reaction to Cingular is not universally shared. I use Cingular BB and have had very minor signal drops owing to one particular section of a local road. iPhone is totally a cool phone and I will get it.

Cingular overall has been great for me since I got them 3 years ago, but since I move to Indianapolis I have had a lot of dropped calls. I have no idea why this location is so bad about it. I guess it proves that quality of service can be a location-by-location issue and not a company issue.

If it weren't for the great plan I'm locked into that Cingular no longer offers and no other company comes close to, I would have changed by now.

My biggest gripe with the iPhone right now is that they decided to not include 3G network capability with it. This is compounded by the fact that it will have fullbrowser capability. If you're going to force me into slower service, give me the smaller browser service so I can move through sites faster! But really, the 3G service should be included. It will be a good hook for them to sell the next gen iPhones next year.

I think it's kind of Microsoft-ish to put out something they know isn't the best so they have a selling point to fall back on next year, instead of putting out the best product they can now and forcing themselves to innovate and create something better down the road. Apple has a reputation for being on the cutting edge of innovation and this "old-tech" product is a blemish on that reputation.

It may not have been Apple that decided on the network, but Cingular. Remember that Cingular the phone service not Apple. Apple build the hardware with Cingular input.

rukind2 said:

The negative reaction to Cingular is not universally shared. I use Cingular BB and have had very minor signal drops owing to one particular section of a local road. iPhone is totally a cool phone and I will get it.

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I'll have to agree with you there. It really depends on your area. I live in Connecticut, where Verizon's service is so good that I dropped my house phone and just use my cell now. However, I just got back from a trip to Utah and the Verizon reception out there was pretty cruddy. I got as low as 2 bars; in Connecticut I don't think I've ever seen it drop below 5 bars. My friends there use Cingular. Cingular also makes sense since they are a GSM network and you can use your phone worldwide.

The GPS thing isn't a major dealbreaker either, now that I think about it. I've been using various GPS systems for the last 5 years or so, and the ones with the best performance have an external antenna that you can mount in a more open area of your car. But having one built-in would be great for foot patrol, like if you're walking the streets of New York or LA and want to find something locally. Google Maps is good and all, but if you're lost it'd be nice to have a GPS to help you.

The real killer for me is that you can't write your own software. That absolutely kills me. The iPhone is the neatest platform I've seen in a long time, and they say I can't customize it to my liking. What's the deal with that? Arggg!

Personally I have decided to get a Motorola Q. It has it's flaws, but it does what I want. I gave the iPhone some real thought and decided that a different smartphone was a better choice. The Q has actually buttons you can push and have tactile feedback - important while you're driving (voice recognition is still so-so), versus the iPhone's touchscreen. I also thought about what I really wanted in a smartphone. I've used PDAs before and they were overkill for me. I made a list, did a bunch of research and played with a few different phones, and decided a Q was a good fit for me. I mainly wanted a phone, a calendar program, and Google Maps. The Q could do all that. I also wanted basic Internet for weather, gas prices, and movie times/tickets, as well as something to jot down quick notes on like email addresses. I also wanted something to screw around with while I'm waiting in line at restaurants, doctor's offices, wherever.

Although I will keep my eye out for iPhone rev 2