The inevitability of the iPhone

(Credit: Apple)

I walked into my local AT&T Wireless store on Saturday fully expecting and prepared to get a Blackberry 8820. My Blackberry 8800 died while I was in London last week, and both Visa and American Express tried to protect me from fraud by disallowing my attempts to order a new phone over the web. Hence, my face-to-face visit with AT&T.

Unfortunately for Research in Motion, maker of the Blackberry, the in-store price for the 8820 was the same as the iPhone. I deliberated for all of three seconds and walked out with the iPhone.

My reason was simple: I needed something that would sync consistently with my Mac. My Blackberry-to-Mac sync has been hit or miss for the past year (though I've been testing a beta of the new PocketMac and it is quite good) and I'm fed up. I just want something that works.

The iPhone "just works," and then some.

I thought I wouldn't be able to type on the iPhone without tactile feedback. I was wrong. I'm actually faster on the iPhone than I ever was on the Blackberry, and that's with only an hour of "training."

I thought I would miss a host of things with my Blackberry, but I haven't. Instead, I've been blown away by the innovative use of gestures and the user interface. I resisted the iPhone for a year or so, but looking back it was inevitable that I'd end here.

It is the best-designed phone that I've ever seen or used. It's not perfect: It aggravates me that I can't create SMS groups so that I can blast groups of friends (the Blackberry also lacked this), though I can simply save a "conversation" with a group and use it to send out group texts. I also could do without the clever (but time-consuming) graphics that accompany the deletion of an email, for example. Plus, the lack of Flash makes the full-blown browser a bit less "full-blown" (though I hear Flash is on its way).

But all its good points make up for these negatives. The iPhone is an amazing device. It was inevitable that I'd find my way to it, just as it's inevitable that it will continue to take more and more market share, eventually breeding lower-end devices that will change the way we use mobile "phones."

The iPhone is designed too well to be anything less than inevitable.

[Spider0407]

FYI, the iPhone can text message to more than one person at a time!

[hardmanb]

Another one bites the dust.

[purpleLightning]

LOL. It's a trap.

[Matt Asay]

Yes, I know. But what I want is the ability to set up an SMS group whereby I an address a group with one address, rather than having to type in each address individually.

[jlward4th]

A similar thing happened to my wife and me. We salivated over the iPhone in the store but actually walked out of the store with a Blackberry Curve for her. I have a Curve and love it - mostly for it's Exchange OTA (Over-The-Air) syncing. My wife is in Medical School and needs the Epocrates software which is currently only supported on Palm & Blackberry. We got home and found that Epocrates is working on an iPhone version. Done deal. Back to the store - we exchanged the Curve for an iPhone. From the moment she opened the box for the next few hours my wife couldn't stop smiling. Everything about the iPhone experience - from packaging and setup to ordinary use - is just sexy and polished.

However there are a few things that really annoy me about the iPhone:
- Can't view movies in Portrait orientation
- There isn't an adapter which allows you to dock the iPhone in Landscape orientation
(Both of these combined mean that my sound dock thing is useless with the iPhone.)
- No OTA syncing. This one is baffles me. My AppleTV can sync OTA. My wife's laptop & iPhone are on the same wireless network - so why can't it sync OTA? Also why can't it sync contacts, calendar, etc. OTA with .Mac?

It's still a very new product so these aren't showstoppers and hopefully Apple addresses them soon, Apple has a good opportunity to dominate the mobile space but it will come down to what developers are able to build with the SDK. For my wife (and much of the medical industry) having an iPhone is just a toy until Epocrates runs on the iPhone (and not just in the browser because many medical centers don't have Wifi and have terrible cell coverage). For me and many in the corporate world the iPhone is just a toy until it syncs email, contacts, calender, etc OTA with Exchange. There are many other segments of people who are just waiting for the software they use everyday to work on the iPhone. But for millions who just want a sexy phone it's good enough today - and certainly better than the others.

-James

[coccolli]

James - Well said.

Cameron

[FormerPCwonk]

This behavior makes absolutely no sense. Let's sum up. You and your wife, who is smart enough to be admitted and attend medical school, buy the current-gen iPhone this month (since you mention Epocrates, which came to light less than three weeks ago). You do this even though 1) it can't sync OTA with .Mac, 2) it can't (currently) sync OTA with Exchange, 3) it can't sync over Wi-Fi, and 4) a faster, 3G version is due within months. Does this decision you two made make any sense at all? You had another product available which sounds like it met your needs, and yet you bought something else? In retrospect, do you realize how silly this appears? (Note: I'm ignoring the "can't play movies in portrait orientation" complaint, which to me is like complaining that Lexus fails to offer "manual windows" as an option on the LS 460.)

[benlucier]

Matt, I own a Blackberry and an iPhone up here in Canada. I've been using a Blackberry since 1999. There are two reasons why I prefer my Blackberry (besides the obvious issue of not having a decent carrier in Canada). First, I type WAY faster on my blackberry. You must be a slow typist because all the data out there indicates the iPhone is far more difficult to type on, mostly due to the lack of tactile feedback. Second, we use the Blackberry PIN functionality extensively at my office. If it weren't for these two complaints, I'd be using my iPhone full time.

[Orenge]

All the "data" out there? Like actual studies, not anecdotes? Everything I've read suggests that the iPhone is faster for most people, but it's a personal call. Nothing wrong with preferring the Blackberry.

[A_N_Onymous]

The iPhone supports PIN functionality, for what it's worth. Settings > General > Passcode Lock. It'll ask you to set a PIN, and then it'll ask for it whenever you unlock the phone.

[JoshFofer]

The author states: "My Blackberry-to-Mac sync has been hit or miss for the past year (though I've been testing a beta of the new PocketMac and it is quite good)"

You should definitely have tried MarkSpace's Missing Sync for Blackberry. It runs circles around PocketMac (that is to say, it actually works, reliably.)

But yah, native iPhone synchronization is better.

[dasdee]

Matt,

I have to see this to believe it. You should post a video of your typing on the iPhone and then put that link here so we can see for ourselves how fast you can really type. I can type fast (have a WM device) and am having a hard time typing on the iTouch.

-D

http://www.mobow.com

[slapppy]

You really have to try it to understand why its such a great device with an amazing potential. Just about everyone who have been standoffish at first immediately want to get one as soon as they have held it in their hands and used it.

[hypermark]

Two general things keep me from switching from Blackberry (7130e) to iPhone. One is that as a phone I have consistently been more impressed with the call quality of a BB over and IP. Two is that there is no comparison between BB and IP as an input device. I have written 1000 word blogs on my BB, and never think twice about writing long emails on that.

By contrast, on my iPod touch (basically the iPhone without the phone part), it is functional as email but the virtual keyboard will never be equal to tactile real keys on my BB.

In other words, it all depends on what "job" you are hiring your mobile device for. For phone and email (my primary jobs), BB is cat's meow. For internet, media and entertainment, my iPod touch is it.

A side note. Readers that haven't been tracking the hullabaloo around the iPhone SDK should, as that is a big deal, and promises to grow iPhone and iPod touch into bonafide platform status (think: developer ecosystem vortex, big enterprise wins, etc.).

Have blogged on that topic, if interested (iPhone SDK: mobile reasons for optimism): http://thenetworkgarden.com/weblog/2008/03/mobile-reasons.html

p.s., on BB-to-Mac syncing would echo comments on Missing Sync. It mostly works and PocketMac is pathetic.

Cheers.

Mark

[jawkneekat]

In all the talk about the iPhone no one seems to be concerned with AT&T being the carrier. In San Francisco, my friends with iPhones have connection issues and dropped calls. The phone can be as good as it's network. Additionally, the fact that AT&T seemed to be all to happy to help the government spy on Americans, doesn't give me much confidence in them as a company.

[Maarek Stele]

it's easy, if you have another carrier. everyone I talk to don't bother with the hype and just want a phone. Even with apple's SDK, (they're limiting what can be made). The iPhone is still a toy.

[JNGowan]

What phone are you using and what high-mighty things are you doing with yours?

[gunguru]

I too went to my ATT store with a choice to make...However, the only iPhone plus to me was the music & movie/TV feature and I did not need that...They call the BB "crackberry" for a reason...I am now the proud owner of a 8820, having replaced my 8700, and I don't regret my choice..I will wait for the touch screen BB...

[AppleSuxLeo]

It`s trendy lately for the tech writers to say they went Mac. Amazon Unbox and my games don`t work on Mac , as well as thousands of other things.XP just works , and never bluescreens , and will have support through 2013 By that time , Apple will make you throw everything out and start over....plus they are the new EVIL. Amazon MP3/HULU/Unbox>Apple ;)

[Riquez-001]

Firstly, a Mac is a computer & XP is an operating system. Secondly, Amazon video is specifically encoded only for Windows, so thats why it cant work on OS X - thats no fault of Apple. Can you play xbox games on your Windows PC? No, that would be a ridiculous comparison. You can still install Windows on a Mac - in which case all your arguments are nullified.
& for what its worth, I can't use Amazon MP3/Unbox on my Windows PC anyway - because it only works in the USA.

[Orenge]

Amazon MP3 store and Hulu are great!

And they work great with my Mac.

Avoid Vista--Microsoft is the one making people "start over." If you really think XP will be well supported through 2013, I have some Windows 95 users you should talk to...

I'd be interested in those "thousands of things" you use in the 7-year-old XP, that a Mac can't use. VERY curious, considering my Mac can run XP, Vista, Linux, AND Mac stuff.

[rcrusoe]

XP just works, and never bluescreens? I have 150 XP users that would disagree with that statement.

[m2mcguire]

A videotape? Jeez, does it really matter? If Matt believes he's typing faster, that's what matters, not whether a videotaped test disproves it or not. If Blackberry users believe they type faster, that's wonderful, too.
I believe people stopped getting graded on how fast they typed somewhere around 1981.

[mcmichael51]

Yes- you can send SMS to groups with the latest software update!!

[mcmichael51]

also, has anyone mentioned that in June, the iphone will do everything a BB (enterprise, exchange server stuff) does but better?

and dude...XP won't exist in a couple years and Vista is a joke.

[ConcreteXD]

"and dude...XP won't exist in a couple years and Vista is a joke."

I couldn't agree more

[Kontracnet]

User experience is just one reason. I examined 10 factors that put Apple in an unassailable position in the mobile platform wars and reviewed the weaknesses of iPhone competitors in:

Who can beat iPhone 2.0?
http://counternotions.com/2008/03/10/iphone2-competitors/

[JNGowan]

Nicely said. While I haven't pondered all the pros/cons as you have here in your blog, I have pondered, everyday, how I ever get by without my iPhone. Thanks for the link.

[ewelch]

Strange, I watched Netflix and Unbox movies on my Mac. My Mac, with VMWare and WIndows XP Pro can do everything PCs can, but PCs can't do what I can with my native Mac applications, which are mostly better than PC equivalents.

And considering many Macs more than six years old are still supported, AppleSuxLeo is proven to be just another sad little troll.

[mattjumbo]

Diito, ewelch.

It is a little bit crazy how often this point is completely ignored. Are there still people out there who are unaware that you can install Windows right alongside OS X on Mac and boot right into Windows whenever you want?

Of course if that is too clunky, you can install Parallels (or others) and run Windows right alongside OS X simultaneously. The tech media needs to do a better job making sure people know and understand: a Mac can run Windows and OS X. Legally. A PC oem can only run Windows.

So anytime you get the urge to say "I can do blah blah blah on Windows", try to control yourself because it ia meaningless statement. If you can do it on Windows, you can do it on a Mac.