iPhone, iPhone!!!!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Jun 27 2007, 11:01 PM) [snapback]469183[/snapback]</div>

Is there a phone that doesn't do internet anymore?

Just for reference, the Nokia N and E series phones use a browser that's based on KHTML... which is the same codebase that pins safari. So the browsers are very closely related cousins.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Alric @ Jun 27 2007, 11:37 PM) [snapback]469202[/snapback]</div>

Are you sure about the first part? Did you look?

And, no, they don't have a 3.5" screen. They do have batteries that can be removed without returning to the manufacturer. They have removable storage media, so you can upgrade without buying a new unit. Um, what else... oh yeah, that whole 'you can install real programs, not web 2.0 applications that aren't really programs' thing too.

 

JohnnyCat argues for argument's sake, as far as I can tell.

So, what 'must have' 3rd party apps are people actually running on their smartphones ? I looked at the listing that Nokia keeps on their website, and could not suppress a yawn.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(EricGo @ Jun 28 2007, 08:55 AM) [snapback]469318[/snapback]</div>

Actually, not so much... I really just don't 'get' the iPhone, since it really doesn't bring much to the table.

And, personally, I love the Office application on my phone, it's great for when I get documents via email. Also quite fond of Resco Radio and the Divx Player.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Alric @ Jun 28 2007, 08:10 AM) [snapback]469256[/snapback]</div>

I don't think it's entirely fair to compare an iPhone to a Nokia N95. Feature-wize, they are in a totally different class. The N95 has GPS, WCDMA, a 5Mpixel camera with a Zeiss lens and video capabilities, and an FM radio. So it would be a real miracle if it were as small as an iPhone.

As far as 3rd party applications are concerned, it looks a bit like Apple is making the same mistake they made with their computers a long time ago. By developing a closed system and sitting too much on the development of applications, they lost the battle for hegemony. Why would you lock yourself away from a community of millions of innovative developers?

For the moment, apparently the only way for 3rd party iPhone development will be through AJAX web apps.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Jun 27 2007, 08:01 PM) [snapback]469183[/snapback]</div>

used?

nah..... we always end up buying in pairs! lol! or HE gets the hand-me-downs!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Alric @ Jun 27 2007, 07:59 AM) [snapback]468800[/snapback]</div>

already several phones on the market that do that including my phone the eNV by LG (LG 9900) and it streams in stereo. dont know if it will do it with a Prius and you have to upgrade to stereo BT headphones, but that has been out since begining of the year.

but still does not compare to the interface which is the ONLY new thing... and well worth buying

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Jan 9 2007, 10:19 PM) [snapback]373472[/snapback]</div>

At the bottom of the Godiva's link to the old "If Microsoft built cars" joke, there's:

• And, best of all ...
• You'd press the "Start" button to shut off the engine.

<div align="left">Sound familiar?
</div>

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(paulccullen @ Jun 28 2007, 05:14 PM) [snapback]469390[/snapback]</div>

[/b][/quote]

Priceless!!!

Fortunately, mine says "Power"

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MegansPrius @ Jan 29 2007, 07:05 PM) [snapback]382504[/snapback]</div>

What they were likely thinking was they didn't want to get sucked into another one of Jobs' expensive 'dedicated' fiascos. Apple (like Sony) has a really bad habit of protecting their patents and technology to their detriment. Jobs has a history of running Apple into the ground with such short-sighted business practices. Apple will rabidly lock-out others from using their technology, thus eliminating anyone else from contributing to the evolution of the product. That's a significant reason why PC took over Mac as the prefered computer OS years ago. I remember vividly how Apple went after Franklin when Franklin's clone of the popular Apple IIe computer began selling well. This essentially limited the computer market to the expensive Apple IIe or one of the cheap IBM PC clones. Jobs' arrogance as to the Apple having a superior OS (which it admittedly did) wasn't enough to overcome the price difference between the PC clones and the 'genuine' Apples. The rest is history.

Something else to be considered is that the iPhone is merely evolutionary, not revolutionary. As others have already pointed out, there isn't a lot the iPhone does that many other cellphones don't already do. Verizon looked at all of this and it probably wasn't too hard to come to the conclusion that the high price of admission to be the iPhone's exclusive distributor doesn't look like such a sure thing.

In fact, wasn't it Jobs who created something of a stir years ago when he announced that 'something' was on the horizon that would revolutionize the world. Then, the 'something' turned out to be the Segway personal electric two-wheeled people mover. Although it was admittedly nice for some modes of urban transportation (most notably mail delivery), the Segway hasn't come close to being the revolution that Jobs claimed it would be.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(rudiger @ Jun 28 2007, 10:33 AM) [snapback]469404[/snapback]</div>

First off, apple didn't start to go into decline until Jobs was kicked out - basically over a difference of opinion on where to take the company. Since his return, part of what he's done was exactly what he had wanted to do back before he got kicked out, and has dramatically helped Apple sales.

As far as the Seqway goes... that was Dean Kamen's little toy. He convinced a bunch of people to invest in it, and of course if Jobs is a part of something he's going to tell you it's the best thing since sliced bread. It's called marketing. Would you buy a product if he came out and said "well, this device is ok, but not really anything great"? I'm not sure what announcement you're referring to, but it's interesting to note that the segway and the iPod came out about the same time... you sure he wasn't referring to the iPod instead?

 

I heard that these things start off at 4 gig capacities? I think that's too small. This is an obvious ploy to just upgrade the iphone later buy just increasing the hd. Sometimes, apple really takes advantage of it's loyal apple buyers.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(burritos @ Jun 28 2007, 10:55 AM) [snapback]469428[/snapback]</div>

4 and 8 gig available. It's using flash memory, not a hard drive. At the time of the announcement, 8 GB was the largest available flash memory they could put in the device. about a month ago (i think) one of the major flash producers (can't remember which one) announced a 16 gig chip that'll be available sometime this year.

So Apple gave it's "loyal apple buyers" the most memory it could. Lets just say that there are advantages to waiting 5-6 months until version 2 comes out

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(eagle33199 @ Jun 28 2007, 09:06 AM) [snapback]469441[/snapback]</div>

dont load music on it and it will be way more than u will ever need. or just use apple compression, load only a few hundred on there...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(eagle33199 @ Jun 28 2007, 11:50 AM) [snapback]469422[/snapback]</div>

Wasn't Jobs running Apple when he sicced his lawyers after the Apple-clone makers? Wasn't he running Apple during the Lisa and NeXT debacles, as well? I guess none of those poor business decisions had anything to do with him getting kicked-out.

The problem was that Jobs got on board and/or made wild, outlandish claims himself way before anyone even knew what 'It' was (when the Segway was known simply as 'It' or 'Ginger'). I believe his exact quote was that 'It' would be "bigger than the PC". Some might call that marketing, but it's the same kind of 'marketing' seen on late-night television infomercials.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(rudiger @ Jun 28 2007, 11:38 AM) [snapback]469465[/snapback]</div>

First, the clone makers. That really had no effect on Apple's sales. Before you start shouting, let me explain with my next point.

Yes, Jobs was working on the Lisa. however, he got kicked out of that group due to infighting, and instead took over their low cost project that produced the Macintosh. The Mac was then a direct competitor to the low cost PC clones out there. The lawsuits on the clone makers for the Apple II didn't really matter in the long run because he ended up killing his own product with a better, low cost model.

NeXT wasn't a deacle, despite what you might have heard. Jobs started it when he left Apple, and while it didn't catch on OSX is essentially the next step (pun intended) for the NeXT operating system he helped create. Not every product is an award winner, but many do eventually lead to products that are.

As far as the segway... it was just marketing. behind closed doors, Jobs had said "I think it sucks!", going on to explain "Its shape is not innovative, it's not elegant, it doesn't feel anthropomorphic". In the end, from everything i've read it didn't seem like he was too fond of it. "You don't have a great product yet!"

All the hype surrounding the Segway was due to a book that was announced before its release entitled "Code Name Ginger: The Story Behind Segway and Dean Kamen's Quest to Invent a New World" Everyone thought it would be great, then did a collective "Wth?"

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(eagle33199 @ Jun 28 2007, 12:54 PM) [snapback]469480[/snapback]</div>

The operative phrase in this passage is "behind closed doors". It sounds like Jobs didn't like the Segway, yet hyped it in public.

Those are good arguments absolving and clearing Jobs' responsibility for the Lisa and NeXT failures, and justification for elminating the Apple-clones. What say you about the Apple III? I believe Jobs was still at the helm of Apple when it was released.

 

yeah, the Apple III was a flop. I'll definitely give you that one... bad engineering, if you ask me. The engineers essentially took what Jobs wanted, and didn't quite get the implementation right, resulting in all the problems. his general desires for the computer weren't impossible, though, as they showed two years later with the Apple III plus (which was a good computer, just mistrusted because of the original Apple III)

I won't say that Apple hasn't had flops before, they have. The flop wasn't in the vision, though - it was mostly in the implementation of that vision. The Lisa was a flop, but brought us the first real GUI.
the iTunes phone (remember the ROKR a few years ago?) was a flop, but perhaps it was what lead to the iPhone.
their stubborn refusal to give up on the 1-button mouse was a mistake, but they still introduced the mouse mainstream.
The Cube... well there's not much i can say about The Cube except it was pretty.
the Newton flopped pretty big, but was still the predecessor to all of the Palm devices and really lead the way into personal organizers and everything that followed those (including smart phones)
The iMac. Honestly, it was a fad. It was a hugely successful fad, but a fad all the same,a and you can't really count fads as successes. It did help get Apple back in the game, though, and created an emphasis in the company of computers as a part of life, not just a clunky business tool.


So yeah, the company and Jobs have had some product flops. But those flops, in general, have always been centered around something that ended up succeeding