Will iPhone kill the Treo franchise?

[mdavis]

I need Tide Tool, True Push Email (Chatter), Italian Dictionary, French Dictionary, English Thesaurus, French and Italian Verb Conjugators, Vindigo, DTG, Continental Airline Scheduler, Google Maps, Guide Michelin, TomTom Navigator, and a few others. If IPhone can't give that, the keyboard is irrelevant. If it can give all of those (which I seriously doubt), then the keyboard becomes an issue and I'd have to try it. But I doubt Iphone is going to be open enough to allow all those developers access. In any case, I'm sure it won't be done for several years, which means for me it's a nonissue for that amount of time. I also need MemInfo, and a file manager because it wouldn't be much fun having a smartphone if I couldn't continuously work on it and curse it.

 

[whmurray]

I didn't vote because there's no option for "iPhone will be a huge success and Treos will become more popular". That would've been a little bit heart ruling head, but I also think that iPhone could stimulate the whole smartphone market and Palm could catch some of that.

OK. I give up; you win. I will not buy an iPhone. I will not buy a non-3G phone.

 

[Tastypeppers]

The Treo's days are numbered quite apart from the impact of the iPhone. I am even more convinced of that after the 700p maintenance release.

The Treo's demise won't be homicide by iPhone. It will be suicide by ineptitude.

The Treo as a product might well thrive in other ecosystems but with Palm as its parent I fear the worst.

I'm tellin' ya. RIM pulls its finger out and upgrades its software for a better UI and better PIM functionality and Palm loses yet another competitive advantage.

 

[marcol]

OK. I give up; you win. I will not buy an iPhone. I will not buy a non-3G phone.

I'll venture a smiley even though I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about

 

[efudd]

Whistling past the graveyard in the dark here folks. iPhone is going to fly off the shelves much like the original Razr. And if Apple only added two things right now: (1) Exchange server push support, and (2) Docs-to-Go level attachment viewing and editing, they will rule the converged device space as well. I expect they will have both shortly after release. Come early 2008, when the 3G versions start rolling out, you will start seeing iPhone dominating the cell phone space much like iPod did MP3 players.

I've even got my most anti-computer, anti-geek partners wanting to know if we can hook up email for them on an iPhone - they wouldn't even look twice at my Blackjack or a Blackberry of any flavor.

I'm sure they will fly off the shelves- but I'd have to imagine the majority of people that want exchange puch mail want a keyboard on the phone too. And a slimmer majority would want a keyboard to use word and excel docs too.

 

[oalvarez]

there is a qwerty keyboard on the iphone....you just can't feel it.

 

[Pearl_Diva]

Last night Apple released 3 iPhone ads that speak TRUTH to the LIES that the iPhone needs two hands to be operated.

See for yourselves:

https://www.apple.com/iphone/ads/#mn_p


Yeah, the iPhone is going to absolutely destroy the Treo. And the Blackberry. And the Motorolla Q. And the Nokia NSeries. And EVERYTHING ELSE OUT THERE!

It will not destroy any WM or Blackberry phone! Unless something will be changing in the final release, it is not really a business phone but a multimedia phone. Plus not everyone in the US is on ATT.

It's a sweet device, but if you send lots of email, IMs and texts, how's that going to work without a keyboard or keypad? Virtual keyboards are annoying if you do lots of text entry. I have done it and it's tiresome.

 

[Pearl_Diva]

Whistling past the graveyard in the dark here folks. iPhone is going to fly off the shelves much like the original Razr. And if Apple only added two things right now: (1) Exchange server push support, and (2) Docs-to-Go level attachment viewing and editing, they will rule the converged device space as well. I expect they will have both shortly after release. Come early 2008, when the 3G versions start rolling out, you will start seeing iPhone dominating the cell phone space much like iPod did MP3 players.

I've even got my most anti-computer, anti-geek partners wanting to know if we can hook up email for them on an iPhone - they wouldn't even look twice at my Blackjack or a Blackberry of any flavor.

They should have put these standard on the first roll-out. I will wait for the next roll-out. The 2nd gen. are the ones that will probably rule. The 1st gen. is too lacking to get business users to dump perfectly good PDA phones. And too expensive to get lots of regular cell phone users to dump their cell phones. The contract requirement alone is stiffling!! And you still have to pay $400-$500 for the phone(unless they relaxed that)???

I was over on some BB forums and lots of ATT users just went for the Curve(just came out last week). Who's going to pay up the wazzoo again at the end of the month?

 

[mdavis]

there is a qwerty keyboard on the iphone....you just can't feel it.

I think that's inaccurate. There is an IMAGE of a quwerty keyboard. You press on that image, which is why you "can't feel it." Because it's an image of a keyboard, not the keyboard itself. A keyboard is a board of keys. This is a picture of a keyboard. I will certainly try it when it comes out -- although that's only half of the problems posed by the Iphone, as I've posted already -- but let's be candid about what the facts are.

Of course, who has not had trouble with the real keyboard on a Treo? When I get typing fast, I make errors, and if one of the problems of not having a keyboard is that you will make too many errors, I suppose the real issue is whether you will make more errors with the keyboard or with the fake.

 

[Pearl_Diva]

Is the iPhone going to have T9 or learned text?

 

[MacUser]

the iphone is Angelina Jolie.....the treo is Helen Hunt....are you looking for a one night stand or a long term relationship with your phone??????

I'll take Angelina...every night of the week.

By the way, I'm wondering why having the other hand free is so important...something to do while the Treo resets? <joke>

Seriously, I agree that if the iPhone isn't enough to bring the Treo down, it will all the Windoze copy-cats who come out with something strangely similiar that will cause the remainder of the crowd to jump ship.

 

[archie]

They should have put these standard on the first roll-out. I will wait for the next roll-out. The 2nd gen. are the ones that will probably rule. The 1st gen. is too lacking to get business users to dump perfectly good PDA phones. And too expensive to get lots of regular cell phone users to dump their cell phones.

What makes you think you won't be able to open up and edit documents on the iPhone?

The contract requirement alone is stiffling!!

You may not be aware of this but Apple has removed the "Use requires minimum 2 year activation plan" statement from all of their iPhone commercials. There will be options.

 

[oalvarez]

I think that's inaccurate. There is an IMAGE of a quwerty keyboard. You press on that image, which is why you "can't feel it." Because it's an image of a keyboard, not the keyboard itself. A keyboard is a board of keys. This is a picture of a keyboard. I suppose the real issue is whether you will make more errors with the keyboard or with the fake.

semantics...argue it all you want....the phone comes with a qwerty keyboard, one which you can't feel.

 

[archie]

Oh, on a related note (in regards to the iPhone commercials that is), the newest commercial entitled "Water Down" has the New York Times website featured and the iPhone is displaying the Flash content in the paper's usual Flash-based advertising spot - halfway down on the right; though there is no animation being shown, just a still image, so I'm not sure if it was done playing or what exactly happens there.

Still, in the keynote, the web page just had a question mark in the middle of the Flash content area when the iPhone rendered it out so something has changed.

 

[archie]

One more thing in regards to activation and the available plans. There is increasin gevidence that Google is working with Apple to provide a different kind of subsidizing. One that doesn't guage you with $40-$70 a month for voice/data services. I am not clear on what is in the works but it could be based on Google ads tied in with AT&T. I don't have any presentable evidence of this but it is looking like a... hmmmm... 68% chance of coming to fruition.

How's that for prognostication?

 

[mdavis]

semantics...argue it all you want....the phone comes with a qwerty keyboard, one which you can't feel.

No, it does not, without regard to semantics at all. It has an image of a keyboard. If it had a keyboard...it would have a keyboard. Perhaps I should say that more clearly: If it had a keyboard...it would have a keyboard.

 

[archie]

No, it does not, without regard to semantics at all. It has an image of a keyboard. If it had a keyboard...it would have a keyboard. Perhaps I should say that more clearly: If it had a keyboard...it would have a keyboard.

whatever....

What if people end up typing faster on the iPhone than the Treo? Will you still say the iPhone doesn't have a keyboard?

Will you let me watch you eat your hat?

 

[mdavis]

...

What if people end up typing faster on the iPhone than the Treo? ...

Jeez, read the ****ing posts. Didn't I already say that was the test?

... I suppose the real issue is whether you will make more errors with the keyboard or with the fake.

 

[efudd]

there is a qwerty keyboard on the iphone....you just can't feel it.

no touchy no credit card.




I guess some might find that acceptable but to my you really need some feedback and also the clues that you are on the correct keys. Maybe younger people don't but i think many my age and older prefer it. (and I'm not like 100- LOL). I remember the early home computers with the membrane keyboards and how they stank so bad because you couldn't feel anything. Then more recently I had a universal remote control with a touch screen- you need to look where you place your fingers instead of feeling it. Major PIA when you want to adjust something on without pausing the tv. And I'd think a major PIA trying to type something when I can't watch the words but rather have to look at the screen.

(maybe the solution to that is each key gives a slightly different beep so you can hear when your fingers are in the correct spot???)

 

[archie]

Sorry. I didn't see that from 10 posts back.


I just read the part where you say it doesn't have a keyboard. And then even after dismissing symantics , you still say: "If it had a keyboard...it would have a keyboard. Perhaps I should say that more clearly: If it had a keyboard...it would have a keyboard."

What do you mean exactly? I don't understand.