SHOULD WE GET IPHONES NOW?
this article might help you decide......
Welcome to the latest edition of Ask the MACist, the column
where I answer your Mac and Mac-related questions with hopefully more
clarity and insight than you could ever need. As always, I want to
thank those of you who sent in questions this week. They are much
appreciated. Please, keep it up!
This weeks question comes from Susan in Encino. She asks: "At the
moment I'm on Verizon but I think I really want to get an iPhone. Do
you think that's a good idea?" I can't tell you how many people have
been asking me that exact question since the iPhone was announced at
MacWorld Expo in January. People really seem to want one and I can't
blame them -- its a cool looking device. But should you get one when
they come out? The short answer is: probably not. For the longer
answer, read on.
First, keep in mind that the iPhone has only been announced with
some features and specs reveled to an eager population. However, it
will not be coming out until at least June (so far, unless it gets
pushed back like the AppleTV) so we don't know what features will be
added, removed or how the device may change between then and now. Just
keep in mind that the iPhone you want at the moment might not be the
iPhone you'll get in June. It may be even better and have more
features. Or, it may have features removed or changed to get it out the
door in time.
 Ok, now that we've talked about what might happen, let's look at what we do
know. First, the iPhone will be a Cingular only exclusive for an as yet
undetermined amount of time -- but probably a year at least. So, that
means if you are not currently a Cingular customer, you'll have to
switch to them from whatever company you have now. And, if your
contract isn't up for renewal when you switch, you'll be paying some
cancellation fees. So, factor that additional cost in when you think
about getting an iPhone. The two versions of the iPhone as announced
are, at the moment, going to cost $499 for the 4GB model and $599 for
the 8GB one.
So, for you switchers breaking contracts with your current cell
carriers, it will cost at least $650 to get your hands on an iPhone.
Not only will you have to fork over a large amount of cash to get the
device, you'll also have to agree to a two-year contract with Cingular
to be allowed to give them your money for the iPhone. Even if you
could, that would make the cost of the iPhone even larger. It's only
because Cingular is subsidizing the cost of the iPhone that they can
offer it for the price they are.
Already a Cingular customer? Get in line behind the switchers and
new customers, because they'll be getting first crack at the iPhone and
the new two-year contract. I'm sure Cingular will also sell existing
customers an iPhone, but not until after they take care of all the new
customers. Plus, given Cingular's track record with product releases of
late, count on shortages of the iPhone almost immediately when it comes
out. Although that might not be completely Cingular's fault, as Apple
is notorious for product shortages at launch as well.
So, you have to spend a great deal of money, agree to stay with
Cingular for two years minimum, be a new customer if you want to have a
chance to get an iPhone at launch and if not, have to wait even longer
to get one due to supply shortages and the fact that new customers are
in line ahead of you. Expensive and potentially very annoying? Yes.
Worth it? Maybe.
Even if you don't care about the potential problems or money -- and
some people don't -- the next thing you should think about is the
Cingular network and especially their data network. Because what's the
point of having a bleeding-edge phone that can access the internet and
get email wirelessly if you don't use it for those features? At the
moment, Cingular offers a data plan on what is commonly known as their
EDGE network.
If you currently have a device using the EDGE network from Cingular
or another carrier who has a similar network like T-Mobile, then you
know the speed isn't very impressive when you try to browse the web on
your handheld device. Sure, you can read web pages and do other things,
but the speed is not much better than dialup. EDGE speed is much better
for email -- because email is often just text, it is less
data-intensive. But with the iPhone's included Safari web browser and
its much-touted "full web experience" displaying the web in all of its
complicated and media-intensive glory, I just don't think EDGE is going
to do the trick, and will make for a very poor user experience.
Sure, the iPhone also offers the ability to connect with a Wi-Fi
connection -- which is a great feature unless you don't happen to be
near a Wi-Fi network. At a Starbucks or your office with Wi-Fi, no
problem. On the road and need to browse the web or search Google maps
for the address you forgot? Most likely you won't be near a free and
accessible Wi-Fi network and will be forced to use EDGE most of the
time. So, keep that in mind.
At the moment, you probably won't be able to take full advantage of
the iPhone's web browsing capability unless you are connected to a
Wi-Fi network. Although who knows, perhaps we will see free Wi-Fi come
to LA sooner or later. If so, it would help make the iPhone much more
usable as a web browsing device while out in our city. Until then,
though, you'd be stuck with EDGE speeds.
The other thing people should think about when thinking about an
iPhone is something that I hope doesn't get overlooked in all the hype:
How is the iPhone as a phone? I don't know about you, but the primary
thing I do with my cell phone is make and receive calls. So, any device
I get to replace what I am already using should at least be as good at
making calls as the one I have now.
Unfortunately, the brief demo I heard at MacWorld doesn't really
tell me much about the call quality of the iPhone. Sure, it has a great
interface that makes it seemingly effortless to search your Apple
address book and make a call -- but if I can't hear the person on the
other end of the line, what's the point? We can't know for sure how the
iPhone will be as a phone but we can make some assumptions based on the
past performance of the Cingular network.
If you use Cingular now or know someone who does, check on the call
quality and network availability. Because no matter how great a device
the iPhone is, it will still be subject to the quality of the network
its on; if the network isn't so great, the iPhone won't be either.
Obviously, some of the positive things about the iPhone are its Mac
OSX interface and reported seamless connectivity with the Mac desktop.
Plus, it will play your music and videos on its very nice screen, which
has a much better look and feel than the current crop of "video" iPods.
Plus it really looks cool, and will probably be pretty easy to use for
most people -- once they get used to not having real buttons and using
the touch screen (unless you have big fingers like me).
But will the price, Cingular contract commitment, data plan
requirements and cost, battery life questions, durability -- iPods are
not exactly known for their durability, especially when it comes to
scratches, and the iPhone will look and feel much like an iPod -- make
the iPhone worth it? The bottom line is this: the iPhone, at least
version 1.0, is not for most people.
It is a product designed for the early-adopter for whom price isn't
as important as looks, and who wants cutting-edge features -- be they
strictly necessary or just cool. I think Apple will sell a lot of
iPhones, but for the average user who cares more about a phone being a
phone, writing an occasional text message, or taking a quick picture --
rather than mobile email or desktop-quality web browsing -- I think
iPhone 2.0 will be a better choice for you.
Of course, I'm going to get an iPhone the first moment I can -- but
that's my job. I spend my hard-earned money and precious time trying
out this kind of stuff so I can report back what I find -- good or bad.
That way, I can save you the time, expense and trouble of having to do
it yourself, especially if it turns out to be a bad experience. No need
to thank me, though -- it's fun. Although if you do happen to have a spare $650 bucks that would be great.
this article is from---
http://www.laist.com/2007/03/06/ask_the_macist_should_i_get_an_iphone.php
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