It’s predictable that there would be a backlash after the rapturous reception of the iPhone in the first rush of media reports. Here’s an article that sums up the second thoughts running through the heads of many people.
The iPhone will have that undeniable Apple aura of coolness but it’s comparatively short on features:
“Unlike most smart phones, the iPhone doesn’t have voice dialing, voice memos, 3G Internet access, Word or Excel support, one-handed operation or video recording. It can’t be used as a laptop modem. The battery can’t be replaced. It doesn’t support removable storage. The calendar, task list and e-mail won’t sync with Microsoft Outlook.”
The iPhone is deliberately locked to prevent third party applications from adding any of those functions – as well as being locked to Cingular, which may prevent it from reaching the inflated sales figures predicted by Jobs.
“Jobs made the mistake of specifying Apple’s target of selling 10 million iPhones by the end of 2008. The goal sounded modest when Jobs said it represents just 1% of the global handset market. In fact, it’s probably an unreachable goal, given the iPhone’s price, Cingular-only availability in the U.S., and lack of business appeal. To put that 10 million figure in perspective, Research in Motion sold about 5.5 million BlackBerries last year — and BlackBerry is available in many models from several carriers, has a huge cult following and is sold by the truckload to both business and individual customers.”
Competitors are already releasing devices with similar designs. And I’m still scratching my head at the decision to announce the iPhone name before concluding the talks with Cisco about ownership of the iPhones trademark.
