Of the major companies that announced their earnings yesterday, two of them, AT&T and Apple, beat Wall Street estimates largely thanks to a single product: The iPhone. We’re approaching the two year birthday of the device, and it still remains one of the hottest items out there. Ladies and gentleman, the state of the iPhone is strong.
Yes, Apple actually sold fewer iPhones this quarter than the previous two quarters, but that was coming off of the always-hot holiday shopping quarter, and the one before that was when the iPhone 3G was still relatively new on the scene. All told, Apple has sold 21 million iPhones since its launch. Perhaps just a drop in the bucket compared to overall Nokia sales, but remember, Apple was not in the mobile business at all before 2007. And aside from just sales figures, in the past two years, it has revolutionized the industry. That is, of course, a cliche. But in this case, it’s true.
People can downplay the actual number of iPhones in circulation all they want — the fact of the matter is that it has changed things. While there were some third-party mobile app developers before Apple’s App Store, they received almost no attention, and as such, it wasn’t really a viable business. Now, everyone and their mother is flocking to develop for the App Store. And every major mobile player is rushing to make their own app stores. But Apple’s already has over 35,000 apps — and in a few short hours, there will have been one billion apps downloaded in just 9 months.
Think about that for a second: One billion apps downloaded. There are currently 37 million iPhones and iPod touches combined. Certainly, there have been a lot less than that over various stages in the last nine months, but just take that 37 million number. That means that every single one of those devices has had an average of 27 apps downloaded to it. 27 apps — that do everything from games to music to movie times to fetching me a taxi.
I remember the phone I had before the iPhone, fondly: Motorola’s RAZR. It had zero third-party apps, and the most exciting thing it could do was take a grainy picture. That was just two years ago.
Look, Apple’s iPhone platform is not perfect. The app approval process, to put it lightly, sucks. There are apps getting rejected for questionable reasons, that are forced to wait weeks to just be reviewed again. And then there are other apps which feature outrageous things, which get accepted without the slightest peep. Apple needs to revamp this system.
And the network is far from perfect as well. AT&T seems to have a failure rate that is unacceptable to a lot of people. Some have gotten rid of their iPhones just to ditch AT&T.
But the fact of the matter is, that iPhone is simply the best all-in-one device that I’ve ever owned. I cannot imagine my life without it now. I would be lost — sometimes literally — without it. I say that because I know that of the 21 million iPhone owners out there — there are a great deal who feel the exact same way. That may be annoying, and may even sound pretentious to those who don’t own an iPhone — but I’m giving you my honest take as someone who has owned and/or tried a lot of the so-called “smartphones” out there. I have a G1. I have a Nokia N95. I’ve used a number of Blackberry devices. None compare. And I think for a lot of the other devices, it actually speaks less to the iPhone itself and more to the shit products that the other mobile companies have gotten away with putting on the market for so long.
And thanks in no small part to the iPhone, that could be about to change. Google’s Android platform was long seen as the next big thing, but so far, the only phone to run it, the G1, is junk. That should, hopefully change before the end of this year when new Android phones hit the market. But before then, the first real challenger should be coming — perhaps next month — with the Palm Pre. I’ve known a few people who have used the Pre a bit, and the consensus seems to be that it is the first true competitor, in terms of experience (both hardware and software), to the iPhone.
But it has some major handicaps — ones that I’ve already mentioned: 21 million, 35,000, and 1 billion. The iPhone has established itself as the standard that all mobile platforms now aspire to be. And with so much developer mindshare tied up in the platform, it will be hard for any other to come along and compete. The Pre, simply put, has to actually be better than the iPhone, if it wants to stand a chance.
For a while, it seemed like that would be the case. When the Pre was first unveiled, major hype immediately began. It had all the features the iPhone didn’t. But Apple isn’t stupid. It didn’t rush out with a buggy software update to match all the features. Instead, it sat back, worked, and then dropped the iPhone 3.0 software bomb. Not only does its update coming this summer include many of the features the Pre was touting as advantages, but it has a lot more that the Pre doesn’t offer.
And the Trojan Horse, that not a lot of people are talking about yet, is that the 3.0 software’s micro-payments system (In-App Purchases) could take the iPhone to an even higher level in terms of developer commitment. It could represent a whole new level of money for them — and Apple.
Oh yeah, and there is likely new iPhone hardware coming shortly as well.
Of course, there are still two major differentiating factors that the Pre will offer: a physical keyboard and background applications.
To me, the physical keyboard argument is a short-term one. Yes, a lot of people right now insist on having a physical keyboard — something which Apple has refused to provide. But Apple is doing that because it knows that they are not in the cards for the future of mobile devices. In the not-too-distant future, there will be screens with full haptic feedback that let you orient your hands on them. Physical keyboards will be seen for what they are: A huge waste of space.
The larger issue is background applications. Apple still refuses to run them (from third parties). You might think this is an obvious advantage for the Pre, but there are some major potential downsides. One is performance. How will the device run when multi-tasking? But the larger issue is battery life. I have a G1 that runs applications in the background. The battery life is a joke. If you think the iPhone has a poor battery, try using the G1 for a day. Or should I say, try using the G1 for about 3 hours. Good luck.
Some developers say that if an app is made correctly, it shouldn’t drain a battery to such an extent even while running in the background. They often cite older Nokia phones and the like with applications as examples. But those older phones ran applications that are nowhere near as advanced as we have now in the post-iPhone world. If applications can be optimized for battery life, no one told the developers on the Android platform.
And so, I have my doubts about the Pre’s main advantage, actually being an advantage at all. Again, Apple is a lot of things, but it is not stupid. If it thought allowing applications to run in the background was the best play in keeping customers happy, it would do it. Instead, it went through the painstaking process of completely redeveloping the Push Notification system to get it working. It seems to say something that now Palm has a similar service it has built into the Pre SDK, called Mojo Messaging Service.
Apple, with its still relatively small overall market share, is in a position of power right now in the US. If it had an iPhone that was $99 and could run on any major carrier, it would completely dominate this market. Instead, it’s doing things its way — just as it has always done. And that has worked for the iPod, and for iTunes, and has been working the past few years for the Mac. That also leaves a small opening for a nice Android device or the Pre to have a chance. But they can make no mistakes. Or they will be written in the Wikipedia entry for Apple next to the Zune.
[photo: flickr/techburst]
You are an amazing writer MG. Very smooth, fluid and compelling.
Thanks Tyler. Appreciate it.
@Siegler
I often come to TC to read your post and even thought i might agree that you are an amazing writter, what’s happening to you? Well perhaps my expectations were too high for you(You are the Obama of TC) of you but have your fellow TC colleagues been spoon feeding you the Apple Juice? I know you are an Apple user and that’s fair game. But i thought for a second you were to keep things balance.
I admit, the Iphone is great and all but being overly positive on a phone that is missing tons of features is kinda sound fanboish. I know that 3.0 software will solve some of the features but it still missing quite a few. I think that the G1 even thought it missing on style is a great competition to the Iphone. Aside from the battery issue it is smooth phone. The pre is to change the game a bit more with several of the features that it will have. It is a well rounded technology that will do wonders. The keyboard is definitely an advantage that shouldn’t be dismissed as a waste of space. Haptic feedback will never bee as effective as a keyboard. I can tell you that on my BB i can type without looking at the keys, now can you do that with the Iphone? hell no. I could go on and on but i think you get my point. I enjoyed the article but c’mon put a finger in your mouth and vomit some of that Apple Juice it might be faulting your judgement.
oh I forgot to mention that the Pre is based on old JavaScript/HTML/CSS programming and that gives it a arsenal of a killer of a weapon.
“I enjoyed the article but c’mon put a finger in your mouth and vomit some of that Apple Juice it might be faulting your judgement.” ~Nick
LOL!!!!!!!!!
Oh please. Stop hating. MG is the best thing that happened to TC. To be honest, I mainly come here to read his thoughts on things. He has trustworthy ideas and thoughts, and that’s a rare commodity on the internet.
@nimbus I like MG too and his writing is awesome, but this switch he had I think its just not needed. I am blogger for 5 years now and even tho I hate some things or am fan of some things I don’t endorse or bash on “things” in overwhelming way .
It reminds me of one friend, when he buys crappy car he things its better than my BMW 08 and what will you say to that type of people?
No hater just disagree with the review of palmpre, G1 vs iPhone… to me this article looks like being paid by Steve Jobs.
Only jobless people will read this long post. Hope this new blogger get used to TC.
That iphone/ipod touch can backfire, apple may have to fight in all new field for its revenues. But in an all screen device it is only software matters in which apple is strong. I still dont understand tightlip about vid rec.
Apple iPhone is revolutionary….it is by far the most interesting cellphone in recent times…. The idea of a phone with such as awesome UI, speed, looks, usability has never been seen before. Apple is Apple for a reason, in one word they are truly “innovative”. So just lets accept the real fact that they are better/smarter than all others.
http://www.livbit.com
@Majo
A lot of cars are better than BMWs. You’re a marketing victim.
yep it’s a good piece indeed. no doubt the iphone revolutionized the industry and opened up a whole new market (android, pre).
you know, the problem is mainly the mobile carriers from now on, not the phones: high 3G costs, ridiculous charges for SMS (popular here in europe), shutting down access to wifi just to force people to use their networks. mobile carriers already transmit voice digitally, yet they insist on selling it as voice. There was an EU directive this week that set a limit to the cost carriers charged for roaming access to networks. it’s the carriers that are now going to be the burden in the widespread use of smartphones.
I am sure Gphone guys are reading this very carefully…:-)
Some how I have a feeling that 2 years from now a people/community supported system such as for iphone or gphone will break down everything else in the market…. n apple has just only recently opened its doors for apps..
good going.
cheers,
marvin
http://yousuggest.us
Really well written article. More people should write as well as you.
I love the way you present the story MG, especially the satiric-tweak you give it at the end of the article, looking at a thing critically and passing on your clinical judgment of it. Keep up the good work!
I have to agree MG, I have been enjoying your material, it is up there with Mike’s stuff.
I have to agree with that. Although I’ve been pissed at MG lately for writing pretty much only about twitter bs, this article is spot on. Great job, MG!
I second that. A forceful, compelling article !
Would you like to suck his dick now, Tyler ?
I don’t own iphone yet
“Yet” being the key word there?
LOL Indeed. It will also be interesting to see though how many non-iPhoners flock to the Pre. The fact that the Pres are exclusively Sprint devices, however, should NOT HELP. I like many others, have left Sprint, never to return.
The iPhone is the best all-in-one device I have owned as well and in an era where being connected is essential. Apple have released a handset that although not offering every feature available for handhelds offers the best experience!
What?! I love my G1!
Me too i love my G1.
MG
Great piece. Background apps on the blackberry also cause problems. My Bold runs very hot, crashes frequently and lasts about three hours before it needs a recharge.
The Bold will happily run ten+ apps in the background and then freeze horribly.
Although I disagree about the Pre. For the Pre to succeed it doesn’t just have to be better, it has to be leagues better than the iPhone. It has to be to the iPhone what the iPhone was to the Razr. A completely new paradigm.
The Pre stands a chance of getting meaningful market share of the iPhone platform if it can be cross compatible. I mean the Pre needs to be able to download and run iPhone apps, either through a virtualisation layer or through a multi-billion dollar program to convert iPhone apps to the Pre.
Apple has been there before. But on the wrong end of not having Platform dominance.
Thanks Azeem — that multi-billion dollar program to convert iPhone apps to Pre apps might just be worth it for some people!
But yeah, Pre really needs to shine, especially with a new version of the iPhone hardware coming.
Point here is they should limit max no. of apps that can run simultaneously. Not on the basis of hardware capacity of the phone, but on attention span limit of user. So maximum 4 apps at a time, and 5th can be opened only if one of the other app is closed.
Agree on the MG props (matt has done a lot of VB writing since you left… but i wish them well, too!). I still have an old US robotics pilot from the “what do we call this thing” days, but now a Crackberry head. But agree on the phenomena and the reason. And great writing, as ever.
Great article about iphone and i enjoyed in reading.I came to know some new features about iphones and understand that it is a all in one device. But yet i dont’t own iphones -may be in future i will use it.Thanks for your input!
Great article MG. As you said, the iPhone is way ahead right now. Thats something we have also highlighted in our blog http://bit.ly/BXpoc
But we are seeing a lot of traction for Android, and I think it would become a more worthy competitor when new devices are launched.
Agreed. I’m just surprised that it’s taken so long for other devices to come along. Android seems poised for big things — especially worldwide — but in the US, it really needs the sexy device to battle the iPhone.
Agree with you. But who is to unleash the “sexy” side of Android..strong enough to battle with the STRONG iPhone?
3 hour battery life on the G1? WTF are you talking about? Mine easily lasts more than a day
What do you run in the background? Anything? I run Gtalk and the Twitter client and it’s done in about 3 hours — sometimes even less.
And what do you run in the background on your iPhone? Oh yeah, nothing.
With my Blackberry, I am the one who chooses if I wish to run background apps. Not Steve Jobs.
yeah, i choose whatever i want.
On a related note, please go to the Windows Task Manager (or use Activity Monitor on Mac OSX) and check out all the apps that are running in the background on your desktop or laptop. See? Steve Ballmer or Jobs still decide what runs in the background
That’s nice, but you’ll probably be using an iPhone within the next 3 years.
I run DoggCatcher (podcatcher) and Twidroid (twitter client) and GTalk if anyone messages me, and I *definitely* get more than three hours of battery life. True, the phone will die in a day, but I expect that because of running background apps, and it’s not like I’m away from a USB connection for more than 24 hours normally.
If you are focused on battery life, you need to do some things like turn off Wifi when you aren’t using it (simple program togglewifi will do this for you with one click) and turn DOWN the brightness of the screen (it’s bright even at the lowest brightness setting, I can still use it as a flashlight).
Batteries aren’t getting any worse, it will only get better from here.
3 of multitasking > 0 hours of no multitasking
By that logic, nobody should want fast cars because they offer lower mileage if you drive fast.
Sorry, the reply above was directed at MG Siegler.
Intosh > “By that logic, nobody should want fast cars because they offer lower mileage if you drive fast.”
Yep. Nobody wants a dragster.
power manager
caller lookup
wifi lock
sim checker
timeriffic
sms popup
missed call
dxtop (arguably in background)
None kill battery life, mostly because they are event driven or poll very infrequently via internal timers.
Admittedly, I have noticed some apps (locale back in the day and even the IM client to some degree) hurting battery life (driving it down to 12 hours or so with limited use); however, the benefits of being able to use those 8 before-mentioned apps in the background far exceed the occasionally crap app.
Anyone remember Newton? Apple have done a much better job here than I was expecting, and the iPhone is popular around the world, but nowhere near as much as in the US. We’ll see what will happen in the long run, but I can’t see Apple doing nearly as well in the mobile market in the medium to long term as they have with the market Creative invented with mp3 players.
Correction iPhone is selling well in the US. In most other parts of the world they have resorted to giving them away and still subpar sales. The plans carriers want you to use are way steeper then international is used to.
And please carrier invest in millions to build out and run the wireless networks that make this all possible.
When you buy your own spectrum and towers then you can complain. Until then you either agree to the plans or try and get by with wifi hotspots.
MG, I agree with your take on the background processes, especially considering the scale of apps deployed on iPhones – in my experience developing for BlackBerry it could handle background processes but only had a few apps installed per device so it didn’t measurably affect battery life – that doesn’t scale obviously as each app takes juice.
As for your thoughts on the physical keyboard – I remain skeptical right now – I do loves my Bold for speed and comfort of typing those long emails on the move.
James
And laptop shouldn’t be capable of gaming because gaming decreases battery autonomy.
If it drops the battery life to 2 hours while crashing a ton…then yeah.
You need to work on your complaints, “Intosh”.
While you’re gaming, you’re using your computer, you enjoy it and you accept easily to lower your battery life.
Background apps have not the same value for the user, unless (s)he’s totally addict to twitter and other social applications.
Hi,
I’m french and i have to say that your article is very very good, i was really impressed by your style and it was very nice !
I have a G1 and have to say i’m really not disapointed about it, i really think the cupcake upgrade is going to be very good for android phones.
And other phones are coming in few days (HTC Magic in France) and i think french people are going to love it ^^
Oh, and i can’t wait for developping on the pre, it seems to be very cool and i’m in love with this phone
OK,I think someone will projects tomatoes to me after hearing my words.
The main potential market of iphone is directed to EU.Such as UK,France,Deutche,and some east europian teritories.
But iphone will encounter more barriers in Asia.The core advantages the apple took will not appear in ASIA market,especially in china,japan,and Korea.
And lots of analysts could not tell us why the iphone is better than any other handsets,despite the app store,multi-touch and flicking manipulation.
Who could tell the industry chain mechanism of iphone that acchieve the sucesses and help the APPLE got such targets?
Few eastern people could explain VAS makret,that is so so.
“Yes, Apple actually sold less iPhones…”
Fewer
Yes, thx.
Iphone is great!
hope it will be available in china soon
Given Tim Cook’s comments, it sounds like it.
Sales figures for EU could be dramatically higher – if it wouldn’t be avavilable from just one provider only (i.e. T-Mobile in Germany). And if the monthly data plan options were more attractive.
And yes, there are gazillions of iphone apps out there – but I really miss some sort of premium store segment, where only the few really helpful apps are listed.
But however:The iphone still is the most sexy device out there in the wild – and will ever be (or at least for a very long time).
Cheers!
“but I really miss some sort of premium store segment, where only the few really helpful apps are listed”
It’s planned and should be on the ITS soon, maybe for the iPhone 3 launch.
I started reading the article without knowing who had written it. I completed it and was so confident that Michael has written it but oops no. Its the new techcrunch write MG Siegler
. You have wonderful writing skills MG and it is so similar to MA. Keep it up. I own an iPhone 3G and before that I had iPhone 2G and I agree to every single point here. I am gonna show this article to everyone who despises iPhone for no seeming reason 
Im repeating this like a parrot to everybody and Im glad you mention it. The main strength of iPhone is not hardware, its App Store.
These days many companies have technology to create something similar to iPhone but they are miles away form App Store which is actually built on iTunes, a service which is extremely popular already for years. That’s main challenge for all others and I can’t really see anybody in near future being able to get there.
And regarding your writing, for long time no TC writer could tackle certain things as Michael does but I’m seeing this in you. I must say that new Tech Crunch star is born.
I guess soon I will have to start with Twitter @MGSieglerCrunch
Im sorry but this sounds like an apple fanboy junk. and you dont even mention the new contendant in this war the HTC magic running Android Cupcacke which beats the iphone on everything design, hardware and software, plus is opensource which will skyrocket the apps avalible in the android market in no time.
Seriously.
Wake up and smell the coffee.
Then eat your cupcake.
“Android Fanboi? – there is an app for that.”
Isaac I agree with you 100 percent. I am a fan of MGSiegler and he has been a wonderful addition to TechCrunch but as i said before this article is leaning way beyond what i expected of MG.
He has demonstrated to be balance on his articles until this one.
So Siegler if you read this, c’mon buddy you are great, but don’t do this to us. This article was quite biased and no I am not hating on the iPhone. I think is a great peace of device but it’s not god’s phone like people like to believe it is.
Oh god. Your phone before the iPhone was a Razr? It’s no wonder you think you have a Jesus phone right now. Apps on smartphones aren’t new dude. If you had a smartphone like a Treo before your iPhone, you probably wouldn’t believe so strongly that it “revolutionized” the industry. Let’s see…bad call quality from AT&T, no physical keyboard, mediocre battery life…there’s finally copy and paste now right? Is it the prettiest phone on the market now? Sure. But that hardly makes it the best all in one device out there.
I own a Treo and I can’t live without it, but I’m not going to gush about it like a high school cheerleader.
Sure hope TC doesn’t turn into the MSNBC of tech news with all these bias opinion pieces. MA, where are you?
The Razr sold 100M+ units, and IIRC was the most popular single US phone model period prior to the iPhone. I forget where I read this, but the most common prior phone for an iPhone buyer was also Razr. I agree, it no revolution to get customers who pay high prices for flashy hardware to buy new high price flashy hardware, although it is certainly good business if you can get it… and it is a common experience; less common than you & I w/ Windows Mobile or other smartphone platform phones.
The revolution is to be in this space, but not focus only on hardware as Motorola did. RIM is doing a good job of this as well.
The Razr has been out longer, it’s cheaper, and you can pretty much get it for free with multiple carriers. If Apple opened up their iphone to multiple carriers I’d buy one right away. If it was cheaper $99 or free it’d surpass 100 million in a heartbeat. That phone blew goats. it was hyped up so much but everyone I talked to said it sucked.
You lost me at “I own a Treo”….you lost me at “I own a Treo”
I thought the same about the article but i am going to give MG the benefit of the doubt. He is a great writer after all and you must give him credit for that. Hopefully he will do a better job next time, the article just seem one sided. But i guess last night his fellow crunchies got him drunk on some Apple Juice. He will be better next time(I Hope).
OH by the way, i personally don’t have an issue with the iPhone, i think it’s great but not perfect as it seems to be convey on some(most) comments. But MG failed to recognized the strenght of the other platform, primarily the Pre… The pre might not have that many App out there but watch it grow quicker then the Iphone. It’s based on standard web programming and i betcha many web developers will be jumping in this ship.
Great Apple Store Customer Service and Shopping Experience Too!
Yes the iPhone is super delicious, but the customer service Apple offers in its physical store is unmatchable by any retail company and that makes it all even more amazing and a huge success, and even adds more stickiness to the Apple brand.
Yes we had the lines in the beginning, which were both cute and annoying, but once you meet your Apple service person its a completely different story. They are intelligent people, who in most part know what they are doing and has a lot of discretion to spend time with you, help you with the shopping process and later lend a hand with all kind of questions or peblems you may have and if needed even replace your device, which happened to me (and it wasn’t even their fault.)
Apple you are a beacon of hope to all companies and consumers in these troubled times.
The iPhone’s ongoing success is hardly surprising if one looks at the sheer amount of useful functionality it offers. Thanks to the App Store, my 3G iPhone does more for me today than it did when I bought it. A lot more.
I couldn’t imagine myself interacting with my previous handsets in the way I do with the iPhone. As a mobile experiencce, it’s as personal as it gets.
I have even started using it to learn Japanese: http://bravelit...e-learning-tool
I think the iPhone is pretty great. It’s probably only a matter of time before the other handset manufacturers start outcompeting it, but I really feel Apple have managed to mix things up and force everyone else to raise their game. It takes me back to the day’s of CD-player-size MP3 players, until Apple brought out the iPod, and boom.
I’m excited to see where Apple takes the iPhone next, but even if they stopped here the effects of the iPhone would continue. In a dream world Apple would go into one market at the time, release a truly disruptive product that shows everyone how it’s done, and move on. What the car industry really needs, for instance, is an Apple Motors.
“It’s probably only a matter of time before the other handset manufacturers start outcompeting it”
That’s what they said about the iPod…
nice job on this post
Very good post, interesting article
Just two comments in relation to this:
“Again, Apple is a lot of things, but it is not stupid. If it thought allowing applications to run in the background was the best play in keeping customers happy, it would do it.”
1) How long did it take Apple to produce a mouse with more than one button?
While the rest of the computing world was using two (or more) mice buttons, Apple still had their fingers in their ears claiming that only one button was required. They finally caved many years later, but every apple user I know was using a Logitech or Microsoft (Ironic, eh?) mouse with multiple buttons simply because they wanted a usable mouse.
2) How long did it take Apple to give users “Copy & Paste” on their iPhones?
What a big coincidence that they announce and produce that functionality AFTER the Palm Pre is announced with it as a default feature…
Apple never denied they were working on Copy&Paste.
Apple explicitly stated multi-tasking is a no-no on current version of iPhone hardware, twice.
But the NIH syndrome about mouse button is obvious, I’ll give you that.
dude copy and paste is not rocket science, it should have been there from the beginning. Stop defending a company when they fail to provide a phone with common sense features.
It could cause a serious security breach
Apple has been keep every single app and its data in its own sandbox pretty well
Copy & Paste without protection could ruin everything.
Mind you every iPhone is tied to a iTunes account.
Apple need to be extra careful, and it did.
iPhone even in its 3.0 still won’t let apps grab calender and contact info as all the other major contender, for the exactly same reason.
They decided to not hold up the phone for a feature. What exactly is wrong with that? And, if they/Steve feels that the interaction is not working, why release a half-baked feature that will change in the future.
Do I want it? Sure. Do I need it? Not that much.
Cut, Copy, Paste was extremely difficult to implement correctly, so that’s why it took longer then you might expect. It’s far more advanced than any other phone’s CCP, so take a look at the iphone 3.0 preview video and you’ll see why it wasn’t easy to pull off…
http://www.appl...view-iphone-os/
and as for multiple button mice on Macs. keep in mind there have been 2, 3, 4 button mice on Macs since 1986, so there were always options. Mac users still don’t need the “training wheels” of a 2nd mouse button, so to this day, it’s kinda pointless to have them. The MacOS was built for usability, so slowing down the user with multiple buttons was never required. Windows forced users to use 2 buttons, the MacOS was more refined so it never needed the bandaid of a 2nd button. But today, all Macs ship with 4 button mice, so knock yourself out
Though I agree that the iPhone has changed things and has done wonders for Apple, I’m sure you saw that this past quarter was Apple’s best non-holiday quarter in the companies history! The device itself is just eye-candy. It is attractive, fun to play with, has a nice large display, the accelerometer makes applications fun but it really is over-hyped. It has become the latest trend and everyone is jumping on the bandwagon. The author of this article himself says his previous phone was a Razr! The Razr wasn’t by any means an amazing phone, in fact, I’d say it was close to garbage in my book, but the Razr, like the iPhone, sat apart from other devices because it had its own unique sexy style and was affordable. The iPhone isn’t necessarily better or worse than any other device competing in the same market but the genius of Apple’s marketing department worked wonders by making the price point low enough for everyone to afford and made the device attractive. Millions who own the iPhone, now just like the author, jumped on the Razr bandwagon a few years back. He has again jumped on the iPhone bandwagon because that is how consumers are trained in the US.
This article took another jab at AT&T but I also want to point out that the Android and Pre both of which are currently with smaller carriers which means smaller network coverage. If you think the iPhone is being held back by AT&T, just wait and see what happens with the Android devices and the Pre being with T-Mobile and Sprint respectively. Those devices will never compete on the same level unless they can land in the hands of AT&T or Verizon. Stop living in the bubble that includes only your neighborhood. How many times can we say, well the next Android device will compete with the iPhone? They said that before the first one launched and they will say it when the fifth one launches.
It will take some time for something to beat back the iPhone. No one device is going to dethrone it.
Good one!
I have been telling that to people as well.
Remember Razr being $700 for nothing but just being slim phone ? It didn’t have even microSD card…
It’s the mainstream that goes a long…..
if I say I pooped you will say that too a front of the girl, because you think it’s cool yet smells like sh**
and the pooperia goes around…
yes i remember “the most slim cellphone in the Word” 700 bucks!!!
at least not all of the readers here are preaching to God Steve. You just made the case for all the fanboys and their ignorance. Now do you guys remember the StarTak from Motorola way back when i was a young teenager. This phone was the coolest phone anywhere, after seeing these huge phones and now you got this amazing looking StarTak… Just the same like with the Iphone…
The Palm Pre is a train wreck in the making. The UI and experience from the videos don’t hold a candle.
u have a gud knowledge about it.your post is very nice
As usual, another gush piece for iphone. all i can say is, whenever i point out the capabilities of my Sprint Mogul running Windows Mobile 6.1 to an iphone owner, all i hear is “…oh yeah, apple’s coming out with that feature “real soon now”. take multitasking: i can surf the web, download a video, run GPS and listen to a stored music file at the same time. sure, i have to switch between running apps but that’s no harder than hitting alt-tab on a p.c. Battery power? my htc device allows for increased capacity batteries to be installed, and a modified back cover to handle the larger battery makes it a simple task. these larger batteries (2400 mA vs. 1200) allow me to multitask all day long. applications? to start with, WM is code compatible with the Office family of apps. Word, Powerpoint, Excel…no problem. and there are more apps for that platform than any other pda os. yep, my phone is a true micro computer with a phone attached. keyboard? please…no haptics-enabled flat screen display of a keyboard is gonna beat my extensible REAL keyboard for ease of typing and texting. and when i don’t need a keyboard, walla! back it goes into the “drawer”.
i can view and download youtube videos…not only that, the “Youtubeplay” app also conveniently extracts the mp3 file from any downloaded video. since basically every song ever recorded is on youtube now…iTunes be dammed!
nope. iphones are purty but WM phones are the only true computer-in-your-hand devices out there.
Reading through the comments it’s pretty clear most of the anti-iPhone ones are from those who haven’t even touched one let alone extensively used an iPhone. I’ve used several PDAs, smart phones, etc. and for pure ease of use and adaptability the iPhone can’t be beat.
James mentions Windows Mobile 6.1 and gushes over the Sprint Mogul. Sadly the Sprint Mogul, a reasonable smart phone, has a problem – Windows Mobile. When you multi-task it freezes more often than not, is the most susceptible to malware, viruses and hacks, and it depends on IE which is the most inefficient browser that can’t even do the acid3 test to 100%. MS has been playing catch-up with the iPhone for some time, having been caught off guard, to get apps to run concurrently, or run at all in some cases. And as for his comment “…more apps for that platform”, sure there are thousands of apps for Windows, but they won’t run on Win Mobile.
The iPhone is a Mac in a phone shell. It uses Safari (100% acid3), has the OSX operating system which is BSD Unix based, is rock solid, and because it’s not a hacked version of OSX, unlike Win Mobile, it can do basically anything a Mac can do. ANYTHING.
The Palm Pre does look like a train wreck in the making. Sadly Palm has been on the decline for years now and I think their bottom is going to drop out with the Pre.
Now the G1 is something. A true competitor for the iPhone and the G2 specs being bandied about sound like a great upgrade. Will it catch up to the iPhone, maybe in the long haul and if more Android phones come out (and have stronger advertising and corporate support).
Right now the iPhone which has pretty much captured and is dominating the smart phone market, has started to become the smart phone of choice in the enterprise now with many companies adopting it (especially now that it is Exchange compatible).
The next generation iPhone looks to fix the deficiencies of the current 3G model. That and the G2 will definitely up the ante for the smart phone industry. Leaving Palm and Win Mobile lagging behind.
Then I guess the iPhone should no longer allow web browsing because browsing the web is susceptible to stumbling into hate and pornographic websites.
Mike,
Agree that most anti-IPhone people have not used one. But I would also note that most people who hate the G1 calling it ugly or junk probably haven’t seen or used one.
Yeah, probably true for it is a lot harder to come by.
But come on, if a Android fan can sincerely call both G1&G2 equally pretty. I’d say he/she is not a fan, he/she is a fanboi/gal.
G2 is fairly well designed. G1 is a prototype at large. And yes I said it. It’s UGLY.
wow that’s what i call a FanBois!!!
FALSE.
We have outright banned iPhone due to it doesn’t meet our security requirements. The iPhone cannot encrypt data at rest – BECAUSE APPLE WON’T ALLOW BACKGROUND PROCESSES!
Whats funny is the emails iPhone users sent in. One was so irrate he got a nice visit to HR and is now looking for employment elsewhere.
There is ZERO enterprise interest in iPhone until this is improved. Nothing in OS 3.0 addresses these needs either. Why should Apple bother they have ex Razr users thrilled they have a device that runs apps!
And I had an iPhone before it was even released and yeah it does somethings cool but it’s just not for me. I use Blackberry as I actually need a device that works. Once the novel of iPhone wears off the masses will follow as well. This is not like iPods and the cell phone crowd WILL move onto the next hot device. It might not be this year but that day will come.
Yawn. you’re an idiot.
iPhone isn’t going to wear off for the simple reason that software upgrades and new apps will continue to create new experiences. New hardware will continue to update the experience even more so than iPods.
People kept predicting iPod killers. How did that work out?
I use an iPhone in my business because I need something that just works and doesn’t get in my way. Security issues have been taken care off. Keep hugging your crackberry as well as your corporate drone job until they come to lay you off.
“nope. iphones are purty but WM phones are the only true computer-in-your-hand devices out there.”
This comment, more than any other, illustrates to me WHY people who bitch about the iPhone do so. What the iPhone has done so well is NOT hardware or features or providing a ‘computer in your hand’. What it’s done is take the smartphone concept out of the geek gheto and, my word, don’t some of my fellow tech heads hate it for that?
When we look back on the history of the mobile phone the iPhone is going to mark the turning point in user interface design on mobile platforms AND the introduction of the FIRST digital app download service that actually works. Does it have every last tech feature you could ever want? Nope, and if it doesn’t do what you need it to then there are competing platforms that will. Does it do enough to keep the vast majority of users happy? Absolutley.
Let me put it another way… some of us will want and need Photoshop to edit images but the vast majority will not only be more than happy with Paint Shop Pro or even iPhoto but would actually HATE using Photoshop for its complexity and power that would get in the way of what they want to do. Neither solution is better than the other, both are equally good as they meet the needs of their users. End of story.
Ok lets think here for a second, what you are telling me here that every single Eyephoner downloaded 27 apps ? I think you need the facts or Apple is putting those numbers out just to make you “WOW” as any other Apple product.
I can see people downloading 5-10 apps but come on 27 each of them? Or some of them 100 while somebody 5..? I seen people not even knowing what app store is.
I use to have an iPhone its a nice toy, and “the matter of fact is” that I switched to G1 because toys are for little boys, try installing Debian iPhone, try doing some serious work instead of just tweeting and playing games….oh iFart ups!
Seriously guys, I noticed you hate the G1 so much that you couldn’t put Google as the CrunchBase yet u endorsed Palm Pre which is going to be full of malfunctions , html and java script apps are you kidding me??????????
I think everyone should admit that the iPhone IS A TOY gadget, and a beautiful one in fact. That’s what people like to buy, beautiful toys. Heck, even Apple emphasized a lot about the gaming aspect of the device.
@Majo
I love that “Eyephoner” line, but it does make them sound like perverts. jejejej..
anyways, that is so true… besides i know girls that want an iPhone and it’s because it’s pretty. The iPhone has some good apps and it’s a good phone but man, that phone is so inefficient. I tried the G1 and i was surprised it didn’t have more people buying it, even thought the battery is horrible which that’s where it’s weakness lies. But we also have other pretty competitive phone but hey don’t have the marketing Apple has, other than the instinct which Marketing sucks. Hopefully the Pre- will have good marketing.
@Nick Duno battery for me is the same on iPhone or G1 , and I used them both equally well not equally as far as the apps go but browsing etc…
Will see about Pre, I think there is more dev’s out there than for iphone or android.
Btw u can see my video changing Android to iPhone theme with AutoRotate AND keyboard just like cupcake
http://www.yout...user/LiveCrunch
Thanks man, that was cool. I am loving what Android is doing to the business, it will definitely mature faster then the iPhone and personally i think it’s better, it just don’t have the eye candy yet.. Also, I hope that MS can do a big combat and drill the competition down the whole nine, but i guess we’ll have to wait for WinMo 7.
I’m an iPhone owner who hit the 9 screen limit, which means I’ve downloaded over 130 apps. What Apple doesn’t mention is that those 130 apps have been updated multiple times each. So, I’ve probably generated at least 500 downloads for my 130 apps. So, I’m guesssing the number of unique apps per iPhone user is probably closer to 10. That’s still impressive. And they project 60,000 apps by summer. Assuming they don’t screw up v3.0, it’s iPhone and everybody else duking it out for second place. That said, Apple has made a nice little business being in second place.
I’m an iPhoner that has also hit the 9 screen limit. That’s fine, just used it as an excuse to trim. Looking forward to having 11 screens in 3.0 (though they do need a concept of grouping)
daily use of 3rd party apps…
ABContacts
To Do Cycle
Google
MileBug
Skype
fring
reQuall
44 Jots
OmniFocus
iDicto
Facebook
TwitterFon
Mint
Accountr
Balance
XpenseTrkr
TimeTracker
Compare
Files lite
iFlipr
Daily Quote
craigsphone
Public Radio
Pandora
TED
Weightbot and Lose it!
USA Today
Bloomberg
Spreadsheet
AroundMe
ManGo
Trapster
eReader
WeDict
Flixster
Guitar Toolkit
and of course standard apps like Weather and Maps, Mail, Safari, Phone, Calendar, Text
I agree that everyone has a lot of catching up to do, but I disagree with the keyboard point. Touchscreen is cool and all, but nothing will replicate an actual button. Haptic feedback is cool, but it’s still not the same.
Unfortunately, this will likely become less of a point for the masses, and will be a small minority in the future.
I will be getting a Pre with hopes Palm does it right. AT&T is still just too expensive, and Sprint can fill my requirements just as well where I am. I’m not delusional in thinking it will dethrone the iPhone though. But it will hopefully give some real competition in the market.
The biggest problem is the Apps. While 1 billion is a lot, how many are actually useful? Hopefully Palm can capture those key ones. But the question is will the App space be too difficult to manage.. blackberry, apple, android, palm…
To those shouting “Apple Fanboy”.. re-read MG’s line – “it actually speaks less to the iPhone itself and more to the shit products that the other mobile companies have gotten away with putting on the market for so long”
MG, do you know how many iPhones & iPod touch devices have been sold in the US?
With the new numbers, not sure just for US John, will try to find out.
test
I have tried almost all smartphones including G1 and iphone. I think Android has great potential but lacks the hardware. G1 doesnt do any justice.
I used to extremely dislike apple for their practices. Apple controls its brand and quality and I think they really dont care about customers. The make reliable products and people buy them because they WORK.
I still dont like the MAC OS. But I have to say that I like the iPhone. A week ago I finally decided to put my differences with Apple aside and try the iPhone and I must say it WORKS. I love it.
I do like the iPhone, but the only thing that is holding me back from owning one is AT&T. The price of the plan is ridiculous with 2 monthly plans ($100/month) = 1 iPhone. Too bad the other GSM choice is T-mobile, which is not great either. Otherwise there’s really no hope unless Verizon switches over to GSM or iPhone has a CDMA model.
You are a great writer. Your flow and analysis are always on point!
Very good read, thank you
i
Biased reporting.
Speaking of State of the Union, there wasn’t one mention of Windows Mobile; the OS that the President of the United States uses. An OS that sold more in 2008 than the iPhone has sold to date.
G1’s bad battery life means that the iPhone battery (which we can’t change out) is better than the Pre; the Pre being an unreleased phone?
This article could have been more encompassing and given a more accurate perspective of the smartphone market. Instead, this article is written from the (admitted) perspective of an iPhone fanboy who goes out on a limb to even criticize an unreleased phone.
I guess the author is true to what American presidents do when they give State of the Union addresses. They tell the story to make their followers feel good about the road ahead.
I hope to have new iPhone hardware by the end of the year. But articles like this hurt every one but AT&T and Apple. The State of the iPhone is strong; it’s strong for AT&T and Apple.
amen!
I still think MG is great, so i’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.
Moved over from an iPhone 2G/3G (18 months) to a Blackberry Bold. My main gripes with the iPhone was copy and paste, and horrible, nasty emailing.
While the Bold doesn’t hold a shred of weight to Safari and iPhone’s iPod, I will take its emailer and copy/paste any day.
Bottom line: BES + Blackberry > any combination out there.
Hello! I agree 100% with the article. I think that at the present time Apple has built a “framework” that is almost unbeatable, at least in the middle term.
MacOS X, the iPods, iPod Touch, the iMacs, iPhone, iTunes, the App Store, form a juggernaut that is VERY difficult to stop (for the competitors).
The “others” are way behind in most of these fields…
As it has been pointed out in the article, most of Apple’s advantages derive from incredible shortcomings of the competitors, that now find themselves trying to catch up…
I’ve been a MS user for all my life since MS-DOS. As partner of a software house, we’ve developed both for the WinTel and the Linux platforms.
Now we’ve decided to move away from MS. We are sick and tired of things that are either too complicated or that simply don’t work.
2 years ago I bought an iPod. works great. 7 months ago I switched from my PC workstation to a BASIC iMac. in 7 months it has crushed once. Is that too much? It cold starts in 45 seconds, including Skype, Firefox AND Thunderbird. The iPhone IS fantastic. It’s simple, it WORKS. Lacks functionalities??? Yes. But, excuse me, what about the “others”??? Oh, sure, they’ve been “announced”…. In the meanwhile, Apple and its products keep growing… We’ve just begun developing applications for the iPhone. A hassle? Not at all. Complicated road to approval and publication? A little… but hey, afterwards you’re on the App Store, where a customer, with just a click, can actually buy, download AND install our application, all in a single point of sale. A dream come true, for a developer in the mobile applications world. Not to mention the fact that the iPhone and the iPod Touch are practically identical, so you really have a target of 37 million devices…
I really enjoyed this article – which I found refreshingly sober and – contrary to some posts here – very much lacking in partisanship.
Like MG, I have owned many phones, and – like him – am now committed to the iPhone, which is the best smartphone I’ve ever owned. I do get tired of such enthusiasm being immediately branded as some form of ‘Cupertino mind control’, as my conversion has been led by very simple reasoning. The iPhone is just a lot better.
More interesting though, is that in all this defence of personal preferences, what is often lost – and which MG points out – is the age-old power of making a product just so damned good that people will buy it . Great design quality. *Really* great design quality. Originality in approach. Rule-changing innovation.
But for me, his best point is about the opposition’s lousy performance over the last five years. Frankly, Apple saw a gap, because the leading smartphone makers had been peddling mediocre solutions for too long. The market was ripe for revolution. Look around the market now – and then think back a few years before Apple even made a phone. Where were all these high quality touch screens? Where were the intelligent interface designs? I had a Nokia smartphone myself at the time. It was a *mess* – the software crashed, and trying to find anything in the menus was a joke. Software? Sure. If you could work out where to find the stuff on the internet, manage to get it into your phone, and then pay the high price, you were set.
Now? The market is ripe – at last – for *real* innovation. Real customer-focus. I don’t care a damn who makes my phone! But I do want it to do things with excellence, not mediocrity.
By all means defend your choices and bash Apple if it makes you feel better. But try and give credit where it is due. And – to those who wish game-changing companies like Apple would just go away – take a look at your latest phone. And be careful what you wish for….
D
Ummm no device 5 years ago wasn’t capable of doing anything as the network speeds were much slower and you actually paid for data bandwidth.
Also hardware wise 5 years ago a device like iPhone would likely cost 3X what iPhone launched at.
I have been using Blackberry Storm and it compares well with an iPhone. But combine is with BES it is a no-brainer device for the enterprise.
Man there are a lot of defensive people in here…
I think if you are honest with yourself, whether you like Apple or hate them, the reality is that Apple changed the mobile market with the iPhone.
Apple’s product which didn’t exist two years ago (from a company with ZERO cell phone experience) has forced everyone in this market to step it up and THAT is good for everyone.
Give a little credit here and set aside all the defensiveness. We all got to watch a single device help to push an entire industry forward a little faster and that doesn’t happen very often.
This post reeks of fanaticism of Apple that I cannot take it seriously.
I own a G1. I agree that IPhone in its current form is a better product. However, the G1 is nowhere close to junk. It is the best smartphone I ever owned.
This is one of the reasons I don’t like to own Apple products on principle. I don’t want to be like MG Ziegler who blindly trashes non-Apple products whose vision is clouded by fanaticism. I still marveled that in the last Apple keynote, the audience was in awe that the new IPhone OS will be capable of Cut-and-Paste and MMS. -such as high standards by the Apple fanboys.
I welcome Sarah Lacy joining TC. Zeigler? Not sure yet.
Hi Danny,
You see, this is the rather ironic thing I find gets in the way of a real appraisal of the mobile market.
You make sharp accusations of Mac fanaticism against MG in your reply, and yet you follow this with -
“This is one of the reasons I don’t like to own Apple products on principle.”
On *principle*?! Don’t you see that such a position is ….well… extreme? We are all mobile users taking about the mobiles we used. It’s not war here! I’m writing this on a Windows machine. I use an Apple phone. There is no *principle* I need to adhere to, except one of acknowledging the technological innovations that take a market forward.
Last week Nokia gave full praise to Apple for just the kind of things MG mentions :-
http://www.netw...le-for-the.html
Or do you now feel that Nokia are turning into “Mac fanatics”?
Danny, if you hate a company like Apple, fine! But please don’t obscure your own prejudices by blaming others.
Regards,
D
Digsa,
Where did I say that I hate Apple? I said that the IPhone is a better product right now in its current state.
If I’m waging war on Apple, I won’t be praising them.
I just don’t like it when people dismisses other products as junk.
I had a G1. It is total junk.
Iphone is surely one of the best phones.. infact best piece of technology the world has seen. It’s a perfect combo to please both the techies and the novice users…. pretty tough one to beat the iphone especially when the standards are this high!
Love the article, very well written.
As for the iPhone, it has been the best phone I ever had so far. It really exceed my expectations and it’s only going to get better with Firmware 3.0.
With that said, I really hope the Palm Pre succeed and provides Apple with some real competition.
What can you say… it’s one beautifully designed device.
But I’ll still stick with my Blackberry.
full haptic feedback?!? What? – is that English? Sounds like cognitive dissonance reduction to me…
A lot of early criticisms surrounding the original iPhone have been addressed. Corporate email, 3G, GPS, price, 3rd party applications, and so on. The honest truth is that if i had to use only one of the two devices, I’d be happy enough with whichever one you gave me. That’s if someone nice actually gave me ether one.
That’s the other major OS vendor that is having to PAY PEOPLE $1000 to get them to buy products that run their OS. Not Apple.