"When Steve Jobs took the stage this week to present one of the most important products in his company's history, he knew that the very name of the iPhone was in dispute and that U.S. communications officials had not even approved the device. Those facts might have concerned other business leaders in his position. But Mr. Jobs didn't miss a beat." More here.
To view parent comment, click here.
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
Member since:2006-11-14
Member since:2005-07-12
Member since:2006-01-15
Member since:2005-07-09
Member since:2005-09-27
I don't think it is the features that make it innovative but its design. That is part of the problem, today. When we look at stuff we like to see a bullet points of features then a price and we make our decisions. I am sure many of Apple Engineers are furious about this mind set.
It is not about features that makes Apple Innovative, it is how the implement them.
The iPhone dosn't really add to much new features on the table over a normal smart phone. But they make it so users can easily access them. Apple spend a lot of time making there products so you focus more on what you need to get done and less on their software/hardware itself.
I know on my phone I Dred putting in contacts in even besides use the
1-0 keyboard to type in stuff. just using the software is a pain even if I had a full keyboard on my cellphone. Or accessing the calculator on it. It takes me forever the way my phone is set up to access a simple calculator.
Will I personally get an iPhone though... Probably not any time soon. The Price is too steep for me, and with the new interface there should be features that I think it should have... iChat AV Support, Add 3rd Party Software.... But that doesn't diminish how innovative the product is. It just personally doesn't match my budget and feature needs, which I feel are more extensive then the average persons.
Member since:2005-07-06
Apple's new phone isn't all that innovative. So it plays MP3s. Big deal. Plenty of phones can already do that.
And there where plenty portable mp3 players when they introduced the iPod.
The success of the iPod was created by the combination of several factors, that was innovative not the device itself. Easily accessable content, the application with the intergrated online musicstore thing. Marketing and branding obviously. And price, it cost about the same as similar devices when it was introduced.
If the iPhone primary functionality as a phone is good, and it keeps the success factors from the iPod there is no reason it should not become a success. Obviously not as big as the iPod, but it will make Apple some money.
Member since:2005-07-06
The problem is, all phones are mediocre at best, most of them being pure crap. Doesn't matter if it is just a plain old phone that does nothing else, or if it is an MP3 player, or a PDA/Smartphone... ALL of them are crap.
Apple is trying to build a device that does all of it in one device which isn't humungous, and have it do what it does well, and with the smoothness that you see in OSX and other Apple apps.
Member since:2005-06-29
Agreed. From what I've seen cell phones are on a downward spiral where they aim for packing in more features without any real polish and very little quality control.
All I want my phone to do is keep a phone book and call people! Everything else is just silly to me, especially given the restrictions they add on from the carrier combined with overpriced extras.
I suppose they have to pay for that cell phone they give you in some way...
Member since:
2006-01-06
One small correction: The issue in dispute is Cisco's registered trademark on the term "iPhone", not a patent.
Apple's new phone isn't all that innovative. So it plays MP3s. Big deal. Plenty of phones can already do that. It remains to be seen whether people will want a combination iPod/phone -- or whether they'll simply buy individual devices. Convergence tends to produce mediocrity. I'm not betting against Apple -- but, I'm not betting on them, either. There are plenty of entrenched players in this market.