There is a Downside to the iPhone



Posted: Monday, September 29, 2008

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The Apple iPhone is clearly a phone sold on its simplicity. Apple was clever in that it new what customers wanted, so they created the iPhone. The iPhone is one of the simplest and easiest phones to use, but it also missed out on a few points, including thinks like copy and paste, limited memory and the cost of using the AT & T service.

Who would have thought the Apple could miss these features? Sometimes, I think that Apple took a script form the old IBM of "planned obsolescence." Let's make a device with limited functionality or enough bells and whistles to get people excited and then BAM change or add new cool stuff and get people to upgrade. That's clearly what happened to the poor folks who bought the 1 st iPhone and then were enticed to chuck it for the iPhone 3G.

Let's talk about some of the things Apple could have done better. What? Memory is still limited to 16G? Even the iPod touch goes up to 32G. Mind you, 16G is pretty hefty if all you're downloading is music and some apps but add a few movies and your 16G will look like a dinosaur PDA. You will very soon run out of space if you like to download lots of content.

Apple could have taken the approach of adding expandable memory such as a microSD card. This card would have been small enough as to not interrupt the beauty of the iPhone and would have given the iPhone 3G extra "life" beyond a one year period.

Battery life is abysmal. Even my old Treo 700p had a longer lasting battery and it was known to be a battery hog, as well. This downside to the iPhone is a very limiting factor. On a recent day outing, I was using the phone only portion of my iPhone and within about 4 hours, I was half full on the battery. Can you imagine if you were listening to music and / or watching videos? Now, there are a few products out there, which I'll discuss in another article that can help you use your iPhone more throughout the day.

And ... what about the AT & T service? I'd say it's average to costly. The minimum cost of using the iPhone on AT & T is something like $75. This only gets you 450 voice minutes, unlimited data (which you'll want) and 200 text messages (who can live without this)? Compared to my Sprint plan it's about 30% more expensive. But, hey, if you want this gorgeous iPhone device, it's the price you must pay.

Let's talk about copy and paste. What does this mean? If you are in an application that has a phone number for example that you want to put into the dialer, there's no way to copy that phone number into the dialer. You'll have to either remember the phone # or write it down and then enter it into the dialer. Not a problem you say? I can't tell you how many times I need to copy something from one application to another so I don't forget it. Copy and paste is a basics feature that all PDA type phones should have.

There you have it, some of my gripes on the iPhone but I still love the device!

David Chan, who is a smart phone enthusiast, shares his experience about working on the iPhone and the possible downsides to the iphone. The iPhone is a beautiful device to be sure, but Apple clearly missed the mark on a few basic things that should have included in the iPhone and its service. Find out more about how to best use the iPhone and even how to win one for free at EveryPathnBeyond.com.

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