The official iPhone thread

[aryayush]

When the iPhone was released and I was posting reviews of it I was running into, our dear Mr. gx_saurav had told me that all of them were biased and that I should wait for AnandTech's review to make the final judgement. I was waiting... I was under the impression that I'll know of it from gx_saurav whenever it was published so I never bothered to check their website.

Today, however, it suddenly occurred to me (for no particular reason whatsoever) that I never got to read AnadTech's review and it is certainly impossible that they haven't reviewed it yet. A search on AnandTech did reveal the incredibly lengthy iPhone review and also proved what I'd already suspected - they've, like almost every single reviewer on the planet, given it a glowing review. So, obviously, gx_saurav was duty bound to ignore it.

Here's the introduction:

The end result is quite good. The iPhone isn't perfect, I can tell you that now (for more reasons than only supporting Edge), but it's a huge step in the right direction. At the same time it's a great product today and while not for everyone, its impact on the industry will be tremendous.


We'll look at its competitors; the argument that the iPhone does nothing new is valid, but is that ultimately what matters?

And these are the final words:

The iPhone's interface is its biggest selling point. For years you've had to force yourself to conform to your cell phone's UI, the iPhone is the first phone I've used that works the way you'd expect it to. The elegance and simplicity of the interface just makes sense, and I would expect elements of it to find their way into Macs of the future.

The iPhone is in no way perfect, it's lacking in a number of areas and has wonderfully paved the way for years of subsequent iPhone releases to come. Battery life is ok but far from usable without a recharge under heavy use; Blackberry users that are accustomed to being able to beat the hell out of their phones for a full day only to charge it the next may be in for a disappointment with the iPhone.

Email is handled wonderfully on the iPhone, but the device is very clearly aimed at filling the gap in access between when you're at your desk and when you can power on your notebook. It doesn't have the battery life to handle days of tons of email, so the iPhone isn't going to be infiltrating large corporations anytime soon.

You can't make videos on the phone, you can't copy/paste, there's no IM client, you can't replace the battery on your own, you can't add applications to it, there's no Flash/Java support, it's heavy and the list goes on. But here's the catch: there isn't a phone out today (smart or not) that doesn't have at least as long of a list of issues.

It's a device designed for the tech savvy consumer and it's a true revolution in interface, but not as a smartphone. Just about everything you can do on the iPhone, you can do on present day smartphones and in many cases, there are things you can't do on the iPhone that you can on its competitors. What the iPhone aims to do however is master the things it can do.

My initial reaction to the iPhone announcement in January was this:
"It's in the UI that Apple's iPhone is the most revolutionary, at least upon first glance. Those users who have pointed out that there's nothing truly new about the iPhone are right; fundamentally most of the features of Apple's iPhone can be found in other phones, but it's in how those features are implemented that sets the iPhone apart from its competition.

At first glance the iPhone doesn't look all that impressive, but in the usage videos at Apple's site and during the Jobs keynote you really get insight into the strengths of the UI. Its speed, simplicity and organization of things like text messages and voicemails just makes sense, to the point where we wondered why it hadn't been done before."

Six months later, having the device in hand, I can say that my first impressions were correct. The iPhone makes no advancements in what you can do, but it really perfects how you do them. The distinction is important because for years cell phone manufacturers have simply been tacking on more functionality to their devices, resulting in a significant loss in ease of use. It's the same feature clutter that plagues many software applications as they get older. Apple took some of the most important aspects of today's smartphones and did its best to perfect them, and for the most part with success.

There are many complaints that you can levy on the iPhone, it's too slow, expensive, it can't do X Y or Z, but the praise you can sing is arguably more powerful. The iPhone perfected text messaging, it made mobile web browsing usable, it integrated the smartphone and the iPod, it brought forth an interface that just makes sense. There are no convoluted layers of menus, no poorly made graphics with sluggish interaction; the iPhone works like a computer, but in the palm of your hand.

The excitement around the Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC) died down because no one's hardware/software implementation was really done properly. Well folks, the iPhone is a couple generations away from being a true UMPC, it just needs some faster hardware and more storage space. There's no doubt in my mind that Intel's ultra low power x86 projects are being eyed by Apple for use in future iPhones, it's only a matter of time before we have the power of the first Centrino notebooks in our pockets.

Everyone has asked me if it's worth it, if they should buy an iPhone, and honestly it's a difficult question to answer. It is expensive and it isn't perfect, but going back and forth between it and the Samsung Blackjack or the Blackberry Curve just highlights how much of an improvement in usability it is over the competition. You know it's going to be updated with faster hardware and better wireless, you know that you can technically do anything the iPhone does already for much less money, but that being said I'd still recommend it.

The iPhone just does it all so well; it's much like the argument for OS X vs. Windows, they can both do the same stuff, OS X's approach is simply preferred by some. I expect that the iPhone's UI is a bit easier to attract converts than OS X, but the point remains the same: it's not what you can do, it's how you do it.

Quite possibly the best thing about the iPhone is that it doesn't matter if you buy one or not, it's impact on the phone industry will be tremendous regardless. Competition is a very good thing and in a market that seems dominated by players uninterested in improving user experience, I'm thankful Apple lit the fire that it has. The iPod brought about a revolution in MP3 players, and I expect the iPhone will do the same for the smartphone market. It will take a while but eventually we will get real competition for this thing, which is a good thing for everyone.

For years I'd wanted a device that could let me be more productive, and RIM finally gave that to me with the Blackberry. Since then I've been looking for a device whose interface would truly impress me, and that's what Apple has done with the iPhone. We may not have flying cars, but the iPhone is what I, as a kid, imagined we'd have by now.

[Emphasis added.]

I'm not making a case for the iPhone. If I can resist myself, I will certainly wait for the second generation of the device myself. I am not expecting any of you to buy this phone. (It is like Fake Steve Jobs says, "we don't want everyone to buy our products".)

All I'm saying is that, as you as probably see, almost everyone who's actually used the iPhone is recommending it and giving it rave reviews. The reason is the same as in the case of Macs, as in the case of all Apple products - it's not what you can do, it's how you do it". Apple's strength is user interface design, simplifying the implementation of existing features and chipping in with innovating new features that make life easier. Apple's strength is giving the user a unique and extremely satisfying experience and they've excelled at it on the iPhone too.

In a nutshell, Apple have achieved what they'd set out to and the iPhone is, by and large, a roaring success. I'm concluding with Mr. Anand's own concluding remark, "We may not have flying cars, but the iPhone is what I, as a kid, imagined we'd have by now."


(Thank you for the patience! Now let the Apple bashing and name calling begin in earnest while I make a hasty exit.)

 

[gxsaurav]

When the iPhone was released and I was posting reviews of it I was running into, our dear Mr. gx_saurav had told me that all of them were biased and that I should wait for AnandTech's review to make the final judgement. I was waiting... I was under the impression that I'll know of it from gx_saurav whenever it was published so I never bothered to check their website.

The reason, Anandtech is a hardware site, & just like all other sites they have also said the same thing that iPhone :Just look at the UI, it looks so cool.

Even anandtech mentioned that iPhone isn't as capable as a smartphone for those who have a brain. For them we have HTC touch & various other smartphones for less price then iPhone. Let me just break your own post....cos U tried to pwn me here. Don't worry, its a kids habit

the argument that the iPhone does nothing new is valid, but is that ultimately what matters?

To many people who are spending $600, it does matters what this phone does. This phone does far less compared to other phones which do much more at far lower price.

The iPhone's interface is its biggest selling point. For years you've had to force yourself to conform to your cell phone's UI, the iPhone is the first phone I've used that works the way you'd expect it to. The elegance and simplicity of the interface just makes sense, and I would expect elements of it to find their way into Macs of the future.

Even I have & many of us have already said many time & agree. Just look at the UI, it looks so cool. Who needs features, just look at the UI & pay $600 for it. Oh & by another phone for playing your DivX videos or MMS or transfering files to others or camera or FM or.........

The iPhone is in no way perfect, it's lacking in a number of areas and has wonderfully paved the way for years of subsequent iPhone releases to come. Battery life is ok but far from usable without a recharge under heavy use;

It doesn't have the battery life to handle days of tons of email, so the iPhone isn't going to be infiltrating large corporations anytime soon.

Speaks for itself.

You can't make videos on the phone, you can't copy/paste, there's no IM client, you can't replace the battery on your own, you can't add applications to it, there's no Flash/Java support, it's heavy and the list goes on. But here's the catch

However, we do have K750i which is 2 years old & does everything iphone lacks . The UI novelty is for 2 days only, after that whats left is functionality which iPhone doesn't provide.

It's a device designed for the tech savvy consumer and it's a true revolution in interface, but not as a smartphone.

Then what are they charging $600 for . Just the UI....holy, anyone who spends $600 on UI is a born Arya

but in the usage videos at Apple's site and during the Jobs keynote you really get insight into the strengths of the UI. Its speed

$ 600 phone, 240 MHz ARM CPU but still lags in rendering high res pics or loading webpages with lots of images at 384kbps ....what a speed.

it integrated the smartphone and the iPod

This in my opinion is a wrong statement. According to Apple, they don't make as much amount of money from iTunes as the number of iPods they sale. So....iPod is just a mp3 player. Hey, My K750i does that...W960i anyone.

it's not what you can do, it's how you do it.

How, I do.....what? Taking pics like 2003 without autofocus or colour balance. Well....only Aryas can buy something based on that statement.

I am not expecting any of you to buy this phone. (It is like Fake Steve Jobs says, "we don't want everyone to buy our products".)

Lolz...obviously, only Aryass will buy this phone

Apple's strength is user interface design. Apple's strength is giving the user a unique and extremely satisfying experience and they've excelled at it on the iPhone too,

In short, just look at the UI, it looks so cool

Arya, its high time u should have learned that UI alone isn't everything without a good software backend. Start developing UI for softwares out there & you will come to know the hard truth.

(Thank you for the patience! Now let the Apple bashing and name calling begin in earnest while I make a hasty exit.)

Typical Arya, just posting links from the net & trying to justfy paying $600 for iPhone. Just look at the UI, it looks so cool. For working on your phone, buy another phone.

No thanx, If I had money I would rather buy an HTC touch With Windows Mobile 6 & change the theme, icons, layout to whatever I like.....too bad iPhone has hardly any customisation like custom ringtones etc

 

[iMav]

arya ur ignorance and interpretation of english amuses me ... the whole review has only pointed out that the UI is good thats it ...

 

[tarey_g]

And I fully agree with Gaurav, Mac has some awesome hardware but sh!tty software. In fact, I'm sorely tempted to go out and buy a Macbook Pro, then just put Windows and Linux on it because I love the looks and the configurations available.

But I'm not going to do that, because Mac is totally overpriced...another thing I hate about them.

Take a look ,may be something useful for you. *www.thinkdigit.com/forum/showthread.php?t=64496

 

[faraaz]

@tarey: Yeah, I knew about that...but I've got my eye on the Dell XPS M1210 instead. Only detraction is crappy video subsystem...but that can improve with time. Or I can wait a year and have my cousin who is going to Stanford bring me an Alienware...

 

[gxsaurav]

Alienware is also Dell

 

[faraaz]

Yeah...but the hardware of an Alienware can't be compared to a standard Dell...

For example, sure Fiat owns Ferrari (IIRC) but would you drive a palio if you could have the F430 instead?

PS: Of course, the price difference is about the same too...

 

[gxsaurav]

For example, sure Fiat owns Ferrari (IIRC) but would you drive a palio if you could have the F430 instead?

Yup, Palio is more fual efficient & good enough for my needs

 

[aryayush]

That is the sort of thing you say when you cannot have "have the F430 instead".

 

[iMav]

again ... most sensible ppl dont buy a f430 simply coz of its ground clearance and fuel consumption and indian roads .... but ur lack of knowledge isnt ur fault its windows' fault

First Third-party Native iPhone Application

*gizmodo.com/assets/resources/2007/08/mobileterminaliphone.jpg

The application is MobileTerminal, "a terminal emulator application for the iPhone. MobileTerminal.app is NOT an SSH client, nor Telnet for that matter. It can however be used to execute a console ssh-client application."

While most iPhone users won't find a terminal emulator exciting, there are plenty of reasons to get thrilled about this development. First and foremost, this is the first iPhone native graphical application done without an official SDK from Apple (there are others, but they are low-level.) This means that hackers are steady at work trying to do useful stuff with the JesusPhone beyond unlocking it and that more applications will follow.

Second, if Google Code is hosting this it probably means either that 1) Apple is giving the nod to this kind of development, 2) they are going to release an SDK or 3) Apple will realize the need for people to access the iPhone as a development platform to do really cool stuff with it. All three options are good for me.

url

 

[gxsaurav]

That is the sort of thing you say when you cannot have "have the F430 instead".

Lolz....what a logic.

So, efficiency, usability means nothing to u?

Oh wait, you are a Mac user & you work on the a Mac just cos the UI is so cool

I am a Windows user, I use Windows Vista cos it does what I want, the way I want.

I am a K750i user cos it gives me everything I want, the way I want.

I am a better chef cos ......ah forget it

 

[aryayush]

Even Windows XP or, most probably, even Windows 98 will do what you want. Linux offers more customisability than Windows can ever hope to achieve. Why not use them instead? Why use Vista?

 

[gxsaurav]

Even Windows XP or, most probably, even Windows 98 will do what you want. Linux offers more customisability than Windows can ever hope to achieve. Why not use them instead? Why use Vista?

Simple. Linux has CLI which I don't like. If I customise Windows & it breaks I can simply boot in safe mode to revart the changes.

In Linux, if it borks, there is no safe mode. There is only CLI which I don't know the commands for.

In Mac...ah! forget it, even -S while booting gives a kernel panic if Mac is borked.

Windows is still the most customisable (safely) OS out there.

Can you make your Mac look anything other then............................mac OS?

 

[aryayush]

Why would I want to!

This is the difference between Mac and Windows users, between you and me. Apple makes the choices for us and we like Apple's choices. Microsoft just gives you every conceivable option and that leads to a bloated OS that, though customisable, is not very intuitive or easy to use. And no matter how much you customise Windows, it still never looks quite as sleek as Mac OS X does. In fact, the most popular themes for Windows are the ones that attempt to emulate Mac OS X. Even Opera and Firefox have hordes of Safari skins.

Apple gives us the best and does not give us much power to customise because the more choices you give to the user, he has a higher chance of screwing the OS. You can customise the looks of Mac OS X using ShapeShifter. But it is well known among the Mac community that ShapeShifter should never be used on an Admin account because it has the potential of messing the OS. And what happens when someone uses it and OS X breaks. "It is such a crap OS. Apple sucks!" Everyone knows here which OS crashes more and has hordes of viruses.

Apple uses a different philisophy and Microsoft follows a different one. You could clearly see that in the D5 conference. Like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, let us just agree to disagree.

 

[tarey_g]

Why would I want to!

This is the difference between Mac and Windows users, between you and me.Apple makes the choices for us and we like Apple's choices. Microsoft just gives you every conceivable option and that leads to a bloated OS that, though customisable, is not very intuitive or easy to use. And no matter how much you customise Windows, it still never looks quite as sleek as Mac OS X does. In fact, the most popular themes for Windows are the ones that attempt to emulate Mac OS X. Even Opera and Firefox have hordes of Safari skins.

Apple gives us the best and does not give us much power to customise because the more choices you give to the user, he has a higher chance of screwing the OS. You can customise the looks of Mac OS X using ShapeShifter. But it is well known among the Mac community that ShapeShifter should never be used on an Admin account because it has the potential of messing the OS. And what happens when someone uses it and OS X breaks. "It is such a crap OS. Apple sucks!" Everyone knows here which OS crashes more and has hordes of viruses.

Apple uses a different philisophy and Microsoft follows a different one. You could clearly see that in the D5 conference. Like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, let us just agree to disagree.

^^ Can be summarized as the biggest bullsh1t i have ever read.


"Apple makes the choices for us and we like Apple's choices" = sounds like spoonfeeding.

 

[cynosure]

I think this is the fastest growing thread in this forum

 

[aryayush]

"Apple makes the choices for us and we like Apple's choices" = sounds like spoonfeeding.

Which electronic equipment in your house crops up every now and then with problems? Your camera? Mobile phone? MP3 player? Headphones? Toaster? Your computer?
I am pretty sure your answer would be the last one.

I guess spoon feeding is the better option indeed.

 

[iMav]

arya its fun watching u display ur intelligence

 

[aryayush]

iPhone Humour

Man Goes Through Vasectomy to Get iPhone

Official iPhone tool, neatly packaged by Apple

A commenter on Digg said, "in a press release jobs stated "this is the first time in the history of mankind that a company provides a tool that can not only service their products, but keep notebook paper organized. it's truly a revolution!""

LOL! LMAO!

arya its fun watching u display ur intelligence

Isn't it? I enjoy it immensely too.

 

[gxsaurav]

Why would I want to!

Individuality, efficiency...nope U like to follow the crowd of Mac.

Apple makes the choices for us and we like Apple's choices. Microsoft just gives you every conceivable option and that leads to a bloated OS that, though customisable, is not very intuitive or easy to use.

I want an OS to work the way I want. I don't want to change to the way OS wants me to work. If it does this, its intuitive cos it shows the icon i want, it shows the menu text I want, it shows the colour I want. Aero in blue, pink, golden, green....whatever we like. Its individuality which matters in this world arya, something u don't know.

And no matter how much you customise Windows, it still never looks quite as sleek as Mac OS X does.

Yup, cos it looks better.

In fact, the most popular themes for Windows are the ones that attempt to emulate Mac OS X. Even Opera and Firefox have hordes of Safari skins.

You have no idea what vector cell, Photon, Lina VX, Luna elements are, right ....I just can't stop laughing at this comment.

Apple gives us the best and does not give us much power to customise because the more choices you give to the user, he has a higher chance of screwing the OS.

Ya, right....Guys do u remember

Arya: More features is not better

You can customise the looks of Mac OS X using ShapeShifter. But it is well known among the Mac community that ShapeShifter should never be used on an Admin account because it has the potential of messing the OS.

Its just a skinning application, which skins on top of the OS X theme, doesn't changes the resources. Do u have any idea how a software works on Mac? Oh wait...U don't.

And what happens when someone uses it and OS X breaks. "It is such a crap OS. Apple sucks!" Everyone knows here which OS crashes more and has hordes of viruses.

Hmm...why do we have a site like Macfixit.com if according to u MacOS doesn't crash & gives no problems

Apple uses a different philisophy and Microsoft follows a different one.

Apple is a hardware company who knows how to make & market inferior things in the American market by just slapping good look on it.

Microsoft is a software company who knows how to make solid software backend & let the user/developer slap the UI of his choice.

Why is it, that Apple is a success only in USA & not worldwide, while Microsoft is a success throughout the world?

Answer, - individuality. You can run Windows the way u want.

Arya, wasn't it u who once said in this forum in a thread "Why go for a consistent UI, it looks bad. If all apps look different it is easier to distinguish." now since Apple is going with a consistent UI in Leopard, all of a sudden u are saying "see, consistency is good". U really have no shame & fullfill the phrase "thook ke chatna"

Which electronic equipment in your house crops up every now and then with problems? Your camera? Mobile phone? MP3 player? Headphones? Toaster? Your computer?

No, No, No, No, No, & No.

Cos they all work the way I want. My phone uses a skin I want, my toaster has stickers of Dexter & johny bravo , My camera is my phone, my mp3 player is my phone, my computer.....u have seen already.

Just cos you have problems & don't know how to work on Windows doesn't mean it is bad. Its your fault that you can't work on an OS.

I can't work on Linux, cos I don't like the CLI part, I don't like the ability to install applications online only (most of the compatible time). But do I say Linux is bad? I m myself using PClinuxOS on a external HD which I use when I go to use some other computer. I know where it lacks & where it prevails.

You one the other hand just follow what Steve Jobs says. I hope u don't have his pic in your room to which you bow . I mean, if someone says "Arya: JAVA sux cos Steve Jobs said so" when Jobs himself said that he wants proper JAVA support in Leopard...then u just amuse me & everyone else in this forum.