Is the iPhone an unfinished product?

[surur]

For the knowledgeable consumer all these omissions are worrying. The American M:Metric survey says 35% of people with > 1 Megapixel camera phones took videos. Thats not an insignificant number. I guess swishing around the OS is supposed to compensate for that missing functionality.
http://www.slideshare.net/kuchmuch/device-features-impact-on-media-consumption-mmetrics/

Surur

 

[bruckwine]

exactly....keep what it is that you enjoy and have the best success with. if the iPhone (or any other device) leaves out what you want, don't buy it.

look at how many Treos i have gone through. they just didn't work for me, that doesn't mean that they won't work for you. the arguement i have is when someone says they like the Treo because of its phone, email, and internet offerings. for those things out of the box, i can't understand why one would want to carry around what many around here consider an unstable, brick.

Not a prob for me...I just think they should have provided the CHOICE..the average consumer might not check specs like we do and one day think "this camera takes grat pics for a phone..lemme try video and....???". I suspect if the hardware can they will update that pretty uick, and thus would say it was not complete IF that happens. if not then Jobs has decided for them. I think that's fine esp if you're a techie like ppl here and still buy it (then you want that) but the average joe may not. They should at least advertise (even fine print) that it doesn't..it's reviewers that have told us. Everybody up tot hat point assumed it ahd it.

 

[Pearl_Diva]

I'm surprised it won't capture video too. But then there's no expandable memory so maybe that's why. Video can easily eat up all storage space, if you don't watch how long you're shooting. Another oversight to have no media card slot, IMO.

 

[surur]

I'm surprised it won't capture video too. But then there's no expandable memory so maybe that's why. Video can easily eat up all storage space, if you don't watch how long you're shooting. Another oversight to have no media card slot, IMO.

8 GB of internal storage says thats not the reason.

Surur

 

[Pearl_Diva]

Storage taken up by music, phone software, browser cache, etc. You could run out of space quick if not careful, I'd think. Video is usually a large file. I wish they'd included a media card option.

 

[archie]

I wish they'd included a media card option.

Thank God this will never happen.

 

[surur]

Thank God this will never happen.

And thank God there's no disk mode either!!!

Surur

 

[dstrauss#IM]

Storage taken up by music, phone software, browser cache, etc. You could run out of space quick if not careful, I'd think. Video is usually a large file. I wish they'd included a media card option.

I don't htink that is it. 8gb is larger than any current phone can handle with add-on cards, and who in their right mind is going to carry around spare micro-sd cards, much less regular size SD cards. In this size device, my bet is on solid state memory, despte teh ddown-sizing of hard drives. Given that, taking video can't have as big an impact on the iPhone as it does on other devices.

 

[oalvarez]

Quit being sarcastic to many of the posters! He's only expressing what he wanted to see on the iPhone, just like a lot of others.

please! this place is rife with sarcasm, personal digs, disrespectful and undermining commentary

c'mon.....why not single out each and every other poster that is guilty of the above? lord almighty....

 

[MobileGuy]

The features that appear to be missing in the iPhone that I most care about is the search function (both in contacts, calendar, email, etc.). Given Apple's championing their "spotlight" search function, you'd think they'd understand the value of search. I also hope that they have a universal spell checker and dictionary, both of which I find very useful in my Palm 700p (using 3rd party apps).

On the plus side, I think it would be a genuinely new function to be able to show family and friends relatively high-def photos and home movies from my phone. It expands the concept of the wallet photo to new heights.

Finally, the iPhone brings a new level of slick new design to the cell phone with a new type of ease of use that will propel all to be more innovative in designing smart phone-type devices, both at the hardware and software level. Regardless on your take of whether it's been over-hyped or not, there's little question that it will have a positive benefit on the industry as a whole.

 

[marcol]

Did Apple miss its own deadlines and is still rushing out an unfinished product?

It's unfinished, just like every computer I've ever used and quite probably every computer ever made. I think you're falling over yourself in an effort to apply a label with a negative connotation.

Much more interesting is what it does and doesn't have and whether Apple ran out of time and so was unable to include some features.

These features are found in most $0 phones, like MMS and Video recording, and it lacks obvious features like A2DP found in most modern smartphones.

MMS. Might have run out time here. Most phones have it but its data transfer capabilities are limited and it's generally rather expensive to use - email is much better and much cheaper. As more phones have email apps, MMS becomes less relevant and it's also possible that it simply failed Apple's 'skating to where the pucks going' test.

A2DP. Apple could easily have added A2DP to iPods but hasn't (yet) and I don't think they're are very convinced of its value. (As a matter of fact I'm not either: it degrades sound quality, drains the battery more quickly, and means you have another device to charge).

Video recording. Agreed. Truly bizarre that it's absent and reasonable evidence that things have been omitted in a rush to meet a deadline. I'd imagine it will be added very soon, possibly with YouTube upload built in to the app.

 

[surur]

It's unfinished, just like every computer I've ever used and quite probably every computer ever made. I think you're falling over yourself in an effort to apply a label with a negative connotation.

Much more interesting is what it does and doesn't have and whether Apple ran out of time and so was unable to include some features.

I dont see much difference between "unfinished" and "ran out of time and so was unable to include some features", especially when everyone is speculating there will be major updates adding those features in the next few weeks.

Surur

 

[dstrauss#IM]

I dont see much difference between "unfinished" and "ran out of time and so was unable to include some features", especially when everyone is speculating there will be major updates adding those features in the next few weeks.

Surur

Kind of like the Treo 600 and Volumecare, Snappermail, Docs to Go,...?

 

[marcol]

I dont see much difference between "unfinished" and "ran out of time and so was unable to include some features", especially when everyone is speculating there will be major updates adding those features in the next few weeks.

Not a great deal a difference. Point was that you can probably describe any device like this as 'unfinished' so the applying the label has little value. The specifics of the matter and how on target Apple's development process was are much more interesting.

FWIW, IMO, it seems from the first reviews that what they have done they've done rather well but there are some big omissions. Probably better that way than to have a larger number not so well done apps and features.

 

[surur]

Unless Apple fills in those holes quickly the device will be like the PS3, nice machine but free of content.

Surur

 

[marcol]

Unless Apple fills in those holes quickly the device will be like the PS3, nice machine but free of content.

They won't do anything else. They're finished now

 

[bruckwine]

They won't do anything else. They're finished now

What do you mean? You think there won't be any updates until the next gen? (let me know if this is an inside joke between you and surur!)

 

[surur]

I think he's being sarcastic

Surur

 

[marcol]

What do you mean? You think there won't be any updates until the next gen? (let me know if this is an inside joke between you and surur!)

It's a joke! Notice that I've argued in this thread I don't really think that there's such a thing as 'finished' when it comes to these sort of devices. Apple have said they will be adding to the device and I've no reason to believe they won't. I'd be astonished if they didn't in fact.

 

[marcol]

I think he's being sarcastic

I prefer to think of it as harmless jocularity