Now that everything is official, it's time to look at what Apple has done. iPhone fans may disagree with the points below but they are made from the out-of-box perspective without warranty-voiding jailbreaking and 3rd party apps.
- 3G: A welcome addition, but still without a tethering option. 3G is nice on a phone but truly shines when it can be shared with a laptop.
- Application Store: Okay Apple. You've made a token effort to get 3rd party applications into the iPhone but why stifle innovation by making them ONLY available through your store? Why are you taking 30% off the top for every sale in that store?
- Price drop: This is one of the best things you've done with the iPhone. A $199 device is very compelling. At that price, the iPhone looks like a good secondary device as opposed to the normal gauntlet of an iPod touch, an N810, and an N95-3. Sometimes it'd be nice to just carry one device. However, Matthew Miller of The Mobile Gadgeteer points out that the iPhone with the matching AT&T data plan actually costs $40 more than the previous iPhone over the course of the contract.
- GPS: It's nice to have location based services, but don't think you invented it. The N810 comes with a mapping application and has an upgrade option for turn-by-turn voice navigation. Why doesn't the iPhone have that upgrade option?
- Enterprise support: Good work. There's nothing bad that can be said about this new feature - unless it bombs fantastically when put into real use.
- Browsing: Still that same 480x320, 160 pixels per inch (compared to the N810's 800x480, 225 ppi) display. Still no Flash in the browser. While multi-touch zooming helps make up for this, constant scrolling is no solution for full page reading. Keep trying.
22 comments:
Well, I agree with some of your comments, however, think you are off point--
1. Tethering - True, you can't tether, however, tell me how well any of the Nokia tablet's do this? I'd really like it if the iPhone could tether, but at least it can provide it's own Internet access without relying on an access point, or other device.
2. App Store - Compared to charges at other stores such as Handango, 30% is a bargain. Apple isn't requiring developers to charge for their apps, so you can install free apps, just like you can on the tablet.
3. Cost - I'll gladly pay less than $2.00 month for the improved speed of the 3G iPhone, I think there is some additional value provided.
4. GPS- well Tom-Tom has announced software that will run on the 3G, so this doesn't appear to be an issue.
5. Browsing - The tablet "should" provide a superior experience by means of it's larger, higher resolution screen an more complete support. However my real world use of the browser on the iPod Touch compared to that on the N810 finds the experience on the N810 lacking. It slows terribly on Javascript heavy sites, and opening more than a couple browser windows brings my 810 to it's knees. Nokia cut too many corners with the processor and memory to make enable the N810 to really meet it's potential.
Lest you think I'm some Apple Fan-boy, I still haven't decided if I'll jump on to the iPhone bandwagon. From what I can tell the iPhone still lacks A2DP bluetooth support, cut & paste functionality, voice recognition, etc. It remains to be seen if Apple did anything to make the phone part of the iPhone better. It's just that my personal experience with the Apple mobile platform (Touch) compared to the Nokia tablet favors the Apple experience. It just works better for me.
1) Nokia tablets are on the other side of the tethering and they connect very smoothly to mobile phone providing data service over bluetooth. iPhone is cannot be used with tablets.
2) Well, 30% - bargain or not, it is to be seen. And what is interesting is what gets to be on Apple App Store.
3) You are comparing apples and oranges here, tablets are one-time only cost (no contracts because there is no mobile service) - the iPhone is always up-front cost + contract.
4) Care to link to this
5) I agree, N810 is way too slow on javascript-heavy sites.
I'm under impression you're writing this from a geek/hacker point of view (as opposed to "normal user" pov) so I'm not going to argue BUT...
Even from the developer/hacker pov the AppStore is a total revolution. It actually allows others to earn some money along with Apple and make some independent business around the platform.
Good luck with that on the tablets. There is currently no way you can (as an indy developer building cool stuff) earn
any money by building software for the tablet. That's why we'll see hundreds of "I compiled GIMP for the maemo!" type of useless apps and some great shit coming to the apple's platform -- great shit that will actually help people and change their lives.
And no, open-source has nothing to do with this.
Kari -
1. I'm just responding to the comparison provided by Thoughtfix in the original post, which seems to compare the iPhone to the Nokia tablet.
2. I'm willing to bet that we will see hundreds more useful iPhone apps than we ever will see on the Nokia Tablet platform. Apple is providing a valuable service for that 30%.
3. No, I'm not, I'm comparing the cost of the iPhone 3G to the iPhone EDGE as posted in the original blog.
4. http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2008/06/09/tomtom-already-has-iphone-navigation-software-ready-to-roll/
5. Well, at least we agree on something. :)
From a real user's perspective there's no comparison for me. The software is clunky and really seems unfinished.
There's no calendar, etc on there, and although I'm sure people have written some, I can't figure out how to find apps and get them installed. The descriptions are incomplete and most of the software is buggy.
The N810 looks nice, but browsing on its screen isn't good at all. Zooming in to read is slow, and zoomed out to see the whole screen usually leaves the words unreadable for me.
GPS to me is worthless if it doesn't give me directions, but 50% of the time my N810 takes 6+ minutes to acquire a signal... again, this has no use to me. And searching for locations is hard.
It's nice that my N810 can use my Treo to connect to the Internet, but them I'm carrying two devices and find myself simply using the Treo only.
I pre-ordered my N810 a month before is came out, and I quit carrying it with me two weeks after it arrived.
Great idea... bad execution, from this consumer's standpoint at least.
I've recently made the decision to carry just one device, and I'm giving up my Treo and my N810, and going with the iPhone. Its easy.
Dan, lets not lead readers in the wrong direction here. Sure the N810 comes with a what, $150 upgrade of software to make the GPS usable for real GPS style navigation? That is a joke, the software isn't even very good. At least you don't have to pay that $150 right on the price tag, maybe they knew people could do without the crappy software. Maemo Mapper was much better than the built in software.
As for the screen size, I owned an N810, and one of the reasons I got it over the iPod Touch was because of the high resolution screen. Nice an all, but having developers that know how to make a good UI makes the difference in size negligible. The N810 has a much slower browsing experience because of the stupid scrolling implementation. I can navigate sites much faster on an iPod Touch than on an N810 because the implementation of their zooming is so well done. If the N810 could have that quality of zoom software, it would crush the iPod Touch in that area, but unfortunately it has a buggy drag system, or tiny scroll bar with poor looking vertical tearing all over the screen.
As for flash in the browser? I can't remember one time where the N810 actually had the power or controls necessary for me to take advantage of a piece of flash content on a website. Can you name some times where you actually need it? YouTube you say? The N810 runs that at a pretty weak framerate, and you are much better off using the Canola player, and of course the iPod Touch has its own native YouTube app as well.
I think what sells is the complete package. The iPhone seems to have a lot better integration of its hardware technology and the software apps. It also has a better implementation of the way it manages upgrades, software AND service delivery.
Nokia just doesn't seem to "get it". How about delivering something that works well enough for the average consumer to use and love using?
I'm at WWDC (and I'm carrying an N810, and I've seen at least one other here...). While I like the N810's form factor and functionality, there's no way -- no way -- the N810 is a better mass-market computing device than the iPhone.
Let's get down to to brass tacks. The N810's GPS is somewhere between a joke and an embarrassment. When I finally did get a fix after far too many minutes, it was frequently off by as much as a block in downtown SF. And the idea of spending a ~$100 yearly fee for turn-by-turn is offensive. (The iPhone 3G page lists turn-by-turn as a feature, btw.)
What else? How about updates? iPhone has had five point releases to the OS in the last year. The N810 has only had minor maintenance in that time. The MicroB browser needs the update they've been teasing us with. The text entry speed is in my experience only fractionally faster than the iPhone's soft keyboard, and still less than half my native typing speed. The difference in build quality between the devices is substantial. Shake an iPhone and an N810 sometime. One of them rattles. Guess which one?
At $199 worldwide, Nokia's got nothing that competes. Not the N95/96, and certainly not the N810. I like my N810, but it's going to be a clock and net radio device in my office by July. The hardware GPS in the iPhone 3G just put it over the top.
The only weaknesses I see in the iPhone are tethering (which AT&T isn't going to let them do anyway), A2DP support, external keyboard connectivity, and so on. Almost all Bluetooth-related. That's a fair tradeoff for a device that, at $199, has no competition at all, from Nokia, RIM, Windows Mobile, anywhere.
I was hoping I wasn't the only one who thought iPhone 3G might be the dumbest product name ever. Isn't it like calling a new TV, a "TV Cable-Ready" or "TV over-the-air receptor"
It looks like it'll be a great product and Nokia really better do some dramatic improvements to the Nxxx line if they ever hope to compete.
Matt, did you get hands-on experience with the i-3G and the GPS? I agree that the one found in the N810 is a joke, and several Nokia phones which include GPS are just kind-of working (waiting several minutes for fix is not nice and keeping the GPS on all the time drains the battery).
If Apple has found a non-battery eating cure for this then the i-3G really is news. Does the turn-by-turn (thanks for the Apple info btw, if the i-3G really includes turn-by-turn voice navigation for the base price it is a good deal (althought not usable abroad due to roaming charges if you can't preload maps which you can't do on Google maps currently)) really cost $100 / year somewhere? I got that for € 90 / 3 years and it includes maps for the whole world.
And please remember, the iPhone is "$199 worldwide" (to be seen what is the European pricing...) + contract so to be fair it's somethins like "$1500 for 2 years including data and phone calls".
(Edited the cost of the turn-by-turn navigation...)
The $199 price is worldwide. Jobs made that very clear in the keynote: the pricing will be the equivalent of $199 in local currencies everywhere.
As far as the GPS goes, it's drawing positioning information from cell towers, geolocated wifi APs, and then the GPS radio, so it's got a number of its bases covered. It won't be running the GPS nonstop, in any case. (I haven't seen the turn-by-turn mapping app, but if I do, I can't say anything about it, because everything other than the keynote is NDA at least until the iPhone is released.)
I just don't believe the "$199 wordlwide" thing, but we will see.
That is not the point, though, because it is not the price you pay up-front that matters but the price you pay overall including the contract.
In my country everyone including the janitor and the cleaning lady gets phone (and the calls) from work for free (well, it's taxed but anyway...). So for me iPhone is not an option financially (free vs. the TBA iPhone deal) and it is not even an option for my employer because we are not on the exclusive network provider that offers the iPhone here.
About the GPS - I know the different methods to get the location and the only working option for turn-by-turn navigation is real GPS so A-GPS, cell ID and other stuff really don't matter here. They are good for assisting in the initial GPS fix and getting an aprox location for pedestrian use but for car navigation you really seriosly need the real thing and that is what interests me.
Whatever you say, I'd go for the Apple iPhone over the N800 or N810. First, the iPhone is NOT JUST an internet tablet. It's ALSO a phone. And now with HSDPA and GPS. The user interface is SO MUCH nice and a LOT cooler. The looks is VERY attractive. And the price? Is it really $199 the world over? I live in the Philippines and there's no such thing as contracts here. Everything is prepaid. Can I really get this device at $199?
as for the iphone tethering, please just type in google iphone tethering and you will see that iP works as a wireless modem for all your machines flawlessly.
It's not done by Apple but still - works.
Dan,
I read your "Keep trying, Apple" comments with some interest. These comments will be one of those alternative viewpoints.
The Nokia Internet Tablet and OS X Mobile (iPhone, iPod touch) do not appear to be after the same market at all.
In many respects the Nokia platform is far more powerful. Yet it appeals to techies not the average consumer. Larger screen, tethering, Flash, on the 810 a thumboard with real keys as opposed to a flat glass surface. It is very capable. Yet many of those capabilities require a lot of user knowledge. There is a market for this. Nokia has shown it and they're trying to grow it.
Apple, as usual, has gone off in its own direction. And there is a market for what they're doing. You don't need to be a techie to use an OS X Mobile device. You buy it and use it.
Smaller screen, yes. GPS, not as capable or, in the case of the iPod touch, not present. But that's not what its about.
Its about simply using the device and the user experience. From what I've observed there are a number of persons who want just that.
I believe there's a market for both. But the same people are probably not in both markets. Some who read your blog and others are and will use both devices.
Apple will do very well in their market. Nokia will do well also. As another of your post noted a Nokia app store would be good. I think that's going to be giant for Apple.
I do own an iPod touch. I also own a Nokia 770. I will not buy an iPhone since I have a moderate salary and a kid staring college. However, I won't buy a Nokia smart phone (or any other brand as well) because I can't afford the smart phone costs. I'm not in that market space at this point in my life. I wonder if those costs will hold back many people from taking the step to either of these platforms.
Well, enough. Thanks for the thoughts of all. I look forward to your responses.
My take on this: http://tnkgrl.wordpress.com/2008/06/16/why-im-disappointed-with-the-iphone-3g/
From Wikipedia:"Some A-GPS solutions require an active connection to a cell phone (or other data) network to function, in others[2][3] it simply makes positioning faster and more accurate, but is not required". At the moment is unknown what kind of A-GPS the iPhone supports."
The apps that will be avaible through the AppStore will be extremely limited: no access to filesystem and no execution in background above all (I really hate this limitations - It makes me feel a stupid user). I'm going to buy it, hoping that a jailbreak will come along ;-)
About the price: when you consider that after 2 years you have payed +$1,500, you should consider that you also payed for phone calls, messages and data.
Let's just say I have a 1st gen, 8 gb iPhone and an N810 with a 6 gb microsdhc card. I keep waffling back and forth on whether or not to sell my N810. I would never consider ditching the iPhone.
When I'm on-the-go, I just take the iPhone. Even when I had a phone capable of tethering to the N810, I never took it with me. If there were ubiquitous WiFi where I live, I might think differently.
Neither device is perfect, IMO, but I think the iPhone has much more future potential. What the iPhone does, it does extremely well. I can even type faster on the iPhone than on the N810. This is mostly due to the great text correction on the iPhone.
I don't believe that there is ONE killer device for everyone but as smart-phones go, the iPhone is great. It is the ONLY smart-phone I've ever used with a truly USABLE browser. (I've owned Windows Mobile and Palm OS devices). Usuable in that you can easily navigate nearly all desktop sites without the agonizing frustration of WM or Palm. N810 is a stop up as well but the processor seems taxed.
Just one guy's rambling opinion.
Whoa ok the 3g is good, but I want to make this very clear. If you already have a contract with ATT you arent gonna pay $199 for the phone. You pay $400 upfront. The $199 is only for first time contracts, if you have had or curently had a contract with ATT you have to pay the full price plus the upgrade fee. Wich makes it alittle more expensive. I have a corperate account, and I am one of the many people who are gettin a raw deal. But hey I have my Tilt and N800 for the moment to hold me over till I buy the andriods from google. And as far as the iphone apps, if your a basic user its cool I guess, but if you use your n810 foor serious work the apps that present are much better than the Iphone.
wow! a lot of complaints about the N810. I keep seeing words like "average user"...i don't think the average user needs a tablet. the tablet is not perfect but I find that it does what it says it can. I have had very few problems. too many people expect the N810 to replace their personal computers and this is part of the N-rant. its an alternative mobile device. iPhone is great. I own both devices and carry both all the time. the tethering issue is not that big of an issue. really, how hard is it to find a wifi spot? Keep Wimax in mind as well. would i trade my N810 or my iPhone...hell no. here is to progressive technology, may it only get better and better.
:)
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