Prior to the launch of iPhone 4 last night, I wrote a piece speculating on 10 reasons not to buy it. It questioned the ubiquity of the iPhone, the technological advancement, the cost and the distorting effect of one handset capturing all the headlines and development time. The storm the piece provoked was unexpectedly intense, and I concede readily that Apple’s announcement has addressed a number of my concerns.
So now we know what Steve Jobs really had in mind, what do those 10 reasons look like? On battery life and design, Apple has knocked my objections out of the park. On my points about innovation, price, multitasking and accessories, there’s real, admittedly pre-announced, progress. I’m tentatively giving myself 6 out of 10 when comparing my concerns to Apple’s announcement. That’s five more than respected Apple blogger John Gruber gave me, and probably six more than I’ll get from many who engaged with the previous, provocative piece.
In summary, I’d agree with my colleague Claudine Beaumont's Apple iPhone 4 - first look – this new iPhone is clearly evolutionary rather than revolutionary, but it makes a lot of much-needed improvements. Yet video calling is not new – ask Fring – and if a phone does HD video, I’d like to see easy ways of playing it back on a big screen (compare the Motorola XT720 with its HDMI out), for instance. Nonetheless, the new iPhone is clearly a lovely device, and it may well prove to surpass its competitors’ achievements.
Anyway here goes. I summarise each point, grade myself and then offer a little explanation. For the full run down you can look back at the original piece at10 reasons not to buy Apple's new iPhone 4G. I’ll be responding to comments on this new piece wherever I can.
1. It’s expensive: Buy the top-of-the-range Blackberry or Android handset and you will still pay a lot less than the extortionate prices Apple charge. Half-marks.
Apple continue to make premium products, and charging premium prices. I don’t mind - if you want a budget phone, buy something else. And this new model is not as expensive, comparatively, as its predecessors. HTC’s Desire or the Nexus One, for instance, remain cheaper, however, because a number of operators offer them for free on £30 a month contracts. Quite a few people objected to my use of the word “extortionate”, while others accurately identified is as hyperbolic.
2. It’s anti-technology: When the iPhone launched it was cutting edge – now as other manufacturers announce, for instance, that you can use their phones as shareable wifi hot spots, Apple says no. Half-marks.
Apple revolutionised mobile phones with the original iPhone. Other people have caught up, and in some specific instances overtaken. This iPhone’s display and antenna, however, are innovations and deserve significant credit. The implementation of video calling may prove a breakthrough, too.
3. No Flash: The iPhone, the phone that promised to put the web into everybody’s pockets, can’t even show you most of it, because it can’t handle Flash graphics. Pass
There isn’t any Flash, and we knew there wouldn’t be. Does this matter? 85 per cent of the top 100 websites use Flash Player (according to Alexa), three-quarters of all video on the web is viewed via Flash Player, and Forrester says that 98 per cent of enterprises rely on Flash Player. And yes, Adobe quote those figures too, but they come from independent sources.
4. No multitasking: Tried instant messaging on an iPhone? Oh yes, you have to open the app to see if you’ve got a message. Genius. If Apple announces multitasking next it will be an improvement – but there’ll be no apology for the way it’s treated customers in the past, and no guarantee it won’t behave similarly shoddily in the future. Half marks
This is probably the point that upset people most, and I concede that the crux of it comes at the end of the paragraph and not at the beginning. Apple made a big deal of its belated announcement to include multitasking for all customers. I maintain that where other manufacturers had solved this problem, Apple was reprehensibly tardy.
5. Its battery life is terrible. Fail
I think, in light of the A4 processor and other improvements, I should simply concede that Apple is addressing this serious issue.
6. Developing apps for it is costing you money: The special version of the BBC iPlayer, of Natwest Phone Banking, of Eon’s meter reader – developing all of these came out of money that could have been channelled away from a self-important minority and towards more generally useful ideas. Pass
This is clearly true, although there’s much debate as to whether it matters a single jot. Truth be told, I’m glad there are iPhone apps for lots of useful things, of course. But companies should surely be more aware of alienating non-iPhone users, and potentially inhibiting competition that would benefit everybody. So in summary I'd like to see more apps, for more platforms - this is not an argument for fewer, under any circumstances.
7. It comes with offensively bad headphones. Pass
Few people deny this. Does it matter? It’s up to you. I have bought several iPods myself, so I should add it’s not a dealbreaker.
8. It’s not very well designed. Fail
The new iPhone is the best looking phone “now” on the market in the UK. I’m sure it will be lovely to use, too.
9. It charges for satnav. Pass
It does. And Google Maps is no substitute.
10. Those iPod docks are holding back better technologies. Half-marks
With this very strong product, Apple will go on defending its position. I’d like to see more competition. Others argue that the dominance of good technologies is legitimate and reasonable. Eitherway, I can’t argue that this superb product shouldn’t be well catered for in the accessories market.
