01-09-2007, 09:15 PM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
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Apple's iPhone: Return of the Touch Screen?
You know, I've been a Pocket PC fan for a long time. The large touch screen, the touch user interaction model -- it's been a great ride ever since I got my iPAQ 3650 with Pocket PC 2000. However, Microsoft's been moving the Pocket PC model steadily over to the Smartphone model -- softkey UI, smaller screens, less memory, more phone-oriented devices. And, honestly, I've actually liked it a lot. The Treo 700w, my main device, is a decent unit for what it does. But... but... in case you've been living under a rock, Apple introduced the iPhone today, and as a touch-screen lover, this is interesting stuff.
That's the pic from Apple's site. You'll notice right away -- this looks more like a PDA than a phone. I guess it's Steve's way of introducing a PDA while swearing it off. If you have a minute, I suggest you go to the site and page through. The device is touch-oriented, first and foremost. The UI controls resemble stuff third parties have been developing for Windows Mobile for years -- but integrated throughout the system. There's so much there that I can't even begin to summarize it in this post -- the full operating system, 4-8GB integrated, auto-landscape, the full-HTML zooming browser/photo viewer/etc., so on. But I'm very, very intrigued by the pervasiveness of the touch screen UI and the fact that Apple is going in precisely the opposite direction of Windows Mobile. So, that's my first impressions -- what do you think of this shot across the bow in the smartphone realm? (By the way, you may find Engadget's transcript of Jobs's keynote today and the tech specs to be of interest as well.)
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01-09-2007, 09:47 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 172
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I plan to get one. I had been thinking about the Treo 750, but when this was announced (I "listened in" via the macrumors site, actually a minute by minute summary) I was sold on the iPhone. Extremely full featured, and sounds like it has the capability of being even further enhanced with add-on apps from developers. Syncing was not specifically demo'd but my hunch is that it painlessly syncs contacts, calendars, and tasks with Macs and probably includes software for syncing with Outlook. PLUS, it's got an iPod built into it.
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01-09-2007, 09:49 PM
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Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,097
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Loathe as I am to say it, I'm actually very impressed by this offering. If it didn't have an Apple logo on it, I'd buy it in a second.
No wonder they weren't concerned with the Zune's release... :?
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01-09-2007, 09:55 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 171
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this is going to be interesting... especially since it appears that the ppc winmobile is on the way out
The only negative I immediately see is lack of memory slot... even with abundant internal memory, what it's aimed at doing may stretch that in the long term... wonder if the usb connection is going to have host capabilities? ;-)
Beverly Howard [MS MVP-Mobile Devices]
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01-09-2007, 09:56 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 24
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In four words...I WANT MY iPHONE!
Hot damm, AT&T will leave Verizon in the dust with this baby!
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01-09-2007, 10:01 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 327
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This is bound to be a hit BECAUSE it is an Apple product. Apple has enjoyed the reputation, lately, of producing stylish and functional hardware and software that just seems to work as it is supposed to. When I plug in my iPod, iTunes opens, then it syncs. No questions from the application, no sync errors, no unresolved items, no obscure messages with no solution in sight. I fully expect the new iPhone to work about the same, and I am quite sure my expectations will be met. I have been using a Mac and a PC for several years now, and since the new Intel Macs came out I have just been using a Mac and running Windows XP in Parallels for the sole purpose of supporting XP in my organization. You can bet the next desktop purchased for this company will be a Mac, with Parallels installed to run the few Windows apps we still need to run. If the new iPhone works with Exchange, you can bet I will replace my Windows phones. Bottom line, I just trust Apple software and hardware more, and I used to HATE Mac with a passion.
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01-09-2007, 10:01 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 15
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While I don't think IPhone is going to be a threat in the business/enterprise market to Windows Mobile right now, this is definately a step into more innovation..something that Windows Mobile has been sorely lacking since Windows Mobile 2003.
Windows Mobile and associated HTC devices have really slacked off on real innovation and rightfully so because they've had virtually no competition in the market especially with Palm dying a slow death.
If anything, Apple is going to bring about a new level of competition for Microsoft and HTC that can only make them stronger..that is if they up their level of innovation to compete.
Windows Mobile "Crossbow" is nothing more than a feature pack, adding some new icons, Voice Command, HTML email, and a few other things. We are still going to deal with buggy radio stacks, frequent soft resets, and the like.. Certainly not the innovative big step like Apple is taking with Iphone. I hope that this causes some real shakeups in the Windows Mobile camp about what Photon should bring now that IPhone has fired a shot across the bow.
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01-09-2007, 10:02 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 13
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Looks great to me. I'm a recent 'switcher' and really love my Macs, but I'm still a Smartphone user (thanks to MissingSync) because they (smartphones) meet my needs. I carry a MacBook, an Ipod and a Smartphone with me almost everywhere I go (yes, the bathroom is included) and if I can get rid of a device here and there I'd be happy.
- 'Push-Imap-Email' from Yahoo looks interesting.
- Great Screen
- Great size
- OS X is great and I wonder what it'll be like on the phone.
- Screen looks like a magnet for finger smudgies.
- I agree with Bev - no memory expansion is a bit of a drag.
So, who in Canada will carry this? i assume it'll be Rogers - what with it being GSM and the Rogers/Yahoo relationship, but Rogers has never sold a WiFi enabled phone.
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01-09-2007, 10:04 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 67
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I've owned Palm and and Microsoft devices, both of which I have thought have not grown into what they should have been. Look at the front page any day on PPT and you will see 'new' Windows Mobile phones that look like they have all been knocked out by the same cookie cutter. Now I finally see here a big hit and want it!
This device has everything I need implemented in just the right way. My pocket awaits it's arrival.
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01-09-2007, 10:11 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 211
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I don't want a smart-phone. I want something with a touchscreen and with a keyboard ( like the HTC Wizard/TyTN variations ). Admittedly, the touchscreen drives me nuts for dialing, but a proper configuration would help that quite a bit with voice-dialing and such. However, the benefits of being able to do just about everything else outweigh that.
However, it sounds like Apple's going the way people may prefer - lots of storage, hopefully enough internal memory to do something and not resort to "smart" application management, a decent browser that may even be somewhat up to date. Sounds like they may have a winner here.
Of course the big question is would I switch? I don't know. This is quite compelling, but I'd definitely need to have some support for my normal apps or variations thereof - FITALY, PocketBible (without still another format ala Palm/WM), and PocketInformant. The rest can sit in the background somewhat, but I use those apps a lot.
I will definitely keep an eye on this. Hopefully they'll have some hardware buttons to make this more useful as an overall device, but it's hard to tell with Apple.
-Pete
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