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Criticizing Criticisms, Part 5 of 5
No third party apps!
This is one of the biggest iPhone complaints, but notice it comes from developers and power users, not consumers. Most consumers never add anything to their phones, not even a ringtone. Few bother with third party software. (Smartphone users are a different category, so I'm not talking about them.)
Apple's argument is that cell phones are different from computers and need to be extremely reliable. A rogue program that takes down the phone could be disastrous. (Steve Jobs even implied a program could take down AT&T's network, which is a stretch. Though maybe a deliberate attempt to do that could be possible -- i.e. via a virus that attacks the network.)
So for now Apple is only going to allow third party development via mobile Safari -- web apps. This has infuriated and frustrated the development community. They have been wanting to make iPod apps for years and Apple never allowed that, and now Apple's blocking iPhone apps?
However, the biggest advantage of the iPhone for Apple is that it is based on Mac OS X. This not only gives Apple a robust foundation, but it really means that the iPhone is a way of expanding the Apple market. First their was Mac, then there was iPod, and now there's iPhone. We've all heard about the huge accessory market for the iPod, and Apple benefits tremendously when companies make their products iPod compatible as it reinforces the dominate product. Apple now has the chance to extend that same dominance into a new market. With accessories -- and eventually software -- the iPhone could be larger than the Mac market.
Thus I believe that Apple will allow third party development. But Apple is going to do this cautiously. It will not happen right away. First Apple wants to get the product out there, get people using it, get an update or two out to fix any issues and stabilize the platform, and then we'll see some kind of developer program announced. One theory is that it won't happen until after the 3G and other versions of iPhone are released. Others think -- or hope -- Apple's just waiting until Leopard is out, because iPhone development might be contingent upon certain Leopard features. (There are some indications that iPhone's OS is be a version of Leopard, which would explain why Leopard's engineers had to delay it to work on the iPhone.)
What form that developer program will take, we don't know. It could be an extremely limited program where only a handful of companies pay big licensing bucks (millions) to be allowed into Apple's inner iPhone circle. Or it could be broader, where companies sign up to sell programs via iTunes (similar to iPod games) and Apple tests and certifies the programs. Apple would keep a percentage of the sale price for the service. Or perhaps it'll be open so that anyone can create programs, like on other mobile platforms. Who knows?
While I am tremendously excited about the long-term potential of the iPhone, I'm already impressed with what's available already via mobile Safari. First off, many small applications already exist as websites. For instance, when my mom got her iPhone she had just gotten back from France and was asking me about the conversion rate of Euros to dollars. I could have used a widget on my Mac, but instead I turned to the iPhone. I knew it didn't have a built-in conversion widget (yet) so I went to Google and found a conversion website and bookmarked it. Now when she needs to convert funds, she can just bring it up. Not as convenient as a built-in app and it requires Internet access to function, but still useful.
Dozens of cool iPhone applets and games are already available, and there are thousands of iPhone-optimized websites and portals. The phone's only been out a month -- just imagine what the iPhone platform will look like in a year!
So the bottom line is that third party apps are not crucial for the iPhone, not yet. They are important -- vital, even -- for making the iPhone a true third platform for Apple. But it's also important that Apple controls the process and doesn't allow the iPhone to become the wild west like the horrible Windows marketplace.
No wireless syncing!
I've heard a few pundits complain about this one and it's got me scratching my head. Now there are two types of wireless syncing. The first makes no sense to me: syncing music and photos wirelessly, buying iTunes music, etc. Why on earth would I want to do that?
First, if I buy music, I can do that on my computer. An iPhone's useless without a computer (just like an iPod), so it's not like a regular phone that operates on its own. The computer is much more appropriate for complex tasks like buying music, and it's more secure, too. Second, music and photos are large -- gigabytes worth -- so why would I want to sync that stuff wirelessly? I need to plug it in to charge it anyway, so it's not a big deal. Wireless updating is complicated to do right and I only see it benefiting a handful of users.
On the other hand, there's another kind of wireless syncing: real-time updating of calendar and contact information. Wouldn't it be great if any time you made a change to your schedule on your main computer it was instantly reflected on your iPhone? This automatic sync would happen over WiFi or Edge -- whatever connection your phone has available.
A good example of this is my aunt, who's a consultant who is pretty much constantly on the road. My uncle is sort of her manager, and sets up her schedule, books her flights, arranges her hotels, etc. But he's at home making changing to her schedule on the home computer. It would be really neat if that stuff automatically updated on her phone wherever she was.
I can see many businesses where this kind of relationship happens (one person on the road, another at the office). Apparently some other smartphone products support this, and for those people and iPhone won't cut it right now.
But I bet this is coming. It might be via .Mac or some other method, but I bet Apple's working on it.
In the meantime, there are online calendars you can use, or there's email. It's not ideal, but if this isn't a must-have feature, the iPhone's got plenty of ways to work around this limitation.
Conclusion
The iPhone as it is today is not for everyone -- that should be expected. It's brand new. If it doesn't meet your needs because you need a particular feature then don't buy it. What I resent are journalists and pundits who try to tell the public that no one should buy it because of this or that limitation. That's just wrong. The iPhone may not do everything yet, but it does the main things most people want it to do -- and it's just going to get better.
Criticizing Criticisms, Part 4 of 5
There's no spam filter on the email.
There's no filtering of any kind on the iPhone, let alone spam filtering. I wish it did as I love automatic sorting of my emails into folders, but it's not that big a deal. I get hundreds of emails a day to my various accounts but I don't want to deal with all those on my iPhone anyway, so it makes more sense to me to set up a separate email account and forward just the most critical to the iPhone. By doing that I can use my desktop's spam filtering and reduce the number of emails I end up with on my iPhone.
Besides, most people don't get that many emails. This is the kind of thing that only effects power users, and those are exactly the kind of people who know how to set up additional email accounts and other workarounds. Not a deal-breaker.
There's no search within the contacts list.
I've heard of business users who have thousands of contacts on their phones. Finding a particular person can be awkward since the iPhone only lets you jump to names starting with a particular letter. This is not a big deal with only a few hundred people as that might mean you only have 10 or 20 names in each alphabetical letter to look through. But if you have thousands of contacts, that could mean hundreds of names that begin with "S," for instance. That's a lot to scroll through to find the right person.
Still, this is not a problem that will effect most people, who have a reasonable number of contacts. I'm confident Apple will add a simple searching system in an update, but in the meantime, it's not going to bother the majority of iPhone users. Also, iPhone does support contact groups -- so you could set up smaller subsets of contacts (i.e. family and friends, categories of business contacts, etc.) which would help reduce the number of contacts you have to browse through to find someone.
There's no video recording.
This falls under the "nice to have but not essential" category in my mind. But then, I've never even had a cameraphone, let alone a vidphone, so what do I know. But I seriously doubt the lack of video recording would stop someone from buying an iPhone.
It's also possible that this is a feature Apple could add with a software update. After all, video's merely a sequence of still photos. But the quality may not be very good if the iPhone's camera is not really designed for video recording (though rumor has it that the iPhone's camera is very similar to the iSight camera in most Macs), but either way I wouldn't exactly be planning to use the iPhone for your next home movie.
Office documents are read-only!
Before the iPhone launched the world was horrified to think that the iPhone couldn't even read Word files. Then, when it was revealed that it could, people started complaining that it couldn't edit them! Where does it stop?
Do you really want to be editing complicated desktop files on your handheld device? Okay, sure, in a pinch it might be nice to make a correction or addition, so I can see the long-term value, but I can also see why Apple left that functionality out of iPhone 1.0. Perhaps it'll come from Apple or from a third-party down the road, but for right now I don't think enough people see Office editing as a critical feature. Certainly regular people aren't too concerned. Smartphone users might see this as a deal-breaker, but then the iPhone isn't targeting traditional smartphones -- it's focusing on the broader consumer market.
I can't use my iPhone as a modem!
First all the complainers moan about the slow speeds of Edge, then they complain because they can't use the iPhone's Edge connection with their laptop! One reporter wrote that he didn't like having to pay extra for Internet at hotels and liked being able to use his cell phone as a modem.
I must not stay at expensive enough hotels. When I travel, I make it a policy to only stay at places with free WiFi (often a Motel 6 or the local equivalent). If they don't have it, I don't stay, it's as simple as that. I was shocked to learn that some pricey hotels actually charge extra for Internet service. I wouldn't stand for that. That's ridiculous.
I can see how an iPhone-as-modem would be useful in a pinch, but I imagine this is low-priority for Apple. I'm not surprised it didn't make the 1.0 release. AT&T might not be too happy about it either as they might think it's abusing their network. I wouldn't hold your breath for this, but it might be added in the future.
In the meantime, there are hacks to allow this. Right now they are rather complicated, but like all hacks, there will eventually be a simple way to enable this even if Apple doesn't officially support it.
But iPhone doesn't run Program X, which my current Smartphone does and I have to be able to run that program!
Come on, it's unfair to compare the brand new iPhone, out for a month, against long-standing smartphones that have been around for years with tons of software. Those phones all started out with no software, too. Obviously the iPhone will get better and better. Give it a chance. Don't bash it just because it's not as mature as existing phones.
Criticizing Criticisms, Part 3 of 5
The iPhone's battery is built-in and can't be replaced by the user. The whole phone must be sent to Apple for an $80 replacement!
Another ridiculous issue. People have griped about this with iPods for years and it hasn't effected sales. Apple choses to go this route for reasons of design and form factor. A removable battery complicates a device's case considerably as it has to have a clasp and the battery itself needs to plug into a connector. An iPhone would have to be thicker to accommodate a user-replaceable battery.
As long as the original battery is well-built and the iPhone gets decent battery life, why is this a problem? For iPods, third parties have come up with simple home-replacement kits that are under $20 -- and there are services that will replace your battery for you for a reasonable fee (much cheaper than Apple's plan). I'm sure these same companies will offer similar products and services for the iPhone. It's nothing we have to be worried about right now as Apple has stated that during the phone's one year warranty the battery will be replaced for free if it holds less than an 80% charge.
Even if you fully drain and charge your iPhone every single day (highly unlikely), the battery's supposed to last for 400 full cycles, which is more than a year (and "last" means that it holds at least 80% of a charge, not that it dies completely after the 400 cycles). If you just trickle charge your iPhone, topping it off as it needs it, that does not count as a full charge. Therefore I would guess heavy users might need a full charge 3-4 times a week -- which is about two years.
If you're worried about the battery being a problem in that second year, you can check out Apple's AppleCare extended warranty for the iPhone. For just $69 (less than a battery replacement through Apple) your iPhone's battery is covered for two years. However, it is worth reading the fine print in the legal documentation, as the battery will only be replaced for free under AppleCare if it holds less than 50% of a charge (not the 80% of the one year warranty).
If that's not enough, get one of the many battery packs offered for iPods. These packs hold regular 9-volt or AA batteries and attach via the iPod dock connector. Most work with the iPhone and extend the phone's battery significantly -- certainly enough for a critical phone call or three. You can also use just about any of the iPod charging systems on the market to charge your phone in a car or from a laptop computer.
Most critics have been positive about the iPhone's battery life -- it lasts much longer than most predicted. (I only need to recharge mine every two or three days, and I do a lot of WiFi web surfing on the thing.) Yeah, having to deal with a sealed battery is annoying -- but it's not that big a deal. Apple even offers an iPhone rental (for $29) for you to use while yours is being fixed. And since your iPhone's entire contents are backed up when you sync and can easily be restored to the rental, the loaner phone is exactly like your own! (A temporary phone an alternative is to use your iPhone SIM card in your original AT&T cell phone, if you had one. It won't have your contacts or other information, but should work on AT&T's network for making and receiving calls.)
8GB isn't enough storage!
Perhaps for you it isn't. Everyone's media needs are different. Judging from the sales of Apple's iPods, however, with lower capacity memory-based units outselling the hard drive ones, most people are happy to make the less-storage-smaller-device trade-off. I have a 30GB iPod and I don't have enough media to fill it. While it's nice to have that extra space for expansion, I really don't need 700 hours of music at a time. I simply created a few iPhone smart playlists that copy over my all-time favorites and a few random songs to the iPhone and I'm golden. In fact, I probably would have been fine with just 4GB -- but I opted for the 8GB because the cost difference was negligible and I figured the resale value of the smaller model would be considerably less in the long run.
You can't add memory to the iPhone -- there's no expansion slot!
You know, expansion slots are one of those things that sound great but few people actually use. Most people either never add memory to their phones or they buy a memory card and fill the slot and never remove the card. In either case the slot is not really being used as a slot. That is, the removable card isn't being used as sort of a floppy disk for moving data around. Perhaps a handful of power users do swap cards, but most people don't. So how is that different from buying an iPhone with a preset amount of memory?
Memory card fans like to say that with an expansion slot they can buy just the amount of memory they want instead of being limited to preset amounts defined by the manufacturer. But come on: is there really any cost advantage to being able to choose between .5GB, 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, 6GB, or 8GB compared to 4GB or 8GB with the iPhone? Do we really need all those confusing choices?
The real reason phone manufacturers put in memory slots is so they can lowball the amount of memory in the phone and cut their costs. They ship phones with paltry amounts of memory, like 32MB or 64MB -- and expect you to stick in a GB card. But of course the cost of that card is never included in pricing comparisons, so their phone looks cheaper than one like the iPhone that has the memory built-in.
Another problem with phones with low memory is that since most people don't bother upgrading -- either out of ignorance, fear, or cheapness -- the phone's performance suffers. The phone's software must be written to work with the tiny amount of built-in memory as you cannot assume the user will add more. Apple, by knowing all iPhones have at least 4GB, is free to create much more powerful software without worrying that users have not expanded the memory as they should have.
The bottom line is that while a few people would like an expansion slot, the vast majority of people would never use it -- so why include it just for those few that are technical enough to deal with memory cards?
The iPhone's headphone jack is recessed! It's the end of the world!
Oh come on -- you bought an iPhone and can't afford $7 for an adapter? Big whoop. I don't know why this is even a complaint: I'd choose the iPhone's sleek design and form factor over a non-recessed headphone jack any day.
Yeah, I do think Apple should have just included a free adapter with the phone. It would have eliminated this one source of complaints and it would have been less frustrating to people who didn't know about this limitation until they got their iPhone home and tried to use their own headphones with it and found out they couldn't.
I cannot live without custom ringtones.
I'll admit that the lack of custom ringtones does surprise me. While I understand that 1.0 products won't have everything, this obvious ommision seems a little odd.
However, considering that ringtones are usually sold and are big business for cell phone companies, I imagine Apple is having to wade through a lot of negotiations over how ringtones on the iPhone are handled. Will you be able to buy ringtones on the iTunes Store? (This strikes me as the most likely scenario.) Will you be able to turn existing songs into ringtones? (Perhaps for a fee or via a hack, but unlikely as a free option.)
I'm sure this is coming in the first iPhone software update. However, it's not exactly the end of the world that iPhone 1.0 doesn't support it. I mean, come on -- just a few years ago you only had one ring choice and you liked it.
For the brave or impatient of you, there already are hacks to add your own ringtones, and even software programs to do this for you. Another non-issue.
Criticizing Criticisms, Part 2 of 5
AT&T sucks.
I can't argue with this one. My past experiences with the company have not been good, though I must confess my recent dealings have been remarkably positive. Perhaps the company has changed. I don't know. But honestly, I don't think AT&T is much different from any other wireless company. They are all greedy, behemoth corporations with massive bureaucracy who treat customers as necessary evils, not what keeps them in business. Everyone I know complains about their wireless company, but for most switching is pointless because the others are just as bad.
It's also vital to remember that the United States is a huge country and service -- including customer service -- varies considerably depending on where you live. I happen to live in an area with good AT&T coverage, which probably translates into lots of AT&T service centers (there's one just fifteen minutes from me), which means better customer service.
I get annoyed when I read a review that rips the iPhone because AT&T coverage in the reporter's area sucks. No doubt AT&T's working on expanding their coverage, but the reality is that as large as the company is, it's not the end-all, and no single company can cover everywhere. I would advise any potential iPhone buyer to check AT&T's coverage in their area prior to making an iPhone switch. But don't blame iPhone for AT&T's limitations.
Edge is slow.
Everyone's been harping on the fact that the iPhone uses AT&T's slower Edge network instead of a fast 3G network. This is nonsense.
First, remember that Edge has a much wider coverage -- 3G is only available in a few places in the United States right now. What good does 3G hardware do you if the network doesn't exist where you want to use it?
Slow is relative. For me, with no cellular Internet at all prior to iPhone, Edge is surprisingly decent. It downloads email and Google maps works fine. Safari's a little pokey, but I just avoid photo-heavy sites and use "mobile" versions of websites if they are available.
Remember, you don't use an iPhone the same way you'd use an Internet capable laptop: you won't be downloading huge files or even web surfing the same way. Most iPhone Internet access is quick web look-ups or emailing, for which Edge is more than capable.
For me, just the ability to use the Internet anywhere is mind-boggling. Already I've used Google Maps for traffic information, checked movie showtimes while I was near a theatre and had some free time, found restaurants, and more. As a diabetic, having access to CalorieKing.com in my hand is empowering -- now I can research calories and carbohydrates online when I'm at the restaurant and trying to decide what's healthy to order!
Besides, iPhone supports WiFi, which is gobs faster than any 3G network. I use my iPhone all the time on my home WiFi network -- it's great for reading news websites while watching TV. And I've been surprised at the number of places that have free WiFi. Many don't even advertise it, but it's there if you look.
If nothing else, I can use Edge to find the nearest free WiFi location!
Granted, those who are accustomed to living on their Internet smartphones may not like Edge, but the honest truth is that for the vast majority of people out there, Edge is sufficient and will enhance their lives. Edge is not ideal, but it's far better than nothing.
I don't like the tone of many reviews that seem to think Edge cripples the iPhone and makes it useless. It does not. In the future when iPhone is available with 3G support and 3G networks are widespread, Edge will seem primitive. But for now, iPhone with Edge is still a step forward.
The iPhone virtual keyboard is awkward and severely limits the iPhone audience.
Really? I don't find it so. But then I'm used to trying to type letters in with a numeric keypad and the iPhone's beautiful keyboard is heaven in comparison. I suppose if you're used to a hard keyboard like those on smartphones the iPhone soft keyboard takes getting used to, but it's really easy to use. A few minutes of practice and most are getting along fine.
The iPhone's soft keyboard is not necessarily the fastest way to enter text, but is speed the primary concern of most people? I don't think it is. For power users, yes, for heavy texters and teens, maybe. But for regular people? No. Regular people just want simple and easy, and the iPhone succeeds in that category. Most regular people won't do more than enter a few bits of text at a time: type a sentence in an email, type a URL or a search term in Google, etc. Regular people are not going to try to write novels on this thing, believe me.
Yet the interesting thing is that once you get used to the iPhone keyboard, I bet you could write a novel on it. It learns your habits and gets better, so the more you type the better it is at guessing what you meant and fixing your mistakes.
Besides, the whole point of the iPhone is that all the buttons are created via software: the keyboard will just get better! While I can see that the keyboard may make a few people hesitate, the vast majority of people won't think of it as a problem. It's really a non-issue.
The full Internet? There's no Flash! There's no Java! It's useless!
Okay, even smartphone experts have agreed that the web browsing experience on the iPhone is second to none. Yes, it currently does not support Flash (or Java), but is that really such a big deal?
The biggest use of Flash on the Internet is video, primarily YouTube. But YouTube videos do work on the iPhone, if they are in the right format (and Google is converting all their videos to the superior H.264 codec).
As for other uses of Flash, I'm not convinced it's such a big deal. Most Flash stuff is just eye-candy and it shouldn't be a requirement. Even for desktop computers I'm extremely critical of websites that only offer Flash versions. For sites that offer non-Flash versions, the iPhone will work fine for those. And sites that don't -- well it's their loss. They're the ones giving up the hits. I can't imagine there are that many critical sites (i.e. non-entertainment) that depend on Flash. At any rate, this is something that may be fixed with a software update if enough people demand it, so it's a non-issue for me.
As for Java, well, Java apps usually suck. They don't really act like native apps and they aren't very fast. While it might be nice to have a programming environment on the iPhone, I'm not convinced Java is the answer.
Finessing The Computer Depreciation Game
Unfortunately, while a ten-year-old (or more) automobile can still be excellent, few-compromises transportation, a ten year old computer is a poor platform for anything but the least demanding tasks. It's part of the price we pay for a rapidly advancing technology, but I still detest watching the value of anything I buy melt away with every tick of the clock.
On the other hand, as with my collection of elderly vehicles, by buying used (or refurbished) you can make depreciation work in your favor.
For example, my current number-one workhorse computer is a 1.33 GHz 17" PowerBook - a model that was introduced in September, 2003, with a list price of U.S.$2999.99. Too rich for my blood in '03, but the price had dropped to $1,499.00 as an Apple Certified Refurbished unit when I purchased it in February, 2006, representing a 50% saving off the price new. Over the ensuing 17 months, the value of this machine has diminished by another $300 or so, which isn't too bad. I'm certainly getting a lot less hosed by depreciation than I would be with a new MacBook or MacBook Pro.
Of course, I'm not getting Core 2 Duo performance, but the G4 is still plenty lively enough for my needs in practical terms, and after 18 months using what is essentially now a nearly four-year-old design, I'm still not feeling at all cramped or that my workflow is being slowed down or inhibited by using this computer for production.
Indeed, I'm still spending a lot of production time (for example right now) on my number two computer, a 550 MHz G4 upgraded Pismo PowerBook, which has truly proved a depreciation-beater, especially for those of us who purchased ours used. I got mine when it was a year old in October, 2001, for the equivalent (it was a trade) of about $1,400.00, and that included auxiliary Zip and SuperDisk expansion bay modules. It's hard to but a value on this computer today, because it's been hotrodded with a RAM upgrade, a G4 processor upgrade, and several other add-ons, it's getting a bit long in the tooth, needs the CCFL backlight tube replaced, and so forth, but it still works great and at this point, who cares? I've gotten so much use out of it, it really owes me nothing.
However, for folks who bought new Pismos back in 2000, they initially depreciated about 45% in the first year.
High-end PowerBooks were traditionally fast depreciators, partly because their prices were artificially inflated to begin with. Early adopters of the high-end WallStreet 292 MHz G3 Series 'Books paid $5,599 for the privilege in 1998. A year later you could buy a refurb. WallStreet 300 MHz machine for $2,000. That represented a mind-numbing $3,600 (64.3 percent) depreciation over ONE YEAR. What other high-ticket consumer commodity depreciates 60 to 70 percent over two years? None that I can think of even comes close.
This freefall depreciation of high-end Apple notebooks has been less pronounced in the aluminum PowerBook and MacBook Pro era. A year-old Revision A 17" MacBook Pro still commands about $1,800 - $2,000 refurbished or used, which is still $800 - $1,000 depreciation over one year, but that's a lot better than $3,600! Of course this partly reflects the lower selling price of high end notebooks these days, but you could still buy a new low-end MacBook and throw it away at the end of a year for only a little more than you will lose on depreciation on a 17" MacBook Pro over the same interval.
Starting at a lower price point is crucial to minimizing the depreciation bite. One way to do this is to buy a computer with a lower price point like a MacBook, so long as it has the power and features to do what you need to do with it.
Another angle is to make depreciation work for you. The flip-side of the depreciation equation is that you can buy a computer that was the cutting edge a year or two ago, and that still has plenty of potential, for a very attractive price today.
Consequently, my provisional philosophy has been to buy low-end if I'm going new, and high-end if I'm buying used or refurbished. I've purchased three brand new 'Books over the past 11 years, and they were all the least-expensive model in their family at the time - a base, grayscale screen PowerBook 5300, a 233 MHz PDQ WallStreet, and a 700 MHz G3 CD-ROM iBook. Conversely, my used/refurb. machines have been high-end spec. models - 500 MHz Pismos and a 17" PowerBook G4. Respectively, I've minimized my depreciation losses on new hardware and maximized my advantage form depreciation when purchasing used.
Works for me.
Does it make sense to buy, say, a refurb 15" 2.16 GHz Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro for $1,600 when you can get very respectably equipped new 2.0 GHz Core 2 Duo MacBook $1,099? Maybe. The MacBook Pro still has some very cool features, expandability, and video muscle than you get on the MacBook. Apple Certified Refurbished computers have an identical 12-month warranty and the same AppleCare extension eligibility as new Macs. I've never regretted buying either my Pismo or 17" PowerBook compared with contemporaneous new hardware at the time of purchase.
Early adopters who buy high-end machines - the cutting edge of the cutting edge if you will - have always gotten hosed a lot worse that those who go for the more modest low-end versions of the same model.
One other consideration; one of my offspring bought one of the very last Lombard 333 MHz machines back in February, 2000, and at times regretted not waiting another month and picking up a 400 MHz Pismo with DVD, a 100 MHz system bus, and a full MB of cache for the same money. Apple tends to release notebook revisions fairly reliably in April-May and October-November, so if you are not desperate for a new machine, perhaps the safest plan is to wait until the next new revision is introduced before making your final decision.
On the other hand, buying a computer at the end rather than the beginning of its production run usually means that bugs and teething problems that often afflict early-production units will have been ironed out.
***
cmoore@macopinion.com
Provisionally, you can access The Road Warrior Archive to Jan. 16, 2006 by clicking here.
Note: Letters to The Road Warrior may or may not be published in The Road Warrior Mailbag at the editor's discretion. Correspondents' email addresses will NOT be published unless the correspondent specifically requests publication. Letters may be edited for length and/or context.
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CM
Criticizing Criticisms, Part 1 of 5
As a student of sociology and technology, the iPhone phenomena is fascinating to me. I've been reading everything I can find about the iPhone lately. What's remarkable is how consistent all the reviews and commentary have been. They pretty much rehash the same limitations and criticisms (many without any deep analysis).
Sure, most praise the fantastic interface, but even there most fail to grasp the real significance. (A few have compared the iPhone to the breakthrough of the original Mac OS and I say that's getting closer.)
So let's take a look at the popular criticisms of the iPhone and see what they really mean.
We'll begin by looking at a comment I wrote in a previous column:
If you look at the criticisms of the iPhone, 99% of them are things that only matter to power users.
That should give you my perspective. Though I consider myself a power user -- I've hardly watched live TV since 1988 when I got my first VCR and figured out how to time-shift by using it to record shows -- I am well aware that the vast majority of people are not me and would not put up with technical hassles that I will. Thus I'm always putting people into categories of the technical (a handful of us) and the non-technical (99% of the world), and when I comment on technology, I take that into consideration. What works or doesn't work for the technophile does not mean the technology is appropriate for the average person.
One final aside before I begin my analysis: just because I'm criticizing iPhone criticisms, that does not mean the iPhone is flawless. I will cover iPhone flaws in a different article. Besides, if you disagree with any of my contentions, that's what the feedback comments are for!
So let's take a look at some of the common criticisms of the iPhone. We'll start with the low-hanging fruit and get to more essoteric criticisms later.
The iPhone is expensive.
This is a joke. I'm not saying the iPhone is cheap, but in the world we live in there ain't no free lunch. Everything costs something. Price is relative.
From my perspective, just about everyone in the world drives a more valuable car than me. But I just can't imagine spending $30K or more on a vehicle. Even $20K is steep. I just want something safe and reliable. I don't need a Lexus.
Something is expensive when there's a comparable product available for less. A Lexus is expensive compared to other high-end brands. In the case of the iPhone, there is no comparable product. Yes there are other cellular phones out there, even Internet-capable phones: but none has the iPhone combination of ease-of-use, unique interface, simple computer syncing, built-in iPod, Apple design esthetic, and Mac OS X foundation.
I certainly agree that the iPhone is a high-end product. But look what you are getting: the largest and highest-resolution screen ever for a mobile device, unprecedented software, much higher memory capacity than most phones, built-in camera, WiFi, and Bluetooth, sensors for rotation, light, and proximity, long battery life, a tough glass screen (most devices use cheap plastic), the Apple logo, and Mac OS X (that's a hundred bucks right there).
One must also keep in mind that iPhone combines several devices in one. If an iPod is worth $250 and a smart cell phone $200, that leaves $150 for the operating system, software, and Internet functionality. Not a bad deal. And don't forget that an iPhone -- because it's an iPod and WiFi Internet device -- has significant resale value even without cellular service.
Okay, the iPhone itself is worth the price, but when you tack on the monthly cellular bill, the true cost is $2000 and that's expensive.
Again, I won't say that owning an iPhone is cheap, but blaming network costs on a device is ridiculous. Blame AT&T, not Apple. Blame all the carriers. They are the ones jacking up the prices and ripping people off. The reality is all cell phone plans are outrageously expensive and the industry standard is to lock people into absurd multi-year contracts. That's not Apple's fault. It's unfair to blame the iPhone for the industry's flaws.
The truth is that the iPhone service plan is remarkably reasonable. It's hard to find any cellular plan (short of pre-paid) that is less than $40 a month, so the iPhone is really just an additional $20. For that you get unlimited data service. That's not such a bad deal -- most other carriers charge double that. Yes it might be nice if the iPhone was available without it, but iPhone without Internet is a crippled device, and I can see why both AT&T and Apple do not want that.
Besides, most people are already accustomed to paying their regular cellular bill, so for most the iPhone is a few dollars more a month. For some switching from other networks and used to paying $40/month for data, the iPhone cost is actually less!
The two-year contract with AT&T is unfair.
I don't like the idea of the two-year commitment, but it's really not that big a deal. People commit to these all the time and have long since stopped worrying about it. The early termination fee is about three months of service, so if you really got into a financial pickle it might save you money to terminate instead of continuing to pay the service fee every month.
Besides, as people have posted on the Internet, there are simple ways to activate your iPhone without a contract if you don't want the commitment. (The simplest is to enter all 9's as your social security number so you fail the credit check and go on AT&T pay-in-advance plan.)
The Road Warrior Mailbag - July 30, 2007
Pismo Trackpad
Re: Pismo question
PowerBook Temps
Consumer Electronics Upgrade Addiction vs. Your Retirement Security
Problem with Pismo trackpad
From Sam
Dear Charles,
I am a proud user and owner of the unmatchable G3 PowerBook Pismo. I have enjoyed and appreciate your articles on the Pismo for many years. I too agree that it is one of the best Apple laptops ever.
This weekend I purchased an iPhone and quickly learned it requires a feature absent on my Pismo, a USB 2.0 port.
I have searched the internet and have not found any solution for connecting the two. There is still a good size PowerBook-without-USB-2.0 community out there, so this seems like a great opportunity for an article, discussion, and product.
Is there such a thing as a cable that converts Firewire to USB 2.0? Do you know of a solution to connect an iPhone to a G3 PowerBook (or G4 Cube or G4 Quicksilver or G3 iBook)?
Thank you.
Yours,
Sam
Hi Sam;
You need a USB 2.0 CardBus adapter.
Please see my column: "USB 2.0 For Older CardBus PowerBooks" from last january:
Should tell you what you need to know.
Charles
http://www.macopinion.com/index.php/site/more/usb_20_for_older_cardbus_powerbooks/
From Tyler
Hey Charles!
I bought a Pismo off of eBay about 6 months ago as a backup machine to my MacBook. First of all, what a great machine! I have read your articles since about 2001, and I know you are a big Pismo fan.
Anyway, it was working great until about a week ago. I had used the machine for about an hour, surfing the web and listening to music. I then put the machine to sleep, and didn't use it for a few days. When I woke it up, the trackpad wouldn't respond. Plugging in a USB mouse works, but the PowerBook not longer recognizes the trackpad in the Apple System Profiler, so I believe the trackpad has failed. I zapped the PRAM, and zeroed out the hard drive and did a complete reinstall of Mac OS X, and still no trackpad. I also have a PowerBook G3 (Lombard) that I don't use anymore, and I was wondering if it would be possible to take the upper case (which contains the trackpad) from the Lombard and put it on the Pismo. Do you know if this is possible?
Thanks for your help and keep up the great work! I read most of your work on AppleLinks, MacOpinion, Low End Mac, and PowerBook Central!
Tyler
Hi Tyler;
Interesting. I had never heard of a Pismo trackpad failure before another reader reported one last week.
The cases of the Pismo and Lombard are near-identical, so the Lombard trackpad would have a good chance of fitting the space physically, however the two machines have completely different motherboard designs, so where you might run into trouble would be with the connection of the Lombard trackpad to the Pismo motherboard.
Frankly, I don't know. One suggestion; go to iFixIt.com and compare the respective teardown guides for the two machines. Their illustrations are very good, and it might be discernable as to whether a swap looks doable.
Thanks for the kind words.
Charles
Re: Pismo Trackpad
From Tyler
Hi Charles,
Thanks for the reply. I went ahead and stripped down the Lombard and the Pismo. I turns out there are subtle differences in the top case that make the two incompatible. The two main things where the ribbon cable for the trackpad, and the fact that the Pismo has its AirPort carriage mounted on the top case. That probably wouldn't be a problem if I didn't use AirPort, but I use it everday, so that didn't work out. i went ahead and ordered a new top case off of eBay, so that should hopefully fix it, unless it is a motherboard problem.
Thanks again for your help!
Tyler
Hi Tyler;
I was apprehensive about something like that. For two machines that appear to be almost identical, the Lombard and Pismo are vastly different under the skin.
Hope the eBay part works out for you.
Charles
Re: Pismo Trackpad
From Tyler
Well, this story has a sort of a sad ending. I got the new top case today, and unfortunately, it did not solve the problem. I suppose I could order a new motherboard and see if that fixes it, but I am leaning towards buying a stripped down Pismo off of eBay (with no processor, RAM, hard drive, keyboard, airport, Optical drive, or battery). I would probably just give up on the Pismo altogether, but I have a NewerTech extended life battery for it, as well as a slot loading combo drive. Maybe I will sell it off in pieces and then purchase a first generation 15 inch AlBook for my "extra" laptop.
Thanks for your help!
Tyler
Hi Tyler;
Dreadfully sorry to hear that the replacement trackpad didn't fix the problem. It's looking like a mobo issue.
I don't blame you for being frustrated with Pismos right now, but this sort of trouble is atypical. I think that buying a stripper and swapping your existing bits in is a good approach.
An option to consider is buying one of the batch of Pismos Wegener Media has right now. You could query them as to discounts for leaving components off.
I bought one of these a couple of months ago, and it's in very nice shape.
http://www.wegenermedia.com/pismo4.htm
Charles
From Laurie
OK, so it worked fine for 8 hours.
After a while, the hard drive starts clicking continuously. Like a very loud ticking clock. Then the application hangs up and you can't even force quit. You have to shut down with the power button. Takes several attempts to restart (same loud ticking, hangs up either in grey screen or right after log-in), then when you finally get the desktop, the dock has reverted back to its original icons, except half of them are now question marks, and none of the folders (pictures, music etc,) have icons anymore. Just plain folders. It's OK for an hour or so and then the ticking starts again and... you know the rest.
I've been through this several times today and I'm worn out. I even tried updating Tiger, to no avail. I'm wondering if perhaps Tiger is just too much for the Pismo?
The hard drive is an IBM Travelstar 60GB, 5400RPM, it says "ATA/IDE." I'm on the old Pismo now and am just reading the label on the HD.
Hi Laurie;
Sounds like you might have a defective hard drive. You could try swapping the hard drive from your other Pismo in as a diagnostic test.
I can assure you that Tiger purrs like a kitten on both of my Pismos - one a 500 MHz G3 and the other a 550 MHz G4.
If the hard drive is crapping out it can cause bizarre behavior. However, if it acts the same with another HD in situ, then we would have to begins suspecting bad RAM, a bad processor daughtercard, or even the motherboard, in that order. From what you;re f=describing, I strongly suspect a hardware issue.
Charles
Re: Pismo question
From Laurie
Turns out the hard drive was defective. The seller replaced it with a fairly new 100GB job for $40, installed Tiger for me plus swapped out RAM from the previous Pismo and hooked me up with about $1000 worth of software (I never said that...) He was a doll about it.
So far so good... and now I know that a ticking hard drive means death.
Hi Laurie;
Not always, but it's a sign something is amiss. Sometimes software issues can make a hard disk lose its composure, but your problem did sound like a bad HD. Delighted to hear that you got it sorted out. $40 is a decent price for a 100 GB HD.
Charles
From Neil Anderson
"130 degrees is definitely warm for a Pismo, but not off the charts. Actually, that's what my 17" G4 PowerBook is running right now."
My 15" G4 1GHz PowerBook is running at, according to the iStat Pro widget, 110°. Not bad for a central BC July day.
Consumer Electronics Upgrade Addiction vs. Your Retirement Security
From Neil Anderson
Sobering numbers. With the average lifespan getting longer, most folks are going to have to work longer. Shouldn't be a problem — a lot of young folks have no compunction about not working. 
From Jacek Rochacki
Dear Charles:
With regard to Pismo trackpad problem:
I wonder if the Pismo Hardware Test has been used/runned on this malfunctioning machine. I remember similar problem on one of Pismos at home, and the reason was of software nature.
Unfortunately Laurie didn't tell the version of OS. I presume that it is most probably one of Mac OS versions, but I have found this:
http://lists.debian.org/debian-powerpc/2001/02/msg00147.html
http://lists.debian.org/debian-powerpc/2001/02/msg00148.html
Oh yes I know that Debian is LinuX, but LinuX and Mac OS X are constructed in somehow similar way. And I read there: ...The trackpad is an ADB mouse afaik...Pismo doesn't have the ADB port as such, so the mouse used by Laurie must be USB. Therefore fact that it works or not is not necessarily connected with the state of trackpad.
So the internal ADB "system" must be malfunctioning- software wise (OS, more precisely - trackpad driver - http://lists.apple.com/archives/Darwinos-users/2002/May/msg00022.html
or something hardware wise, or just the trackpad is "broken" itself. The trackpad is removable: we can read on it here:
http://www.powerbookmedic.com/xcart1/files/Powerbook_G3_Pismo_Rep.pdf
I understand, that this:
http://lowendmac.com/pb2/pismo.shtml
Symptom: trackpad responds during boot, but not later.
Solution: disable Kensington Startup ADB extension. ... reading further: ...There is an incompatibility between the Kensington Startup ADB extension and the Trackpad control on the iBook with Mac OS 9.0.4. Symptom: trackpad responds during boot, but not later. Solution: disable Kensington Startup ADB extension. This may also apply to other USB portables and versions of the Mac OS.There is an incompatibility between the Kensington Startup ADB extension and the Trackpad control on the iBook with Mac OS 9.0.4. Symptom: trackpad responds during boot, but not later. Solution: disable Kensington Startup ADB extension. This may also apply to other USB portables and versions of the Mac OS. doesn't apply.
--
I appologize if all above doesn't apply to this case.
As always
Jacek in Poland
Thanks for this Jacek;
I've forwarded your note to Laurie.
Charles
Provisionally, you can access The Road Warrior Archive to Jan. 16, 2006 by clicking here.
Note: Letters to The Road Warrior may or may not be published in The Road Warrior Mailbag at the editor's discretion. Correspondents' email addresses will NOT be published unless the correspondent specifically requests publication. Letters may be edited for length and/or context.
If you would prefer that your message not appear in The Road Warrior Mailbag, we would still like to hear from you. Just clearly mark your message "NOT FOR PUBLICATION," and it will not be published.
CM
Cup Half Full or Half Empty?
Let's go back in time one month. Prior to the iPhone launch, financial analysts were not predicting a guaranteed hit. Of course there was reason to suspect the iPhone would be a success -- Apple's iPod track record, the tremendous iPhone interest, Steve Jobs' electrifying keynote demonstration -- but analysts were cautious. After all, this was an expensive device and there were no guarantees that customers would actually rush out to buy a $600 cell phone. Remember all the negatives: two-year contract, AT&T only, no 3G, no keyboard, poor battery life, etc.
There were many who wondered if the iPhone would be a huge flop. Their reasoning was that very few 1.0 products are huge successes: it takes time for a product to mature into usability beyond the "early adopter" crowd. Sure, there would be a large spike of sales the first weekend -- the pent-up demand and Apple's loyal fanbase guaranteed that. But would sales continue? That was the real question.
Back then, I saw articles claiming that Apple might sell as many as 50,000 phones in that first weekend. The interesting thing is that was considered an extraordinary amount for a brand new item in an extremely competitive product category.
As we got closer to the launch date, however, perceptions began to change. The AT&T rate plans were announced and were surprisingly reasonable. People began lining up to buy the phones days in advance. When the first reviews came out (Mossberg and Pogue), they were astonishingly positive. No doubt competitors like Nokia were cursing because their hopes of a flashy-but-flawed device were broken. Suddenly it seemed like the demand for the iPhone was genuine, and not just from a few fanboys.
That's when the sales speculation began. With nothing more than rumors and innuendo for data, analysts began to up their projections: 100K, 150K, 200K. One analyst actually revealed his calculation method: he guesstimated how many minutes a sale would take, multiplied that by a guess at the number of sales clerks in a store, and multiplied that by the number of stores. His assumption, of course, was that the stores would run at maximum capacity -- essentially doing nothing but selling phones for the entire weekend nonstop -- and the result was a 450,000 phone sales mark.
After that the damn broke, and I saw articles claiming 500K as the "expected" number, and others stretched it to 700,000!
Then, as the weekend hit and -- surprisingly -- there were not huge shortages of iPhones, with many stores still having stock Monday morning, the rumor started going around that Apple must have manufactured one million phones in expectation of heavy demand. So that sort of "confirmed" the idea that Apple must have sold a half million or so iPhones: the sales guesses and inventory levels sort of matched.
Forget that Apple had never revealed any inventory amounts, never stated how many units were sent, on average, to their stores or to AT&T stores, nor even speculated at how many iPhones they hoped to sell over the initial weekend.
The bottom line is that the only number Apple has ever stated was a goal of "10 million iPhones sold by the end of 2008." All the other numbers we had were figments of people's imaginations. In other words, wild guesses!
So, this brings us up to Tuesday, when Apple's stock got knocked down about eight percent when AT&T, in their quarterly statement, revealed they'd "only" activated 146,000 units. AT&T's numbers seemed low compared to reports of 500,000+, and a few worried investors sold Apple stock.
Of course this was in just 30 hours, not the whole weekend, and AT&T's initial activation problems were widely reported. The AT&T number also didn't take into consideration phones being bought as gifts or with the intention of reselling on eBay (a plan that flopped for most).
So we still had no idea how many phones were sold.
Then yesterday Apple released their quarterly financial statements. Buried in them was the news that Apple sold 270,000 iPhones in those 30 hours. Horrible, right? Half of the "expected" 500,000 phones?
But wait. Let's look at things more deeply. Actually, it was closer to 20 hours since the Apple Stores were only selling iPhones for six hours on Friday the 29th and (maybe) 14 hours on Saturday. Remember, Apple's sales numbers are only for the quarter, which ended that Saturday night. While AT&T's automated activations could take place all night, Apple's stores were only open during business hours.
Next, let's remember that Apple, like most online merchants, does not charge credit cards until a product ships -- and since online orders had a "2-4 week" ship schedule we can assume that no online orders shipped that weekend. Which means that Apple's quarterly results includes no online orders, and no sales from the rest of the weekend.
How many people were put off by the initial crowds and lines and figured they'd wait, only to hear over the weekend that the lines were gone and Apple still had phones in stock? Those people might have gone out on Sunday or Monday to pick up their iPhones!
Finally, do the weekend sales really matter? The analysts all got caught up in the numbers game, but would it matter if Apple sold 70,000 over the weekend and 200,000 on Monday? No. What's significant is how many Apple has sold overall, not just in one weekend.
Some might think the initial weekend is a good number to know because it gives us an idea of the appeal, but with six month's anticipation and hype over the product, judging long-term demand by one fervid weekend is a giant mistake. No matter what the first weekend's numbers are an anomaly. Sales will obviously cool after that initial surge and the real question is, "How many iPhones continue to be sold today?"
The answer is: we don't know. Apple hasn't told us. Apple did report that they are on target for one million iPhones to be sold in the iPhone's first quarter (end of September). That sounds like a much more reasonable number. I think Apple will beat it (they might have already, for all we know), but it's a solid, conservative, and totally reachable goal. It also fits in perfectly with their 10 million goal. And keep in mind, not only is this iPhone 1.0, but it's also USA-only: with Europe and Asia to come, Apple's got a lot of room left for iPhone growth.
Remember, it took Apple nearly two years to sell one million iPods. Granted, the iPhone is building on the iPod's foundation, but it's also a different category of product, and it's much more expensive (especially when you total in the monthly service fees). A million iPhones in their first quarter is phenomenal, and 270,000 -- over a quarter million -- in less than 24 hours is insanely great. Savvy investors will realize that it is the long-term numbers we care about, not one weekend's results.
I have no idea what this news will do to Apple's stock. Judging from how the AT&T announcement made it drop, it might well slip a bit, at least temporarily. But the iPhone reality check is complicated by the fact that Apple announced record-breaking revenue and profits in their non-iPhone businesses. Keep in mind that Apple is spreading the revenue of iPhones across a 24-month period (because Apple receives a portion of iPhone service payments from AT&T), so this quarter's results only include about $5 million in iPhone revenue. This means that despite all the excitement and hype over the iPhone, Apple's other businesses are doing exceptionally well -- and people should be buying Apple stock for those other reasons, not just in the hopes that iPhones will be successful.
Apple reported revenue of $5.41 billion and net quarterly profit of $818 million on the best Mac sales in company history: over 1.7 million Macs sold, up 33% from a year ago. Sales of iPods were solid at nearly 10 million, a 21% increase from last year.
This is Apple's best June quarter in history and in normal circumstances would make the stock stronger. If people are smart, they'll buy more.
However, the iHype surrounding the iPhone makes things complicated. Some feel the stock already grew a lot based on iPhone speculation and this reality check means the stock has peaked.
But smarter investors should realize why the iPhone is important: just like the iPod brought more customers to Apple who have started purchasing Macs and other products, the iPhone will create even more Apple fans. Ultimately it's not about how many iPhones Apple sells, but the total Apple picture. If Apple's other businesses -- Macs, music, etc. -- benefit from iPhone it's a double win for the company. Such product synergy is a dream for most companies and creates tremendous growth. Savvy investors know this and shouldn't be speculating on Apple just because of the iPhone, but because of Apple as a business.
Another couple critical things to remember that tend to get lost in all the numbers: AT&T reported 40% of their iPhone activations were "switchers" from other carriers, and Apple said that half of their Mac sales were to people new to the Mac platform. Those numbers are huge. Most companies would love it if 10% to 20% of their customers were stolen from their competitors, so Apple and AT&T have got to be thrilled at their growth rates. These numbers bode well for the future. Don't forget the iPhone's astronomical satisfaction rating (90% are happy with it): this is just the beginning.
The bottom line is Apple's businesses are doing extremely well, especially when you compare them to most PC makers. I'd say buy more stock, but then again, I'm not an analyst. But perhaps that's a good thing. (Warning: I do own a little Apple stock.)
iPhones Are for Old Fogies?
[ A side note. For those of you wondering where Less Tangible has been, I've been writing a slew of iPhone articles that have been published on Applelinks. If you missed them, check them out, including my multi-part iPhone review. You should specifically check out my iDay and iPhone Loophole articles, which explain how I ended up with an iPhone. -- Marc ]
Of the half-dozen or so personal acquaintances I know who have bought iPhones (including myself), only one is under the age of 35. This struck me as unsual. I haven't seen any hard numbers on iPhone buying patterns, but you'd think that something as high-tech as the iPhone would primarily appeal to the younger crowd. So why are old fogies buying iPhones?
There are a number of reasons. For instance, the iPhone is not cheap. (I refuse to say it's expensive, because it's not when you consider what you are getting.) Young people usually have less income than older folks, so while a ton of youth are currently lusting after the iPhone, it may take a while before they can save the dough to buy one. (It was genius of Apple to release the iPhone early in the summer -- just think of all the high school and college kids working this summer so they can go back to school in the fall with a gleaming new iPhone!)
Another possibility is that the iPhone -- like much technology today -- is the middle age crisis equivalent of a sports car. An older person, wanting to feel hip and young again, and show off a bit, comes home with an iPhone or plasma TV, not a Corvette. In that kind of comparison, the iPhone is cheap!
But the primary reason older people are buying the iPhone is because it's easy to use. That's it. It's that simple. Ease of use is the "killer app" of the iPhone.
Yes, the iPhone is being compared to traditional "smartphones" -- that's because like them it is multi-functional: it surfs the web, handles email, manages contacts, and is a media device. But regular smartphones are way, way, way too complicated for the average person, and that's even more true of busy, non-technical, older people.
This doesn't mean older people are stupid. Older people just don't have the patience of the young when it comes to technology. Something either just works or it gets dumped in the trash, end of story. An older person has experienced life and knows what's important and what's not. An older person knows the value of time, for instance, and knows that time is priceless and can never be retrieved, while money is renewable. An older person isn't wowed by trends and fads, but values elegance and wants simplicity and reliability.
If you look at the criticisms of the iPhone, 99% of them are things that only matter to power users. For the average user, who is not that technical and doesn't need -- or even want -- all the options and configuration mess of a traditional smartphone, the iPhone is the ideal device. Its fantastic touch-screen interface keeps things elegantly simple: only the buttons you need right now are available. All the other functions are hidden, not distracting you with reminders that they exist.
Yet despite its simplicity, the iPhone is a tremendously powerful device. Granted, version 1.0 has some significant limitations for power users, but for most people the iPhone is a breakthrough device. In fact, I'd argue that it's the most powerful phone in the world -- not based on feature count, but simply because it's so easy to use all of the features it has that those features will actually get used. What good is a phone with an impressive feature list if the thing is too dang hard to figure out? I bet most smartphone users hardly use a fraction of their phone's features!
Now when I say "ease of use" I'm not just talking the phone itself. I'm talking about the entire ecosystem: phone + computer + media. If the iPhone's interface is a home run, the ecosystem is where Apple hits the ball off the planet. No one else can come close to Apple here.
Most phones -- even the smartest ones -- have issues with syncing information with computers. There are many reasons for this: bad software, too many options, excessive complexity, a poor interface, etc. Apple makes it easy. You don't even have to press a button -- just plug it in!
Best of all, this is an easy sell because people already know it's easy because an iPhone syncs just like an iPod.
What other device maker would think to sync not just your address book, but all your email settings (configuration and password)? Who else would automatically back up your entire iPhone each time you sync so you can easily restore your iPhone?
No, Apple doesn't sync with every software program out there, but it works with the main ones most people use. For 95% of the world, Apple's sync is the best and easiest. Even my mom can sync her iPhone -- and loves having all her contacts (phone numbers, email addresses, mailing addresses, even birthdays) on both her phone and her MacBook.
The iPhone was not designed for any specific age group. It was designed for people. It makes the complex simple, and truth be told, that appeals to everyone, even technophiles.
The iPod was a monster product. It appealed to a wide range of people because it made managing digital music easy for anyone. But music -- especially music all the time, everywhere -- is of primary appeal to youth. Older folks just aren't that into music and don't have to have it always with them (though it's a nice bonus).
Thus I predict the iPhone will be even more successful because it handles much more than just music (contact information, photo collection, emails, data, the Internet, etc.). The iPhone offers something for everyone. It's a more practical, more useful product than a mere music player. As the costs come down and 2.0 and 3.0 devices are born, you watch: iPhone will become the best-selling electronics product in the world. All because it appeals to old fogies.
Why Apple Needs A Tablet And Better Handwriting Recognition In OS X
Reader David Walker wrote explaining why he prefers the iPhone to carrying a portable computer. You can read our conversation thread in yesterday's The Road Warrior Mailbag.
I didn't intend to my argument to imply a slam against the iPhone, only that for me, at least, I'm not ready (and probably never will be) to give up the comprehensive features set and input facility of a notebook computer for mobile use. However, that doesn't mean there's no room for a advances and innovation in this context, such as tablet computers.
By coincidence, the Halifax Chronicle-Herald's technology columnist Pat D'Entrement's piece on Sunday was about how he has converted to using a PC tablet computer to consolidate all of his note-taking and other office computing needs on one machine that functions as a regular laptop for traditional computing tasks, but also morphs into a tablet computer capable of accepting handwritten input on its screen using a stylus.
D'Entrement says that Windows' handwriting recognition is amazingly accurate even with his self-described "atrocious" handwriting, and that handwritten input combined with Microsoft's OneNote Software (part of Office for Windows) has revolutionized his data input, storage, management, and retrieval habits.
Apple needs capability like this, but has thus far shunned the tablet computer category. It's not that there appears to be any daunting technical roadblock to development of a tablet Mac. Indeed, the only new "Mac" hardware introduced had Macworld Expo in January, was a third-party tablet device, based on the MacBook, the Axiotron ModBook, designed by a California based team of German and American engineers, to be marketed exclusively by Other World Computing.
However, ModBook does have a pedigree in Apple engineering, since Axiotron's co-founder Andreas Haas was part of Apple's Newton PDA team prior to the company terminating Newton sales and development.
Both the ModBook's top shell and the interior display frame are built from top grade, aircraft quality magnesium alloy, giving the ModBook superior structural strength for almost every situation. Its satin textured top shell plated with chrome over a set of copper and nickel layers provides for a scratch resistant and attractive finish, while also offering effective protection against oxidation.
Both the LCD panel and the built-in iSight camera are protected by replaceable screen covers made from chemically strengthened ForceGlass. Compared to cheaper non-glass-based solutions found in most tablet computers, Axiotron ForceGlass provides superior optical and aging properties as well as far improved scratch resistance.
The display screen cover is treated on both sides for optimized optical properties. The LCD facing (in)side features an anti-reflective coating to increase the light transmissivity for a brighter image. The user-facing (out)side has been acid treated to achieve an etched surface, carefully calibrated to match the display resolution. This is claimed to provide a crisp, "paper-like" writing feel, while keeping perceived haze and glare to a minimum.
The Axiotron ModBook is built using digitizer technology from WACOM, and supports the following performance specs.:
• Speed - 133 position updates per second
• Accuracy - 20x display resolution
• Sensitivity - 512 pressure levels
• Efficiency - No batteries required
The included ModBook Digitizer Pen stylus features 2 programmable side buttons plus an eraser, and ships with 3 different types of replaceable pen tips, which if used on the acid etched surface of the Axiotron ForceGlass, offer a wider range of drawing styles and sensations. The Pencil Nib, the most durable nib, is most commonly used in pen tablets and TabletPCs and is designed to provide a hard and direct drawing feel. The Studio Nib is the default tip in the ModBook Digitizer Pen and essentially a spring-loaded variation of the Pencil Nib, offering a different feel in controlling the 512 pressure levels. The Felt Nib's marker-type material maximizes friction on the ModBook's acid etched ForceGlass surface, resulting in a paper-like drawing experience.
Users will also be able to write with their hand resting on the screen. This technology also allows the cursor to be controlled while the pen is hovering over the screen, providing for an intuitive, mouse-like interface with a zero learning curve.
In a nutshell, he Axiotron/OWC ModBook takes a standard MacBook and adds true pen input, a new 13.3" wide screen LCD and an optional Global Positioning System in a tough, satin chrome plated Aircraft-grade magnesium top shell, while retaining all the powerful features of the MacBook base system, complete with Mac OS X and its built-in Inkwell handwriting recognition, an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, Apple's integrated iSight camera and a CD/DVD combo drive or optional DVD SuperDrive.
Mac OS X has actually supported handwriting recognition since the release of version 10.2 Jaguar. Apple's Inkwell technology, based on software originally developed for the late, lamented, Newton PDA, allows OS X to accept a handwritten (or at least hand block capital - it can't read cursive script efficiently), and convert it to editable computer text, provided you have a graphics tablet such as the several products manufactured by Wacom, or of course a ModBook. Inkwell also facilitates extended control of the system through gesture recognition.
The concept of tablet computers has long intrigued me, partly because I battle flare-ups of typing pain, while I find longhand writing much less aggravating to my nerves and tendons than typing. I've experimented with OS X Inkwell using a Wacom tablet and stylus, but I find writing on the tablet with output on the computer screen clumsy and counterintuitive. I also have a scrawly hand, and often find it a challenge to decipher my own script, which is not the best for longhand inputting of computer text. Unfortunately, Apple has pretty much ignored Inkwell after adding it to OS X 10.2. My results with Inkwell have been "mixed" to say the leas, compared with Pat D'Entrement's reported high satisfaction using a PC tablet computer and Windows' superior handwriting recognition support.
By the way, if Inkwell is an OS X feature that has eluded your notice, that's because the Ink preference panel only appears when a graphics tablet is connected to the computer.
ModBook is offered in 2.0 Core 2 Duo and 2.16 C2D models at $2,279.00 and $2,579.00 respectively. Specifications include all the standard MacBook stuff, plus:
• AnyView 13.3" Wide Screen
• ForceGlass Screen & Camera Cover
• WACOM Penabled Digitizer with 512 Levels of Pressure Sensitivity
• Axiotron Digitizer Pen
• WAAS enabled GPS (optional on 2.0 GHz model)
ModBook will also be available as a Mod-kit for converting your standard MacBook into a tablet computer. Since both the kit and assembled products are strictly speaking after-market conversions which void Apple's standard warranty, Other World Computing includes a one year warranty that can be extended up to three years,
Unfortunately, nearly eight months after it was announced, the ModBook is still not shipping, and OWC currently estimates shipping, originally slated for April, then moved back to June, and later July, will now commence in 4th-Quarter 2007. For more information, visit:
http://www.macsales.com/modbook
As near as I can evaluate sight unseen, I think I would very much like using a ModBook, and I wish Axiotron and OWC well with their venture, and it sounds like it will be an attractive and capable tablet solution for determined and patient Mac OS fans, it will still be hobbled by OS X's mediocre handwriting support, and the Mac OS platform really needs an Apple-developed convertible notebook/tablet with improved Inkwell handwriting recognition software comparable to the The Microsoft handwriting-recognition engine in Windows XP and Vista.
In Windows Vista, instead of having to print or change your handwriting to get better handwriting recognition results, you can train the handwriting recognizer to recognize how you write characters and words. You can provide handwriting samples to teach the handwriting recognizer about your writing style and specific recognition errors to target. Using the handwriting recognition personalization tool increases the likelihood that your handwriting will be recognized correctly by Input Panel and by programs for the Tablet PC that use handwriting recognition.
Vista's automatic learning feature also enables the handwriting recognizer to learn your handwriting style or vocabulary by collecting data about the words you use and how you write them. The personalization occurs behind the scenes, without user interaction. OS X Inkwell supports nothing close to this level. For the full skinny on Vista's Tablet PC support, visit:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/features/details/tabletpc.mspx
As for other software support for tablet computing, Microsoft has not seen fit to include one note in the MS Office for Mac software suite. The Atlantic Monthly's technology columnist James Fallows also gave OneNote an enthusiastic thumbs up in the the June, 2007, issue observing that it can handle almost any kind of information - Web clippings, PDFs, audio or video files, straight text, - and index it for quick retrieval, as well as having "an elegant feature that make the capturing information utterly painless. When something you want to save is on your computer screen, you can press a button to" print" that blog posting - or photo, or e-mail, or online receipt - to your OneNote file. It's like storing paper documents in folders, except that it's faster, easier, and more reliable when you look for the material later on."
Sounds great, tablet or no tablet, but Fallows says the nearest thing he can think of supporting the Mac is the new research and writing application, Scrivener, which I haven't had an opportunity to check out yet.
Am I seriously tempted by tablet computing on the Windows side? Not really, I detest Windows, but one has to concede that tablets and handwriting recognition are another couple of things Windows PCs do better than the Mac OS. Pity.
***
cmoore@macopinion.com
Provisionally, you can access The Road Warrior Archive to Jan. 16, 2006 by clicking here.
Note: Letters to The Road Warrior may or may not be published in The Road Warrior Mailbag at the editor's discretion. Correspondents' email addresses will NOT be published unless the correspondent specifically requests publication. Letters may be edited for length and/or context.
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The Road Warrior Mailbag - July 23, 2007
A question about Ti paint
Why The Notebook Still Rules, iPhone Notwithstanding
From Laurie Russo
Hey Charles,
Don't know if you remember me, I was the one last year who bought the Pismo off eBay and it literally went up in smoke.
I've been on the Apple Support Forums and have had no luck, that's when I realized I should have come to you! Long story short, the trackpad has suddenly stopped responding. Everything's fine with a mouse attached, but obviously that's not ideal. Is this fixable for an affordable price? I called Tekserve and they said no, but as much as I trust them, that doesn't seem likely to me. And I am NO GOOD at dealing with a computer's insides. I will destroy it if I even try.
Any advice you can give would be great. Besides the fact that it runs at 130 degrees after it's been on for more than 10 minutes (I installed Temperature Monitor, which I read about in your column), I love this thing... and I can't afford yet another computer.
Best,
Laurie
Hi Laurie;
Yes, I remember our exchange last year.
Your trackpad problem could be something as simple as a loose ribbon cable, more likely a bad trackpad circuit, or even a motherboard problem. Other than the first possibility, paying a service tech to diagnose and repair this fault would quickly exceed what the computer is worth, so the Tekserv folks were being responsible.
And if you're not handy with computer internals, a trackpad repair is not the place to start learning.
What I would suggest is to try and find another Pismo cheap. Wegener Media has a bunch of them, and you might be able to persuade them to sell you just the computer core at a discount and then you could swap in the battery, optical drive, power adapter, and perhaps even the RAM and hard drive from your present Pismo.
Another option would be to pick up a 500 Mhz or 600 MHz G3 iBook, models which are selling in the $200 range.
130 degrees is definitely warm for a Pismo, but not off the charts. Actually, that's what my 17" G4 PowerBook is running right now.
Charles
Re: Pismo question
From Laurie Russo
Yikes. That's what I was afraid you'd say. I've had this machine for a scant year and spent $600
Some dude on Craigslist is selling a 500/640/60GB/DVD for $200... I'm going to do my best to be the first one there with the cash, because I'm totally in love with the Pismo.
Thanks, as always, for your expert advice!
Laurie
Hi Laurie;
Sounds like a good deal if it's in decent working condition, and of course you have your present Pismo for a parts mule.
Charles
From Anthony Connors
Dear Charles;
I figured if ANYONE would know about this, you would!
My question is this; Is there ANY 'touch-up' paint kits that you would recommend for the finish on the Titanium PowerBookG4? Is Apple planning on offering a 'touch-up' service similar to the power adapter program(the 'Wallstreet' Series)?
I'm sorry, I should explain. The silery finish has worn easily around where I press the mouse button.
Thanks again!
Anthony Connors
P.S. The iKlear wipes worked great, thank you!!
Hi Anthony;
Delighted to hear that the iKlear worked out well for you.
As for TiBook touchup paint, here is a possible solution:
http://www.welovemacs.com/0155044349.html
I haven't used this product, but it looks promising.
This article may also be of interest:
Charles
http://www.macmod.com/content/view/568/192/
Why The Notebook Still Rules, iPhone Notwithstanding
From David Walker
The rise of the ultraportable notebook in the Windows PC world appears to be proof that handhelds cannot replace full fledged computers. However, the majority of people have no need to carry a computer around with them all the time. In the everyday life of the average consumer a device like the iPhone makes much more sense. I certainly don't need a notebook with me while I shop, but the ability to look up more information on a product, check the price at a competing store, get a map to find recommended help, etc. would be terrific. If that was all available in a pocket sized device with long battery life I'd carry it with me all the time. That's the promise of the iPhone and why it will soon surpass the Mac as the best selling OS X product.
Unlike you I see no need for a notebook computer in my life. I have a desktop computer at home and one at work. Rarely do I need to move data from one to the other, but 160GB mobile HDs and VPN access more than suffice. I'm intrigued that you listed ergonomics as the primarly reason for using a notebook over a handheld because I see that as a major reason to use a desktop over a notebook.
Also unlike you I've not been pleased with the performance of notebooks over the years. They've always felt slow and the battery life has never lived up to the claims. I'm also addicted to large screens, something that only recent PowerBooks and MacBooks have supported.
Hi David;
I didn't intend to imply that the iPhone is not useful, but was responding to the notion that the personal computer era is over and that the future is in handheld devices.
Handhelds certainly have a bright future, but they will not replace the PC - especially laptops, which continue to gain marketshare. I'm skeptical that the iPhone will outsell the Mac anytime in the foreseeable future, but wish Apple well in continuing what has been an auspicious product launch.
As for notebooks vs. desktops, it's another of those neverending dialectics, and one's preference is of course partly a matter of taste. As I noted in the article, I have never been able to discern any reason why I would want to use a desktop machine for my particular computing needs since I bought my first PowerBook back in '96, but I know some folks like 'em.
My reference to ergonomics in the article was relative to the iPhone, which a laptop beats hands-down for typing. When I'm using my laptops at a desktop workstation I connect an external keyboard and pointing device(es), and mount the computer on a notebook stand, which takes care of the desktop ergonomics, and I can switch to laptop mode by disconnecting a few cables.
I have a 17" PowerBook, but I'm not really a big-screen junkie, and am quite happy for the most part working with the 1024 x 768 displays in my Pismos and iBook. Battery life? I have three extended life batteries for the Pismo, which cumulatively provide me with at least 12 hours of uninterrupted computing.
I find it hard to imagine anyone bit an uber power-user being dissatisfied with the speed of a Santa Rosa MacBook Pro
Thanks for your comment.
Charles
Re: Why The Notebook Still Rules, iPhone Notwithstanding
From David Walker
The MacBook Pro is quite the machine. I've had the opportunity to use a Core 2 Duo model at work and find it very quick. Having said that a desktop PC with equivalent horsepower is roughly half the price, something Apple could do if they wanted to.
I also like desktops for the ease of upgrading components, particularly the HD. In the last 10 years I've had three HDs die on me in unrecoverable ways. Fortunately none of them were my primary drive at the time. To keep my data safe I replace my HD every year and use the old drive as a backup. That's easy and affordable in the desktop world.
I find one large display is great for home, but inadequate for work where I need to have iChat, Mail and often 3 documents created with 3 different apps visible at once. When things get really hectic I even see value in Windows' approach of embedding a menu bar in each window. Having to move the mouse and my attention off one screen and onto another just to access the menu can be frustrating.
Hi David;
I think Apple is correct in steering clear of the low-profit cheapo PC end of the market. Macs are cheaper than they ever were, and I condsidered them a good value (I'm still using a seven year old Pismo as my number two computer in daily service) at the older, higher prices.
You have a point about easy upgrading, but the MacBook (not the Pro) is very easy to swap hard drives in, and I can change the HD in a Pismo in about ten minutes with only a couple of screwdrivers. In15 years of computing with Macs, I've had two HD failures, both brand-new drives with less than 100 hours on them - one a 2.5" drive in an external FireWire housing, and the other a 3.5" desktop drive. I'm on my computers at least 10 hours a day.
Monitor size is partly a matter of taste and work habits. I use windowshading and the Hide command extensively.
Charles
Provisionally, you can access The Road Warrior Archive to Jan. 16, 2006 by clicking here.
Note: Letters to The Road Warrior may or may not be published in The Road Warrior Mailbag at the editor's discretion. Correspondents' email addresses will NOT be published unless the correspondent specifically requests pub