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June 22, 2007 10:20 AM PDT

Won't someone think of the children?!

by The Macalope

ABC's Ashley Phillips says iPhone fever: Not everyone buys hype.

But some critics believe that the "early adopters" who wait anxiously in line next week outside Apple and AT&T stores... could be in for a nasty surprise.

Really? Which critics think Apple and AT&T's customers are ignorant idiots who know nothing of the product they're going to stand in line for hours and sign away two years of their cellular lives to get?

According to industry analysts, some of the drawbacks are the lack of built-in GPS, which is already widely available in many cell phones...

Yes. It's true that the iPhone does not have every feature of every cell phone available.

Clearly these "industry analysts" must have a must have a very even yardstick for measuring Apple against the competition.

...a lack of media support from Flash...

Flash?

Ashley, which other phones support Flash? (ADDENDUM: As it turns out, quite a few, as a commenter pointed out. However, most of the phones that support Flash are only available in Japan and most of the ones that support Flash that are available in America support it only as a stand-alone application, not through a browser. Its usefulness drops somewhat substantially when it's not available within the browser. Although, admittedly, its usefulness drops to zero when it's not available at all.)

...and concern that the AT&T cellular network isn't fast enough to handle the iPhone's high-end features.

Ashley, you can have "faster" or "easier to find". Pick one.

But the Macalope's curious. Exactly which "industry analysts" did you talk to?

The phone will also feature a glass touch screen, instead of a plastic one. Robert Enderle, the principal analyst at Enderle Group, believes this move, intended as an improvement, could be a mistake.

Oh, Ashley. Ashley, Ashley, Ashley, Ashley.

Shame on you.

Rob Enderle - the lazy journalist's best friend.

Because metal doesn't absorb shock, Enderle contends, anyone who drops their precious iPhone will end up with a broken screen and a ruined piece of equipment. "This is a pretty slick phone," he said. "I think dropping it is likely."

Get it?! "Slick"?! Ah, Rob, you rascal. Get out of here!

No, really.

Get out.

But, according to Enderle, design isn't the iPhone's only problem.

Yes. Design is sure to be one of the iPhone's problems.

There is not enough eye rolling the Macalope can do to adequately reflect the absurdity of Rob Enderle lecturing Apple on design.

He says that he believes the company could be opening itself up to class actions.

Oh, this is going to be so awesome.

"A lot of kids are going to get this phone."

What?! Which spoiled little brats are we talking about? And why is it the same people who complain about the price think the iPhone is only for kids?

Kids do a lot of ['blind'] texting on their phones" without looking at the screen, sometimes while they're driving, Enderle said. "With a touch screen phone, you have to look at the screen."

Enderle believes it's possible that teenagers could get into accidents while using the phone and, rightly or wrongly, many parents could end up blaming the manufacturer.

Rob, you magnificent bastard! You've outdone yourself this time!

Yes, you read that right dear reader. Paris Hilton was framed. It was all Apple's fault for including her in the iPhone beta tester program.

FREE PARIS!

"One of these children is going to end up in someone's trunk," he said. "Often it's the vendor that's held accountable."

Un.

Be.

Lievable.

Furthermore, iPhones commercials, which demonstrate a user going from watching a movie to tapping into the Internet to making a phone call in a matter of seconds, will open Apple up to claims of false advertising, Enderle said.

Although the phone can connect to the Internet in Wi-Fi hot spots, Enderle said that a cellular network won't be able to support the speed depicted in the TV spots.

Having directly pulled that information from his keester. But, yes, Rob's right. Apple should totally have shown the slowest possible speed in its commercials. That would have been the responsible thing to do because everyone expects their lives to be exactly as those portrayed on TV.

Innovative as it may seem, criticism of the touch screen is already beginning to bubble.

Criticism, the Macalope will remind you, of a screen that none of the critics have actually touched.

Look, the Macalope doesn't know if the iPhone is going to be a hit or not. But it certainly seems like the killer feature is the gesture-based input -- a feature this piece doesn't even mention. If the interface works as advertised, it's going to be hit.

Enderle pathetically attempts to distance himself from his absurd horror scenarios of the iPhone literally killing children, but it's too late.

The ever reasonable Michael Gartenberg of Jupiter Research puts a fitting description on Enderle's hatchet-job.

"There's a saying in this business: You can always spot the pioneers, because they're the ones one with the arrows in their backs," Gartenburg said.

Mythical beast and rumormonger extraordinaire, the Macalope writes about all things Apple for the CNET Blog Network. Read more at The Macalope: An Apple blog. He is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.

Recent posts from The Macalope: An Apple blog
RETURN
Awwwwww, FREAK OUT!
Nick! Heath! There's a fire in the barn!
This Christmas, your company's getting an iPhone in a box
Rob Enderle be a lady tonight
Where have you gone, George Ou? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you.
If wishes were horses.
Ditto
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by Bergamot Orange June 22, 2007 12:59 PM PDT
I think all iPhone ads should include

"This [the iPhone] is a pretty slick phone" - Rob Enderle

at the bottom.

Not because there will be any shortage of good reviews, of course, but just to **** the guy off.
Reply to this comment
Well said Mr. Bergamot Orange
by friday04 June 23, 2007 4:17 PM PDT
Hey, it's a quote on public record now. Apple should definitely use it in the
advertising out of spite.

What a tool.
I second that opinion!
by Dave Metzener June 22, 2007 6:14 PM PDT
No, really! Well said Bergamot Orange!
Reply to this comment
Don't.....
by stam66 June 23, 2007 4:15 AM PDT
Feed teh trolls. Don't.
Reply to this comment
references to Rob Enderle
by Bill Scott 122 June 23, 2007 5:58 AM PDT
It should be a requirement of electronic journalism that any reference to the
Enderle Group carry a notation that the "group" consists of two people, one of
whom, Mary, is never quoted or referred to. And that references by the Enderle
Group to Apple products are often "out in left field."
Reply to this comment
bearing in mind that...
by Freddy Racoonish June 23, 2007 8:02 PM PDT
left field, in Enderle's case, is actually somewhere on the other side of Pluto. (A pity Enderle's not out there himself.)

On the other hand, he's always good for a laugh.

And Bergamot Orange's excellent suggestion gets my vote too.
Speak of the Devil!
by danieleran June 23, 2007 9:09 PM PDT
RoughlyDrafted.com has a story today "Secret iPhone Details Lost in a Sea of
Hype and Hate" with Enderle calling the iPhone "damned" (!) and an article before
that, an explanation of why Enderle is such a hack... how all the analyst
companies he's touched, from Giga/Forrester to Dataquest to Gartner have been
anti-open source and anti-Apple, basically all anti-choice and pro Microsoft.

But you're right, the real prob is lazy journalists who cite his crazy talk.
Reply to this comment
Leave the trolls under the bridge
by The Nerg June 24, 2007 1:11 AM PDT
The only way Enderle gets any hits is by upsetting the people that 'know'. Sorry, I meant 'think clearly'. He's in a club that has one member. I only wish my own self proclaiming BS was as good as his. Except it doesn't have to be ;)
Reply to this comment
Lawsuit Expected
by ddspell June 24, 2007 7:36 AM PDT
There will be lawsuit. Why? Because Apple has deep pockets and people are greedy. If someone has an accident, adult or teenager, while using an iPhone, they will blame Apple when they should blame themselves. I'm sure the iPhone will have all sorts of warnings about not using the iPhone while driving, but that won't stop people from doing it. If there aren't warnings about such, I'd be surprised.
Reply to this comment
"Rob Enderle - the lazy journalist's best friend."
by Miche Doherty June 24, 2007 9:41 AM PDT
I'd like to suggest that henceforth Enderle be referred to as "principal analyst in the Enderle pyjamas." That gives a better idea of the scope of the operation than "Enderle Group."
Reply to this comment
Texting whilst driving?
by kapowaz June 25, 2007 12:27 AM PDT
In the UK, you're not allowed to use a mobile phone whilst driving. At all. Not even for just answering it when it rings (unless you have a hands-free kit). I'm astounded that the same law doesn't exist in the US, but even more astounded that Enderle interprets its absence as 'open day' on a phone manufacturer.
Reply to this comment
texting while driving...
by YMS-Leader June 25, 2007 8:14 AM PDT
Yea, there's a law going into effect in California in January 2008, that will not allow cellular use while driving unless you have a hands-free kit. Should have had this 5 years ago...but we can't expect our lawmakers to be on the edge of technology...most of them can't even type.
Reply to this comment
Flash on phones
by a_calder June 25, 2007 3:58 PM PDT
Just for the record, Flash is supported on the following devices: http://www.adobe.com/mobile/supported_devices/handsets.html
Reply to this comment
The Macalope's error
by Macalope June 25, 2007 10:23 PM PDT
That's a long list and the Macalope's error in this regard is partly due to the fact that most of the phones that support Flash are only available in Japan and that most of the ones that support Flash that are available in America support it only as a stand-alone application, not through a browser. Its usefulness drops somewhat substantially when it's not available within the browser.
iPhone drop and scratch test
by Phuul June 30, 2007 10:19 AM PDT
Hmm. Boy that iPhone sure is a very fragile thing. Oh wait, it's not.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czCCavcnNd8&NR=1
Reply to this comment
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About The Macalope: An Apple blog

Born of the earth, forged in fire, the Macalope was branded "nonstandard" and "proprietary" by the IT world and considered a freak of nature. Part man, part Mac, and part antelope, the Macalope set forth on a quest to save his beloved platform. Long-eclipsed by his more prodigious cousin, the jackalope (they breed like rabbits, you know), the Macalope's time has come. Apple news and rumormonger extraordinaire, the Macalope provides a uniquely polymorphic approach. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.

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