iPhone: Impressive, Yes, but What Does It DO? Discussion

[Nine]

Err... daddy?

[blisterpeanuts]

Adama, have you ever used an iPod? They're cool. That's what's going to sell this new phone--the cool factor. Watch for billboards of black silhouetted figures holding their iPod Phones while dancing coolly, intriguing commercials on prime time, etc.

The iPod is a very well engineered product, though I find I need to reset it about once every couple of weeks. Nothing's perfect, I guess. Its sound quality, user interface, and overall execution are superb.

Like someone said above quoting the angry pda user, if Palm would just put a 30 gig hard drive into their Treo it would be 90% of what the iPod loving market needs. I now carry a Palm and an iPod and a Nokia phone. Help.

[madmaxmedia]

Yes, the iPod and its subsequent spawn are merely fad products....Walk up to anyone in the street, and what is more likely to be in their pocket- an iPod or a PDA? The iPod has had an effect on our culture far greater than any PDA- now there's a fad for you. The function may seem basic- play music. But the end user BENEFIT is far more- carry your entire music collection in your pocket (which is more important to most people than spreadsheets), and quickly find and play whatever you want.

You didn't once mention UI or usability in the article, which is EXACTLY what Apple focused on with this product, and went to great pains to emphasize. This is not a product for people who will customize their handheld with 3rd party launchers and WisBar or something like that.

The first question of course should be, 'What does it do?' But the second question must be 'How does it do it?' By going with a largely context-sensitive interface geared around its core functions, Apple has significantly reduced the number of steps it will take for the important stuff that people will actually be doing with this phone. It will beat the Zen of Palm (or Treo) in this regard. No need to take out a stylus, tap on a drop-down menu, etc. This cannot be emphasized enough for a smartphone geared for a large market. It's not that the Treo did a bad job, but this product will totally redefine expectations for UI in handheld devices.

There's been numerous articles and discussions here about how Palm or WinMob or anyone can increase sales of handheld devices. Well, here's the answer. ('But the battery isn't user-replaceable!!' Clue- how often do people remove their batteries? In terms of the entire installed based of a product, not just the roving tech service guy who needs to ssh into their server for hours at a time while in the desert somewhere?)

It won't be perfect, and there will need to be improvements and price drops in future iterations. And there are some issues- how well will the touchsceen work, software expandability, future pricing. But this product redefines what people will expect from smartphones (or whatever you want to call it, doesn't matter) from now on.

And granting all this, I also understand that it is not a product for everybody, there are people who need more power and versatility in a handheld device. But to dismiss this device merely on a spec list is to completely miss the point of why this product was even made.

10 years from now, people are going to see this step (and it is just the first step of several) as going from command-line to GUI.

[madmaxmedia]

Like someone said above quoting the angry pda user, if Palm would just put a 30 gig hard drive into their Treo it would be 90% of what the iPod loving market needs. I now carry a Palm and an iPod and a Nokia phone. Help.

That's exactly why companies like Microsoft fail in these markets- they figure 90% is good enough for something like a music player.

(I'm not talking about market share, I'm talking about their internal design goal for a product.)

[Adama D. Brown]

Adama, have you ever used an iPod? They're cool. That's what's going to sell this new phone--the cool factor. Watch for billboards of black silhouetted figures holding their iPod Phones while dancing coolly, intriguing commercials on prime time, etc.

Unfortunately, I suspect you're right. But that's really not a statement on the functionality of the thing. Apple is brilliant at marketing, but that doesn't neccessarily mean that the iPhone is superior to every other phone, smartphone, or handheld on the market--an idea I've heard espoused many times over the past few days by a number of people.

[Adama D. Brown]

You didn't once mention UI or usability in the article, which is EXACTLY what Apple focused on with this product, and went to great pains to emphasize. This is not a product for people who will customize their handheld with 3rd party launchers and WisBar or something like that.

Perhaps, but the UI doesn't change the overall functions of the thing. I suppose my question is, how many people are comfortable paying $500 for a nice UI and a cool marketing campaign? And now, lacking third-party applications, is there enough functionality there that an elegant UI is needed to make it accessible? Most people can get at the MP3, internet, and video functions of their hardware as it is, if they realize it's there.

Clue- how often do people remove their batteries?

For a phone, that might be more important than even Apple realizes right now.

[madmaxmedia]

Perhaps, but the UI doesn't change the overall functions of the thing. I suppose my question is, how many people are comfortable paying $500 for a nice UI and a cool marketing campaign? And now, lacking third-party applications, is there enough functionality there that an elegant UI is needed to make it accessible? Most people can get at the MP3, internet, and video functions of their hardware as it is, if they realize it's there.

What it changes is what features people actually use on their phones.

You have to separate yourself from the picture, I say that because you can probably pick up any phone at a kiosk and comfortably navigate it within seconds. And can comfortably get around a Palm or WinMob device, as can I.

But we're not most people. What difference does it make if the HP iPaq 6857 can do everything the iPhone can and more, if no one wants to learn/ doesn't enjoy actually using/ will never buy such a phone? The UI is much much more than flashy icons and lickable buttons, it defines the user experience. And here the little things DO matter- like the visual voicemail, or the tight Google Maps integration- why didn't anyone else think of that? Because only Apple truly sweats the UI details.

I totally get that the iPhone is not for you, and possibly won't even be for me (at launch.) But to dismiss the product as a whole without contemplating the interface at any depth is missing why there is so much hype about this phone at all. It's NOT just about colorful ads, or 'flashy' products.

I am with you on the price. But that will inevitably come down, just like it did with the iPod. The thing is, people are going to want this phone when they see other people with it. Cell phones are now the new toy for people to play around with while waiting in line, walking alone somewhere, etc. How much fun can you possibly have playing around with a regular Moto phone? Just wait til people get their hands on the iPhone.

For a phone, that might be more important than even Apple realizes right now.

I agree that could be a concern, definitely more than say an iPod. I still don't get the sense that most people swap batteries very often, although obviously it can be important for heavy users.

[DJ Rome]

iPods are nowhere near this expensive, and it's for a more general group: music listeners. This is trying to market to too specific of a group: the music listener who wants it in their phone as well. Another thing to note is that parents are the main people who buy iPods for kids. This is not a teen-targeted product. Moreover, the iPod is not necessarily the easiest thing to work, and because it was targeted to the youth, they have an easier time getting it to work and not complaining. This demographic may have troubles. But brush all UI and spec and functionality talk aside. Quite simply, the price point is too high. The nokia N95 will be just as spectacular as this device, but at $700, few fish will bite. Sure it puts everything in a device, but if you're an adult (non-geek), you will say (most of them anyways), "Gee, it does the same thing I already have: play music and let me call with my camera phone." The same reasoning will come into play when kids beg for it. "You already have a phone and an iPod. Go away."

Economics, by far, is mostly determined by price.

[Curious Cat]

I wrote a post here at our Apple forum in this thread that applies to the debate here. The gist of it is this; the iPhone may not do everything that everyone wants but it IS capable of doing them. The hardware can certainly handle third party apps or at least the functions they would provide. If people have to have a particular function then it's only a decision, whether or not to make it capable of doing it!

It's like going to a car dealership and saying I really like that car but I don't like that color. What is the response? "What color would you like, I can have it here tomorrow!"

You can't take your Treo and say "make the screen bigger" without getting a new phone but Apple can certainly add most of the features people want if there is enough demand without having to re-manufacture the phone.

[madmaxmedia]

This is trying to market to too specific of a group: the music listener who wants it in their phone as well.

You couldn't be more wrong about this one. This is the first genuinely marketable iteration of a smartphone/simputer (George Gilder) for a mass audience.

(OTOH, all those product mockups we've seen the last few years are what you described- a combo cell phone/ music player. Luckily Apple had the vision to go beyond that goal.)

The music playback was only part of the demo. Most of it focused on various cell phone and connectivity features.

Yes, this price is too high to get mass sales. That doesn't matter for now, Apple will sell everyone they can make for a few months. Then at the next MacWorld, they are gonna increase the specs and functionality and drop the price. After a couple of years of that, they're going to get that 1% (and higher) market share that they used as an example, and they're going to make a ton of money.