James
06-29-2007, 11:12 AM
-- no MMS support to send pictures or video with text messages
--no instant messaging client
-- no over the air (OTA) support for music downloads from iTunes (over AT&T's EDGE network or even Wi-Fi)
-- no wireless syncing over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth - can only sync through a cable connection to a PC or Mac
-- battery not removable - should the battery poop out, you'll have to go to Apple, as with the iPod, to replace it. Also, many folks like to carry around a spare battery, which you cannot do if the battery can't be removed.
-- 2 megapixel camera can't take video.
-- no flash
-- no hard keyboard
-- no Bluetooth Dial Up Networking - you can't use the iPhone as a modem for a laptop to access the Internet or enterprise
-- can't make ringtones out of audio files, even those from iTunes
-- No ability to cut, copy or paste!
--no java or Flash support - the iPhone can play YouTube videos through a bundled applet, however.
-- no voice recognition or voice dialing
-- no support for Bluetooth wireless stereo headsets (A2DP)
-- no 3G - AT&T has the fastest data network (UTMS/HSPDA) among GSM carriers in U.S., and yet Apple chose to limit the iPhone to 2.5G EDGE technology, which is far far slower; painfully slow, as some reviewers have pointed out. The stated reason: EDGE is far more widely available than 3G. That's true. But in areas where 3G isn't available you automatically drop down to EDGE with other smartphones, so why not include 3G in the first place. Heck, it's been said the Safari browser in the iPhone is one of the best mobile browsers ever. Why not give it the juice to do its thing right when a Wi-Fi hotspot isn't around?
-- no GPS - Google Maps is nice, but combining it with a technology that could tell where you are would be even nicer.
-- no expandable storage - 4GB and 8GB seems like a lot of storage, and for most folks it is probably more than enough, but having an expansion slot would have given the iPhone unlimited expandability. It also would have been another convenient method for transferring and sharing files and documents.
-- a lack of SIM portability - while it is often the case that a cell phone or smartphone is locked by a carrier so it can't be used on another operator's network, it appears the iPhone may only work with the SIM it came with. You may not even be able to remove the SIM at all. That means AT&T customers who buy the iPhone may be locked to the iPhone. So, for example, I may not be able to pop the SIM I have in my Treo back and forth between that device and the iPhone.
-- it is said you can't use the touch screen and soft keyboard (the only means of entering data into the iPhone) with gloves on, as it look like it requires skin contact. If true, you may quickly miss having several buttons, a hard keypad or keyboard, and stylus input on a cold day.
Of course, none of the above matters to those who've already made up their mind to buy an iPhone. The iPhone's interface, display and, let's not forget, style is more than enough for many consumers who aren't used to having the features it does offer in a single device.
--no instant messaging client
-- no over the air (OTA) support for music downloads from iTunes (over AT&T's EDGE network or even Wi-Fi)
-- no wireless syncing over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth - can only sync through a cable connection to a PC or Mac
-- battery not removable - should the battery poop out, you'll have to go to Apple, as with the iPod, to replace it. Also, many folks like to carry around a spare battery, which you cannot do if the battery can't be removed.
-- 2 megapixel camera can't take video.
-- no flash
-- no hard keyboard
-- no Bluetooth Dial Up Networking - you can't use the iPhone as a modem for a laptop to access the Internet or enterprise
-- can't make ringtones out of audio files, even those from iTunes
-- No ability to cut, copy or paste!
--no java or Flash support - the iPhone can play YouTube videos through a bundled applet, however.
-- no voice recognition or voice dialing
-- no support for Bluetooth wireless stereo headsets (A2DP)
-- no 3G - AT&T has the fastest data network (UTMS/HSPDA) among GSM carriers in U.S., and yet Apple chose to limit the iPhone to 2.5G EDGE technology, which is far far slower; painfully slow, as some reviewers have pointed out. The stated reason: EDGE is far more widely available than 3G. That's true. But in areas where 3G isn't available you automatically drop down to EDGE with other smartphones, so why not include 3G in the first place. Heck, it's been said the Safari browser in the iPhone is one of the best mobile browsers ever. Why not give it the juice to do its thing right when a Wi-Fi hotspot isn't around?
-- no GPS - Google Maps is nice, but combining it with a technology that could tell where you are would be even nicer.
-- no expandable storage - 4GB and 8GB seems like a lot of storage, and for most folks it is probably more than enough, but having an expansion slot would have given the iPhone unlimited expandability. It also would have been another convenient method for transferring and sharing files and documents.
-- a lack of SIM portability - while it is often the case that a cell phone or smartphone is locked by a carrier so it can't be used on another operator's network, it appears the iPhone may only work with the SIM it came with. You may not even be able to remove the SIM at all. That means AT&T customers who buy the iPhone may be locked to the iPhone. So, for example, I may not be able to pop the SIM I have in my Treo back and forth between that device and the iPhone.
-- it is said you can't use the touch screen and soft keyboard (the only means of entering data into the iPhone) with gloves on, as it look like it requires skin contact. If true, you may quickly miss having several buttons, a hard keypad or keyboard, and stylus input on a cold day.
Of course, none of the above matters to those who've already made up their mind to buy an iPhone. The iPhone's interface, display and, let's not forget, style is more than enough for many consumers who aren't used to having the features it does offer in a single device.