Is the iPhone overhyped?

**Arty50** · 06-04-2007, 12:19 AM

I would have said yes...before I saw these...

http://www.apple.com/iphone/ads/

Not that they add anything new to the capabilities we'd seen before, but it's amazing how seamless everything is. It's going to be hard to wait the 6 months until the price drops in half. Thank god I'm broke.

**cj001f** · 06-04-2007, 12:24 AM

No 3G. No GPS. $2k. Woohoo!

**bio-smear** · 06-04-2007, 12:37 AM

Originally Posted by cj001f

No 3G. No GPS. $2k. Woohoo!

I heard $600.

**Arty50** · 06-04-2007, 12:42 AM

3G isn't very widespread in the states yet. I bet you can find much better 802.11 coverage right now, which it does have. And even fewer people are clamoring for GPS. It would be nice though. I'd suspect battery life was the reason they omitted it. Playing movies and listening to music will already tax the battery badly enough.

$2k...uhhhh last time I checked AT&T is selling it for $500-600. Which was the going rate for Razrs when they first came out. The iPhone does a little bit more than a Razr.

**bossass** · 06-04-2007, 12:45 AM

Why wouldn't you get a GPS if you wanted it. You're not gonna take your iPhone touring.

**cj001f** · 06-04-2007, 12:46 AM

Originally Posted by bio-smear

I heard $600.

$600 + required 2 year Cingular contract = ~$2k

It probably was battery life for no 3G. God forbid it get worse than the current 5 hours active.

Why a GPS? So you can use it as an in car navigation system. Of course that would probably require an open OS... which the iPhone doesn't have.

Generation 2 or 2.5 will/could be fucking sweet. 1 ... meh.

**Benny Profane** · 06-04-2007, 12:49 AM

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/04/te.../04iphone.html

and Cingular is the deal breaker for me. I'm a Verizon devotee.

**Arty50** · 06-04-2007, 12:58 AM

Originally Posted by cj001f

$600 + required 2 year Cingular contract = ~$2k

Yeah, but then almost every phone costs $1500-2000. Have you looked at the price of unlocked phones lately? I have, and they are NOT cheap. Even the older stuff goes for a lot of money. A brand new Moto V600 (which is probably 3-4 years old) costs around $150. The 2nd gen Razrs are around $250. And brand spanking new Razrs are $500+ You should see how much unlocked Nokia's cost...it's mindblowing.

If you want a cheap phone in the US, you generally have to sign a 2 year contract. The only exception would be pay as you go contracts, and those phones are shit. You have to remember it's all about the contract. Making money on the phone is only gravy.

So it's an unfair comparison.

That said, your other points are great. A wait and see approach is definitely smart. Especially factoring in how the wireless market prices phones. New models are always ridiculously expensive, but they usually come down significantly in price in the first 6-12 months. I don't expect the iPhone to be an exception to this rule, unless demand stays on a retarded level.

**cj001f** · 06-04-2007, 01:25 AM

Yeah, unlocked phones are stupid expensive in the US relative to the heavily subsidized handsets. Having said that you can get an unlocked N-series Nokia for $400-$750 depending on the model from reputable dealers, or for a more direct competitor an unlocked LG Prada for ~$700 from eBay - the same ballpark as Apple is selling the locked iPhone for without the Cingular contract (I dislike Cingular and I hate locked phones). Some of those phones are closer to want I want in one as well - the N95 has VOIP support, GPS w/nav.. but no wifi syncing (then neither does the iPod)

Last week I spent a bunch of time fondling smartphones at airports. The iPhone is great compared to what's available now in America, and it's awesome Apple will be pushing people to improve phone UIs (the iPod has an awesome interface and is a great product) ... but so far reading the specs the iPhone is not a product I'd spend the money on, it's just not "there" yet. That said who knows how successful it will be - everyone seems to want one. Given how underwhelming the RAZR is, but how massive demand is... gen 1 iPhone could be a big hit.

**jon turner** · 06-04-2007, 01:41 AM

Originally Posted by cj001f

That said who knows how successful it will be - everyone seems to want one. Given how underwhelming the RAZR is, but how massive demand is... gen 1 iPhone could be a big hit.

Before watching those ads, I was pretty indifferent about what cell phone I have (i don't use my phone for anything more than talking and an occasional text message), but after watching those ads, I want an iPhone - though I won't be spending 500+$$ to get one. holy crap, the interface on that thing looks rad.

and all i hear from my friends with RAZRs is how aweful they are. One friend went so far as to say it is by far the worst phone he's ever owned in his life - he's had it replaced 3 times now, but it's the only style phone his work will buy for him so he's stuck with it. i have no clue why so many people want that phone.

**bio-smear** · 06-04-2007, 02:13 AM

I'm looking forward to this project maturing a little (and by maturing, I mean becoming available.)

**rungsp** · 06-04-2007, 04:55 AM

At last!
Something that is better value in the UK.

You can easily get a free RAZR with a 1 year contract.
Contract will cost you about £20-25 per month and will include a couple of hundred free texts and at least a hundred free minutes of call time per month.
So call it U$500 for the year and then you are free to walk and keep your phone (or demand an upgrade and then sell the old/new on ebay).

That must be a first!

**wi3dzmin** · 06-04-2007, 06:52 AM

No 3G. Less space than iPod. Lame.

**hemas** · 06-04-2007, 07:04 AM

Aslo no Yurp GSM (900/1800)...

**smmokan** · 06-04-2007, 07:40 AM

What's the battery life on these things? I ask because the Ipods are known for having much shorter life than advertised- my Nano is supposed to have 18 hrs of battery life and probably comes in closer to 10. With the iPhone's multiple capabilities, I wouldn't be surprised if the battery only lasts 5-6 hours, which would really suck.

**skinnyskier** · 06-04-2007, 08:07 AM

Originally Posted by hemas

Aslo no Yurp GSM (900/1800)...

It has a quad-band gsm radio (850, 900, 1800 & 1900) plus a 2400 MHz wifi radio.

I definitely want one. I just don't want to buy one in the first few months-at least until people have hacked the Cingular lock.

**hemas** · 06-04-2007, 08:11 AM

Originally Posted by skinnyskier

It has a quad-band gsm radio (850, 900, 1800 & 1900) plus a 2400 MHz wifi radio.

I definitely want one. I just don't want to buy one in the first few months-at least until people have hacked the Cingular lock.

Really... When Apple 1st announced it, it only had yer 'merican GSM band plus WiFi...

Still, I ain't buying that.

**smalls** · 06-04-2007, 08:16 AM

i'm not a huge fan of the fact that it only has a touch screen. i'd like some real buttons to sink my fingers into.

**DJSapp** · 06-04-2007, 08:17 AM

No. Stock is up 30% in a month and a half. Keep building my retirement guys, I want to be done at 40

**Tye 1on** · 06-04-2007, 09:06 AM

Originally Posted by Arty50

Yeah, but then almost every phone costs $1500-2000. Have you looked at the price of unlocked phones lately? I have, and they are NOT cheap. Even the older stuff goes for a lot of money. A brand new Moto V600 (which is probably 3-4 years old) costs around $150. The 2nd gen Razrs are around $250. And brand spanking new Razrs are $500+ You should see how much unlocked Nokia's cost...it's mindblowing.

Really? Guess I lucked out, bought an unlocked Nokia for $50 in downtown SLC when my Ericsson shit the bed on day 1 of vacation. Bought the Nokia candybar in the barrio, tossed the sim card in, was rolling.

**altasnowbirdripper** · 06-04-2007, 09:14 AM

It's a cool phone, but for me, I don't like having music/video/email on my phone. Too much going on & screen is still too small for decent email, video & web browing. Price is also too steep. Wait to see if there are any problems that need to be corrected and I think I'd try to make a score off ebay or a classified on a good used one that someone has to get off of.

**The Jackamo** · 06-04-2007, 09:29 AM

The price and 2 year lock in is the real killer for me. If it's going to be anything like the iPod, I'm going to hold off maybe a couple generations until they build in more stuff (ie 3G), refine the interface, and a price drop.

But I know that the second I actually see one, I'm going to want it. I think that goes for a lot of people too - they're saying right now that they would NEVER buy one, and that it doesn't have this or that or the other thing. But the moment you lay your paws on one and give it a go for 10 or 15 minutes, you'll be hooked.

**Bandit Man** · 06-04-2007, 09:45 AM

The decision to go with 2.5G/EDGE was a speed-to-market decision with the added factor of 3G not being available everywhere AT&T/Cingular has EDGE. The 3G version is in the works...(think 2nd Gen.)

Also, the GPS function is something that Verizon and Sprint/Nextel have to put into their handsets, since it is how they provide E911 caller locate capabilities. Cingulr/AT&T uses a network-based triangulation method, so GPS wasn't really on people's minds.