feature article

iPhone: Contender or Pretender?
By Yancy de Lathouder, Technology Director

For the last ten months, both the gadget and not-so-gadget oriented consumers have been alight with frenzy over a device so revolutionary in its hyperbole, it had achieved cult status before it was ever released. Yes, Apple finally released its iPhone amidst a crowd of single-file fanatics who camped outside Apple stores for the privilege of owning an iPhone on the day of release. The first person in line for the fifth avenue store in New York even maintained a “First In Line” blog during the idle hours before he received the first one at 6:00 p.m. sharp on June 29, 2007.

So now that the iPhone is here, how does it stack up to scrutiny?

The Good Stuff:

Design
As with most Apple products, the iPhone’s design is sleek, ergonomic and wonderful to both hold and adore. The display may be the best of any consumer handheld device, phone or otherwise. The colors are bright, the touch screen is responsive, and the effects are exhilarating.

Interface
Simply amazing. Swipe your finger from left to right to change panes. Flicking your finger up or down quickly scrolls through lists. Dragging your finger up or down controls the scroll. Pinching and unpinching your fingers zooms in and out of your photos, maps and Safari web browser.

Applications
The iPhone holds true to its promise in delivering integrated apps such as Maps, Music, Video, Contacts, Calendar, Camera, and of course, lest we forget, phone capabilities.

The Bad Stuff:

Cost
$600. It’s a phone. ‘Nuff said.

AT&T / Cingular
While I’m sure there are loyal customers to AT&T/Cingular, I can’t fathom why Apple would partner with this particular network exclusively. As you may have heard, the iPhone does not come with a 3G high speed data network… something you would imagine to be a requirement for a device with so much multimedia capability. Why the slow network? Probably because only 1% of Cingular customers have access to its high-speed network… it’s only available in around a dozen markets. While you can access the internet through a broadband wireless connection, this provides little comfort to those who desperately need to show a video of the skateboarding dog to friends at the local pub.

One Carrier
It’ll be 2 years before the iPhone is available on other carriers. Some people (including me) are loyal to their network and refuse to switch. I’m sure there are a host of people who wouldn’t mind switching networks for an iPhone to have and hold, but we’ve all seen the consequences of early contract termination.

Infrastructure
Yes, the iPhone offers much more than a normal phone. But for $600, it’s simply amazing what it does not offer: 3G, GPS, A2DP, MMS, keyboard, flash support, etc. No Adobe flash support in Safari? No picture messaging? Are you serious? Street cred = nada.

Interface
The keyboard is weird. The onscreen keyboard does look cool on TV, but using it takes some practice. The typing is slow (you cannot type with two fingers simultaneously pressed) and I can’t understand why there is no period on the default keypad. It takes a second press to get the period to display.

Obsolete
That’s right. The iPhone, still in its infancy, is rapidly approaching obsolescence. A new version of the iPhone will most likely be released in December and is purported to utilize the coveted AT&T 3G high speed network. Additionally, Apple recently filed a patent for the iPhone nano, sparking rumors of a smaller, more compact option of the iPhone.

If there’s one salvation to the iPhone’s shortcomings however, it’s the fact that the iPhone runs a version of the successful UNIX-based Mac OS X operating system. Because of this, third party providers have the opportunity to develop and distribute novel applications for the iPhone. In fact, Apple themselves are planning a software update this summer which would introduce iChat, an Instant Messaging application.

With the current iPhone merely heralding a better version six months away, perhaps it’s too early to grant is space atop the tech pedestal. Unless you are one of the beloved early adopters who can’t live without the glitzy desiderata of novel devices, or if you just simply have to have the same phone Lindsey Lohan touts about, I’d wait for December to follow the North Star.

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