Reality check: iPhone reviewers appear seduced, though AT&T Mobility’s network singed

[TNDan21]

Reality check: iPhone reviewers appear seduced, though AT&T Mobility’s network singed
By Phil Carson
Story posted: June 27, 2007 - 1:58 pm EDT

The language being bandied about today by iPhone reviewers for consumer publications—think The New York Times and Wall Street Journal—is revealing.

The gatekeepers have been seduced. But at least they appear seduced by the device—if not by AT&T Mobility’s network coverage and capabilities—rather than by the Apple Inc. hype to which they’ve contributed.

Though two leading reviewers paint a mixed portrait, Apple has succeeded prior to launch. But the reviewers also provided balanced looks at the device itself and the “user experience,” an element so far missing from six months of the public’s and the industry’s largely self-induced hype.

The bottomline: Reviewers said today that the iPhone is sleek and fun to play with—particularly the Web-browsing experience—even though it lacks the functionality and services found in legions of other, less-hyped mobile handsets. Voice calls require multiple steps, however (no voice-activated dialing), multi-media messaging service is missing and the device’s EDGE speeds may unfairly direct criticism at AT&T Mobility’s network quality and coverage. (No doubt Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ minions are keeping a short list of complaints to address in the device’s second iteration.)

That dual portrait—and, of course, the consumer reception that begins Friday at 6 p.m.—will now be parsed for its lessons for the mobile industry.

A few seemingly obvious points, subject to debate:

By subsidizing handsets to sell profitable service plans, the top-tier network operators in the United States appear to have conditioned Americans to think of mobile phones as inexpensive but vexingly complex devices. The mobile industry, like other industries, has become somewhat insular, sometimes losing track of its consumers and their perceptions of devices and service. Few other companies besides Apple could leverage their brand awareness and cachet to parachute into this potentially lucrative consumer electronics segment with a worthy first product. Appealing design, fun and ease-of-use are critical elements in a device. And to come: hard data on whether a small segment of American consumers will indeed shell out top dollar for well-designed fun.

Questions abound: will a rising tide lift all boats? In other words, if the iPhone flies with consumers the way it seduced reviewers, will it shine the spotlight on other devices that provide similar functionality and/or sit at the high-end of the price range? Or will Apple’s unique brand awareness stymie the best efforts of top-tier handset vendors? Which if any incumbent handset vendors will benefit or take a hit from the iPhone phenomenon?

The reviews themselves focused only on the device in their hands.

David Pogue, personal technology writer for The New York Times, began his review by noting the device’s unprecedented hype, then captured his sense of the device’s contrasts. The device is “revolutionary” but “flawed,” as it “lacks features found even on the most basic phones,” Pogue wrote.

The caveats Pogue noted came late in his lengthy article, so they’re given here first. They include: six steps to make a phone call, documents can’t be edited, no GPS, the battery isn’t quite up to the hype, no memory card slot, the browser doesn’t handle Java or Flash, the camera is merely adequate and doesn’t provide video capture and text entry on the virtual keyboard on the touchscreen takes some getting used to. Finally, the device called attention to the shortcomings of its own EDGE capabilities and to AT&T Mobility’s network that supports it. Pogue tested the device in five states and confirmed in his tests Consumer Reports’ tepid ranking of the carrier’s signal quality. (Pogue gave AT&T Mobility’s service plan prices the thumbs up.)

Pogue’s accolades, however, came first in his coverage:

“The phone is so sleek and thin, it makes Treos and BlackBerrys look obese,” Pogue wrote.

The “bigger achievement,” however, is the device’s software.

“It’s fast, beautiful, menu-free and dead simple to operate,” he wrote. “The Web browser … is the real dazzler.”

And the clincher:

“It’s eye candy,” Pogue wrote. “But it makes the phone fun to use, which is not something you can say about most cellphones.”

Naturally, the Wall Street Journal’s personal technology columnist Walter Mossberg’s take is critical to press coverage.

Mossberg and co-author Katherine Boehret began their coverage by placing the device in context. A critical personal technology trend is the morphing of PC and laptop functionality into a handheld device—but most smartphones are complicated and clumsy and their designers have struggled to balance displays, input/output and battery life, the WSJ writers said.

“Though (the touchscreen) sometimes adds steps to common functions,” Mossberg and Boehret said, “the iPhone is, on balance, a beautiful and breakthrough handheld computer. Its software … sets a new bar for the smartphone industry.”

The touchscreen’s usability, though flawed, is a “non-issue,” the pair wrote.

The device’s “major drawback” is AT&T Mobility’s “pokey” EDGE network, “which is far slower than the fastest networks from Verizon or Sprint that power many other smartphones.”

“The phone can be a poor choice unless you are in areas where AT&T’s coverage is good,” the WSJ writers said.

The iPhone’s Wi-Fi capability makes up for this shortcoming in part, but not for users on-the-go, according to the review.

Drawbacks almost seemed nitpicky in the context of the WSJ piece, but the writers mentioned some limits to the touchscreen’s usefulness (a lack of dedicated hard buttons means the dreaded multi-tapping on the touchscreen), the inability to edit documents, error correction on input lags behind Research In Motion Ltd.’s BlackBerry.

The WSJ echoed the Times on design: the device is “simply beautiful” and thinner than the Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. BlackJack, which had won plaudits for its anorexic dimensions, though the iPhone is heavier than many competitors.

“On balance”—a phrase or concept emphasized by these two reviewers—the positives outweighed the negatives.

But remember, dear reader, these reviewers didn’t shell out their own money for the $500 or $600 device and the more than $1,000 for two years of AT&T Mobility service.

Next, the public weighs in this weekend via every electronic means known to human kind. Check your mobile browser for updates.

http://www.rcrnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll...7006/1015/FREE

[Fire14]

It is interesting on their review of the AT&T network, other then the device is Edge only, I wonder which states & locations they did try the phones in?
I also noticed there is no SIM card in this phone, which is interesting as well.

I can't wait to see reviews from real people using these phones after a couple of weeks of real usage.

[TNDan21]

Originally Posted by Fire14

I also noticed there is no SIM card in this phone, which is interesting as well.

The iPhone has no SIM card slot? How does it work then, is an ESN used or something similar to the way CDMA phones are programmed?

[bobolito]

There is a SIM card in it. It's just hard to get at.

But I can see our friends at CR and JD Power preparing their arsenals to shoot down and downplay AT&T and the iPhone any way they can.

Originally Posted by bobolito

There is a SIM card in it. It's just hard to get at.

But I can see our friends at CR and JD Power preparing their arsenals to shoot down and downplay AT&T and the iPhone any way they can.

I can see it now; all the reviewers for JD Power, and CR are among the many people that have been camping out in front of the stores since Monday. They get the iPhone and love it so much that they now rate at&t the #1 carrier in the world!!..... (Time to hit the snooze button on my alarm clock again).

[Fire14]

This is from the WSJ technology review that had me believing it didn't have a SIM or access to it.
The entire article is way too long to post here & I would recommend reading it if you want to see their point of view on the phone.

But the iPhone has a major drawback: the cellphone network it uses. It only works with AT&T (formerly Cingular), won't come in models that use Verizon or Sprint and can't use the digital cards (called SIM cards) that would allow it to run on T-Mobile's network. So, the phone can be a poor choice unless you are in areas where AT&T's coverage is good. It does work overseas, but only via an AT&T roaming plan.

The Mossberg Solution - WSJ.com

[bobolito]

The way I translate that paragraph you quoted is that "the iPhone's worst problem is that it runs only on AT&T, the worst network in the US, and not on our beloved Verizon or Sprint, which are the best, so unless you are lucky enough to live in one of the few pocket areas where AT&T works decently then the iPhone is not for you".

I'm just thinking there is a possibility the writer is just confused with the fact that the iPhone doesn't have an extended memory slot. Nobody before has ever referred to a SIM card as a "digital card" that I know of.

Frankly, even if the iPhone had a non-removable SIM, I don't see what's their point in mentioning that as a drawback and then mentioning Verizon and Sprint. As far as I know, if there will be an iPhone on Verizon or Sprint you can be sure it won't have a SIM either.

However, the device DOES have a SIM. If it didn't then you couldn't activate it on any GSM network. The question is whether the customer can remove it or not. I guess we'll find out whether the SIM is removable or not this weekend when the first iPhone hackers start posting their experiences in the forums. If it is not removable, then that is certainly a major blow to phone hoppers, who have several GSM phones and like the ability to change phones at will. If so, I can only say that is just a "Verizonesque" move and goes against the nature of GSM.

[UFO]

Yahoo blogger Gina Hughes has written an article explaining why she's not getting an iPhone.
Why I'm Not Getting an iPhone : Gina Hughes : Yahoo! Tech

The iPhone hype is so intense right now, I think people will be buying this phone based on hype alone. I mean, is the phone really that great? Our duty is to keep you informed regarding details we come across, so the more I read about the iPhone, the less I want it.

At a glance, the device looks fantastic, features sound fun, and there's no doubt this phone is the "it" phone this year. But realistically, would you pay $500-$600 for any other phone? Like many of you, I'm still debating whether to buy an iPhone or not, so I've compiled a list of cons (since the pros are obvious) just to give myself a reality-check come Friday night.


Price/Storage: Probably the biggest reason to wait is the price.The iPhone will retail in stores for $500 (4GB) and $600 (8GB) — AND you still have to sign a new two-year agreement. Don't expect this phone to replace your iPod either. The top-of-the-line $600, 8GB iPhone only holds 2,000 songs, and only a handful of videos and full-length movies. I also don't understand why you have to buy the iPhone at full price, and still sign a two-year contract. You could easily get a comparable phone actually running on a 3G network like a Treo 750 for $199 with a two-year contract, or an 80GB video iPod for almost half the price.


Plans: What's really bothering me about this is AT&T is playing into all this hype too, forgetting about its customers. I called AT&T today to find out more details about switching carriers, and the rep was clueless. Come on guys, we needed pricing details about a month before the phone went on sale so we could estimate costs. Why is the company being so secretive? We know the phone is launching on Friday, and we know what it does. So why did it wait so long to reveal service plans? At least now we know getting an iPhone isn't going to be cheap. Chris Null outlined the cost of each service plan, the cheapest plan being $60/mo for 450 minutes. He says that in two years, you'll end up paying close to $2,000 for service alone. Plus there is that $36 activation fee, and a two-year contract on top of that. Those who already have an AT&T account can expect to pay an additional $20-$30 for the "iPhone plan" which includes Visual Voicemail, 200 SMS text messages, and unlimited data since there is no voice-only plan. And if you think you can get the iPhone to use without service, think again. Apple's web site says a two-year agreement is required for iPhone activation including iPod features.


Network: Surprisingly, the iPhone does not run on a third-generation (3G) network, instead it runs on the slower EDGE network. Forbes thinks Apple opted for the slower network because AT&T's EDGE coverage spans across 13,000 cities and towns nationwide, compared with only 165 major U.S metro areas that have 3G coverage. It also brings up another excellent point. Since 3G devices are interchangeable between faster and slower networks, why did Apple still choose EDGE? Other AT&T smartphones like Samsung's BlackJack and Treo 750 run on 3G, and for what I understand AT&T is slowing moving away from EDGE. So perhaps a second- or third-generation iPhone will have 3G capability. And while the iPhone may have Wi-Fi capabilities, realistically, looking for a hotspot when you're out can be a challenge, unless you pay an extra $10 for T-Mobile access at Starbucks.


First Generation: A geek's rule of thumb is to never get a first generation gadget. Apple is one of the few companies that revamps its products at such a quick pace, that in this case, they actually make it quite bearable to wait for the second revision. Look at all the improvements they've made on iPods and MacBooks. It may seem like waiting for a new iPhone will be an eternity, but I bet it'll be a matter of months before we see a better, faster version.


Long Lines: I love technology as much as the next guy, but no gadget is worth standing in line days in advance for, not even the iPhone. People have already started to line up, and some are even betting real money that someone will get trampled. I would add getting shot at, beaten, mugged, and possibly being hospitalized to the list.
On top of all the above reasons, there's still some doubts about about the lack of keyboard, inability to sync with corporate internal email systems, and battery life. So lets get this straight. We're expected to pay for an overpriced phone, an expensive service plan, sign a new two-year contract, and still wait in line hoping to get one? No thanks.

Still getting an iPhone? Why or Why not?

If you must:
How to Dump Your Current Cell Phone Contract to Be iPhone Eligible
Real Cost of iPhone: Service Plan Revealed

[firstmode]

According to that article, the iPhone does not have the following features:

no voice-activated dialing
multi-media messaging service is missing (NO PICTURE OR VIDEO MESSAGING?)


How can they ship a phone without Picture messaging at the least????????????????

[SteveW]

The OP posted an article about the reviews. For completeness, here's David Pogue's review in yesterday's New York Times. The iPhone Matches Most of Its Hype.

For those who don't know him, Pogue is a veteran technology journalist and long-time Apple watcher, having written many of the "Missing Manual" series of books.

There's also a sort of cute video.

The video shows the features better than the Apple ads do, and fairly shows the phone's pros and cons. It even makes fun of Apple fanatics, with the adoring crowd leaving in disappointment, a few at a time, as Pogue lists the phone's shortcomings. Finally, only one skinny nerd is left. "Does it have an Apple logo?".

As some WA members predicted, the weakest link appears to be AT&T's data service, which Pogue calls "slow and horrible".


SW

[bobolito]

Originally Posted by UFO

Yahoo blogger Gina Hughes has written an article explaining why she's not getting an iPhone.
Why I'm Not Getting an iPhone : Gina Hughes : Yahoo! Tech

Yeah. that's been on Yahoo's front page for the last 48 hours. They're just creating more publicity for the thing even though they are downplaying it. They are doing AT&T and Apple a favor.