Follow up to 'Good-bye iPhone...'
My last post about "reverse switching" from an iPhone back to a BlackBerry generated a lot of great comments that I believe warrant a short follow-up (much shorter than the original post, I promise). I can't address all the comments, but here are a few thoughts.
For the record, in my post, I'm describing 3.1 software on an iPhone 3G.
Yes, the 3GS actually speed some things up, such as the camera; however, in my view, the iPhone's speed issue is not one of CPU horsepower, but because of its fundamental interface architecture. As I say in the article, the paned, step-by-step interface is "easy," but it puts a limit on how fast it can be used, simply because of the number of steps it requires to perform a task. Apple can speed the CPU all it wants, and it will only make a marginal difference to the key usability index of time on task (the amount of time it takes to start and complete an activity).
(As an aside, on the topic of doing great user interface with a low performance device, here's an old post I wrote about the UI design of the Palm. Palm beat the experience provided by Windows Mobile phones of the day, even though its CPU, memory, and screen were far inferior.)
As some point out, there are things that can be done with a jailbroken phone that address specific issues. However, I'm using a work-issued phone, so I'm not going to jailbreak a phone that doesn't belong to me. Besides, jailbreaking is something that only a tiny percentage of users will risk doing, or even know about. You may say I'm a BlackBerry power user (I don't really think I am; there are people who know way more about it than I do), but things like knowing one's way around the menu are way less geeky than jailbreaking.
Yes, I realize that I can get a rubber skin to cover the iPhone and make it easier to hold and less scratch-prone. But as a designer, that just offends my sensibilities.
- Why buy a nice-looking product and then cover it all up?
- If so, many people have decided they need to retrofit a portable product that by definition will be handheld and get beaten up, then the product has been designed incorrectly in the first place.
The "90 percent" of the time I spend on the iPhone is (or was) using e-mail, calendar, SMS, calls, in roughly that order. Does that mean I was using it in a way that Apple didn't intend? Certainly Apple first launched the iPhone as a consumer-oriented device, rather than an enterprise device. Apple knew it didn't make sense to take on RIM on its home turf, so it successfully used a Trojan horse strategy to get iPhones into businesses, relying on employee demand rather than convincing IT administrators.
But Apple has been including more enterprise-friendly functionality into the iPhone, such as Exchange support and remote-wiping if it gets stolen. So clearly, it is angling for the enterprise market. In the enterprise market, the balance of functional needs is going to shift away from watching YouTube to the type of activities I describe in my post.
On the topic of Web browsing, I just grabbed the beta of Opera Mini, and it's pretty darn impressive. The zooming in is not quite as good as Safari in terms of snapping to the width of the specific chunk of content on the page. But it offers some other capabilities the iPhone's Safari doesn't have, like caching pages for offline viewing. Heck, it even has a thumbnail view like Safari 4 on Mac OS X, or Firefox. Its speed, rendering quality, and tabbed browsing all seem comparable with the iPhone's Safari. It's definitely a big step up from the last revision of Opera Mini.
Adam Richardson is the director of product strategy at Frog Design, where he guides strategy engagements for Frog's international roster of clients, envisioning and creating new products, consumer electronics, and digital experiences. Adam combines a background in industrial design, interaction design, and sociology, and he spends most of his time on convergent designs that combine hardware, software, service, brand, and retail. He writes and speaks extensively on design, business, culture, and technology, and he runs his own Richardsona blog. Adam is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET. 
Which begs the question: Why did Apple decide to make something that rides around in your pocket and *will* fall out of it out of glass?
Apple has a rep, somewhat deserved, for good industrial design. But when it comes down to a choice of form over function, Apple will usually go with form. The iPhone is glass because glass looks shinier than plastic. It is the fact that on Apple products usability comes second behind looks that has driven me away from them over time.
Which, when you think about it, is kind of an odd practice for a company that used to employ Don Norman.
As the owner of a Blackberry who has spent untold amounts of time eyeballing hourglass icons on it, you now owe me a cup of coffee and a new keyboard.
"Why buy a nice looking product and then cover it all up?
If so many people have decided they need to retrofit a portable product that by definition will be handheld and get beaten up, then the product has been designed incorrectly in the first place."
You might as well ask that question of the automobile industry. The technology exists to make a car completely clad in a dent-proof, scratch-proof exterior; dull rubberized plastic. Would anybody buy such a car? Apparently the manufacturers do not think so. People like shiny stuff. Even if it is prone to scratches, they prefer it. That is why iPods and iPhones are designed the way they are. Jeez, even refrigerators are shiny! Not 'designed incorrectly', but designed beautifully! It's human nature! Embrace it!
I do feel a little bothered that spent some money on the app store, but for the most part those apps will work on the iPOD Touch.
The Blackberry seems like a device that I am comfortabel with. I can type on the keys, I'm not worried about braking it if I drop it (i.e... feel like I have dropped the holy grail)
The Blackberry just works for me.
They both have significant flaws in design and OS - just in differnt areas. Neither is the "perfect" handheld device. Anyone that thinks otherwise is kidding themselves.
For me personally, I mostly now use my iPhone since application support is far superior to the Blackberry and many of the things I want to do (such as watch a full length movie on a plane ride, or read a Kindle book) are just not there with Blackberry.
I do love that blackberry tactile keyboard though and miss it when I am typing a long-winded email or post such as this one!
I have read numerous articles about the iphone's "great" email - the fact is, it's NOT that great. If it weren't for the fact that I can use google to duplicate my MS Outlook folders on my iphone, I would in fact hate it because it is so limited. So it is more due to Google than the iphone that I can use it at all for my business. That said, when the Blackberry 9700 comes out, the iphone goes to my wife, and I get the 9700.
The one thing I think is good about all of this is that the competition between the iphone and Blackberry is creating great new technology. As long as they both keep trying to out-do the other...those of us who can't get enough new techno gadgets win ( as long as we can afford to buy another new one, that is). And, of course, they will both be laughing all the way to the bank.
Many people don't know one or the other handset, so it's easy to tell them whatever. If you are one of those people, please make your own decision rather than listen to non factual blog articles: search "email blackberry" and "email iphone" on youtube, pick a few short videos and you'll get a pretty good idea how things stand.
Adam, please make a video where you show how the blackberry is better/faster at email, I would be interested in seeing it. To make your point clear, show the slowness of the iphone and contrast it with the effectiveness of the blackberry. I'm holding my breath for an "aha: moment, I want to finally understand what makes the blackberry so great at email, who know, I'll maybe switch back too :)
While we wait (2 quickly looked up examples...):
Blackberry email: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auVgrU1PkX4
iphone email: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9Do3RHoBEU
What's wrong with the iPhone? The lack of a high-quality physical keyboard. It is horrible for sending email. Oh, it's fine for reading, but I own an iPod iTouch (Apple store folks scolded me when i called it by the single word "iTouch.") so I have done timed comparisons of typing on both the iPod and the Blackberry: Blackberry wins for a factor of >2 in speed as well as reduced errors.
Speed is critical. It affects how much -- and how well - I say something.
In addition, the Blackberry is robust and reliable.
But I am envious of all the apps available for the iPhone. I am envious of the large memory space of the iPhone: I have run out of memory on the Blackberry and there is nothing that can be done about it except to delete apps. (There is no way to force the apps to use the external memory card.)
So I keep waiting. I want the excitement of the iPhone with the robustness and ease of typing of the Blackberry. The Palm Pre seems closest to providing this, but close is not good enough. So until then, I am with Adam, left on the sidelines. Now i carry two devices: A Blackberry to get work done and the iTouch for the applications and fun (that is, whenever i can find a hotel, coffee shop, or airport that let's me log on to their WiFi network.)
Don Norman
(Why does CNet call me DonNorman2? Because when I tried to log on, it told me DonNorman was already taken. Sure it is,by me! But it was easier to go along with them then to fight it.)
Quite a comment. People have been "covering things up" for a very long time Mr. Richardson. Do you have a case for your Blackberry? Most people do. A cell phone can be an expensive piece of equipment. It makes common sense to protect it with something.
You have criticized my choice of cell phone. You are a very bad man Mr. Richardson. I'm telling my mommy.
It's because the iPhone is that much better. But it turns out that you didn't like your iPhone and you prefer the clickity keyboard of a BB. Good for you. But I wouldn't call your experience typical or even unusual. The word I think that describes your switch back to BB is 'anomalous'.
- by December 5, 2009 3:16 PM PST
- "However my friends curve has a big gash in his screen from him dropping it so I don't see how this knock to the iPhone makes any sense in terms of the glass, it's one of it's greatest accomplishments."
- Like this Reply to this comment
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(18 Comments)Your friend actually gashed the lens of his Curve. The screen lies protected underneath the lens. The nice thing about the Curve 8330 is that a new lens will only cost you $3.39 plus shipping (I use Truesupplier but there are many other places to get them). You can replace the whole front bezel with lens included for $8 and the rear of the phone for $8.00. All parts are easily replaceable - look up 8330 videos on youtube if you don't believe me. You can replace the track ball for $4.99 in under 30 seconds. (New Blackberrys don't use trackballs, they use trackpads) Crack the screen on your iPhone and you are looking at a $200 repair bill according to a previous Cnet article.
I have the best of both worlds because I own an iPod Touch for web surfing and apps, and the Blackberry for sms, mms, email, task management, calendar and the incredible Blackberry Messenger.
One thing I notice that nobody mentions is what a pain it is to use the Touch/iPhone with one hand. If you want to use it one handed you have to cover a ton of real estate with your thumb. The return button for many of the apps is in the upper left corner, the home button is down at the bottom, all the while you are swiping back and forth with your thumb which gets in the way of the view screen. (That's why you see iphone users holding it with their thumbs out all the time like a hitchhiker.) On the Blackberry my thumb only travels within an area 3/4 inch for most operations while having a much better grasp of the phone at all times and the screen 100% in view.
The iPhone seems to demand much more attention to operate whereas I can operate the Blackberry more by touch, thus I find it much faster to use. Also, the short cuts are extremely helpful and fast. I find that touching the space bar to scroll down is more convenient than swiping. Just hit "t" for top of page "b" for bottom. Overall I find the Blackberry easier to use. I agree though that the BB stock browser is horrid and that's why I use Opera Mini.
So I agree with the author on most of his points. His experience certainly isn't "anomalous".