Now that the embargo has been lifted on the iPhone, we’ll finally learn whether or not this ‘thing’ is worth all the hype. What will Mossberg, Pogue and the other privileged reviewers have to say about the most anticipated ‘gadget’ of all time? Here’s a roundup of what everyone has to say so far and it will be updated as more ‘hands-on’ reviews are posted on the Interwebs. If you’re anti-iPhone then check out The Futurist’s rants about why the iPhone will bomb, reeks of planned obsolescence and why it will change mobile devices.
The iPhone Matches Most of Its Hype [NY Times]
The iPhone is Breakthrough Handheld Computer [WSJ]
Apple’s iPhone isn’t perfect, but it’s worthy of the hype [USA Today]
At Last, the iPhone. [Newsweek]
UPDATE: Some videos after the jump.
Mr. Pogue
Mr. Mossberg
I wish it lives up to the hype, but I really, really, wish it was available on Verizon.
I just wish it was readily available in Europe as well :(
I really wish it ran Windows Mobile 6
Ryan-
You’re kidding me, right? You can’t be serious.
Mine runs linux.
So why do we still see Cingular in the top left hand corner of the screen in this photo? I thought Cingular was dead and it’s now the ‘new’ AT&T.
mossberg loves starbucks it seems.
Gilbert, in the first photos of the iPhone it branded “Cingular” this is simply an older image.
Bye bye Dopod Pro 838 …Heeeellooo iPhone :)
As much as I like it, now this is starting to get old. Everywhere I go, there is something to see, hear, or read about the iPhone. Come on.
And I still can’t believe Verizon dumped it. Would have been nice. I highly doubt Verizon would force Apple to change the UI anyway.
I am just glad to know that the pricing plans all include unlimited data – I really hope that the same is the case in the EU when it hits here.
http://www.joyofapple.com/iphone/top-iphone-resources-online
Send me more deatils.
I would like to know what the Japanese think of it first…
Pogue has so much more style than Moss.
no memory card slot? no user replaceable battery? WHY?
i have friends who are just going to switch carriers :p
@antonio
Why no user replaceable battery? I don’t know. It’s one of those Apple things I guess. This is not a huge issue for me since I have not carried around an extra battery since the old analog StarTac days. (Remember those? Standby time of 10 hours or so…) I’m sure it’s gonna be a pain when I need to replace the battery due to it not holding a charge anymore, but I’m also sure that I can cheaply buy a replacement battery and replace it myself. (iPod battery replacement kits run $15 nowadays)
As for the memory card slot.. I think it’s great that it has no memory card slot. It has 8gb of memory already, which is a lot more than almost any phone with a memory card slot. (Those phones typically use micro-sd slots which top out at 2GB anyway). The reason I don’t like memory card slots is because I think it causes undue complexity. I like having a “flat” memory model where stuff just gets stored on the phone without any thought to where it is stored. I don’t want to have the manage the memory. A great example is the SIM cards… on most phones you can choose to store your contacts on the SIM card or on the phone.. and this usually devolves into a huge mess where you are not sure where a particular contact is stored, or else on older phones it even segregated the two types of contacts.
I do want a memory slot. 2gb is a lot for extra memory. Also the phone is NOT 8 GB. You are not counting the amount of software that is in the computer that takes up data space. Also ATT uses mostly analog lines. I wish there were more neutral people actually giving fair statements instead of people belonging to the Apple religious cult or people having to brag about having the latest and greatest and wont admit to anything negative about the IPHONE so as to justify purchasing it. The IPHONE is good but for the person with basic needs, the price is not warranted.
I’m not completely understanding why everyone wants it to have a memory card slot. It has 4 – 8 gigs of SDD space, why do you need a memory card? Furthermore, do they even make memory cards that big? Lastly, since it already has SDD, you can put things on it using a USB port.
I have to agree with jbella. Why would I what to use memory cards if the device has adequate memory to start with. itunes does a good job of managing your file library so memory is not an issue. Look at the PSP it has memory cards but no one seems to use them for any real storage.
You’d use a memory card because so far it seems to be the new iPod, people want to listen to music and 8GB just isn’t enough to hold very much music. A nice 8GB card along with the internal drive would double the amount of available music space :D
Don’t forget why you shouldn’t buy an iPhone, http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,133439-pg,1/article.html [PC World]
judging from the emotional reaction from him
I guess the phone isn’t really that great
I have one thing clear now, I want the iPhone but not the First Gen, it’s a no no.
I agree; EVERY computer, video game console, or phone has glitches; sometimes many; in the first generation of products. We are obsessed with bragging to people about having the latest and greatest; people need to calm down and wait for the second generation. To see dorks running down the street with their new IPHONE saying it was going to change their lives is pretty scary stuff. Some people date, some people use their IPHONE I guess.
So, has anyone ever actually listened to 8 gigs of music in one setting? That is, it seems to me that the battery would long run out before 8 gigs of music ran out. If this is true (which, unless you have some super long running battery or a super high quality song, it is), you would never need 8 gigs. While I understand how some people have the compulsive need to carry around their entire music collection, I always find that weird. I have a two gig Nano and I have never listened to more than one playlist (the Requiem in D Minor by Mozart) before arriving back home to recharge and listen to it on my iMac. Maybe that’s just me, though.
Steve Jobs is fucking up the same way he always has. No 3rd part apps means this phone will be supplanted by an open device in no time. Probably one that takes SD cards, replaceable batteries, Adobe Flash, works on T-mobile, Verizon, and Sprint, and that has REAL GPS capability, and maybe even a super nintendo emulator.
There’s just too much room for improvement, and too many other cell phone manufacturers that will step up and not be so damned greedy and monopolistic. Anyone can copy the admittedly bitchin’ interface, and somebody will for cheaper and that allows 3rd party apps. Steve is doing the same thing he did with the initial Mac, and look where that left Bill Gates, for instance.
1.about the battery that cant be replaced by a user thats rubbish if your battery dies than you have to send it to Apple to replaced it and you have to pay a lot of money for the battery and the work they done.
2. 8GB internal memory is great for now,but in the near future people will 10GB or more music,videos fotos,games,appz…so a memory card would be great.
3.the hardware is outdated,the camera has only got 2M it hasnt got UMTS and no HSPDA
Ye, It’s just you. I’ve got a 4gb iPod mini and the size is annoying. I need the oppurtunity to listen to everything i’ve got.
Furthermore i use it as storage for movies etc.
Oh i just read that it hasnt got video record and no MMS massages
Not one of you has mentioned anything about ITunes and how there is a button for syncing just IPhone music. You have the ability to continually change the music each time you sync. The problem is with any mp3 player, with 1200 songs on a device, it begins to get old after a while. You begin to hear the same songs over and over. Apple has done something about that which can be changed each time you sync with this ITunes feature.
I agree that the battery replacement policy is out of line. Who wants to be without there phone as Apple replaces it. I’m sure kits will become available just as they have for the IPod so the end user can replace the battery as it should be.
The phone should be a hit. There is still nothing out there like it – the only issues are what is listed above and of course the EDGE network. The should have built 3G into this phone for this price. I think everything else people will get used to especially as you begin to use it. As with any computer, it is going to take sometime to work through the little annoyances but like the virtual keyboard, it’s an education process I think you’ll get used to in a short amount of time.
Hype, good, $500 bad. PS3? The average consumer can’t buy this, or even think of attaining it. When you have amazing phones like the Sony-Eric K800i, most market share will go their way.
So really, most people already have an ipod, most people use their laptops through wifi, and a lot of people have satnav, so really it’s unique selling point is a slidy unlock?
And we all know that Microsoft will now buy Verizon and sell it’s own phone, and exhume hitler.
The End. Ever.
The iphone needs an MINI SD internal slot.
What if you went on a trip and you wanted to put lots of movies on it. Plus 8gb is not enough, it may be enough, but think about it. Movies, Songs, Games, Music Videos, Pictures.
It would be nice if there was a sd slot for it and also a REPLACEABLE BATTERY. Ugh that is annoying.
Nice looking and sleek. Damn it looks hella sexy but those are the two main features I think is lacking (mini sd slot and battery)
Plus Apple already BANKED and with no replaceable battery, they will bank more out of you! Ugh sad and pathetic! Oh that is my opinion
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some other notes:
The iPhone does not have a battery that a user can replace. That means you have to send the iPhone to Apple to replace the battery after it’s spent (Apple is estimating one battery will last for 300 charges–probably less than a year’s worth of use). but like many things missing on the iPhone, it would be nice to have a removable battery, especially for such an expensive phone. Contrary to earlier reports, the SIM card is removable via a small drawer on the top of the iPhone, but the iPhone’s SIM card will not work in other AT&T phones. That’s especially troubling, as it completely defeats the biggest advantage of using a GSM phone with a SIM card. Some people have multiple phones and like to change the SIM card between their different handsets. Also, you can’t use the SIM card to import contact information from another handset. more info is listed on http://www.thesopranets.com
Truth be told, there is one feature that is new to the iPhone’s iPod–the integrated speaker. While the iPhone’s speaker sounds thin and is prone to distortion, it works in a pinch for sharing a song with a friend but doesn not sound good, especially for a 600.00 phone.
While the iPhone’s speaker sounds thin and is prone to distortion, it works in a pinch for sharing a song with a friend.
Lastly, a few drops of water will render the phone useless…go to http://www.durexcondoms.com and buy one to keep the phone dry.
For the battery issue everyone keeps stating does not last long there is a sleep wake mode which is suppose to be used when using the phone ex when in a purse or while ur sleeping..this feature will perserve teh battery read ur manaule guide
Is it true about the battery only lasting a year:
http://iphoneuk.blogspot.com
The sad truth is…many of the people complaining about the iphone are the ones that have not even purchased it. Of course the price sounds high and the hype is a bit much. However, the person that came up with the idea was brilliant and way ahead of his game. I love the idea, I am a ATT formerly Cingular customer and am very excited for the opportunity to get the phone.
The battery lasts for up to 10-14 hours talk time, over 24 hours in to listen to the music. You also can charge the battery on your computer just like the ipod. What more can ask for…O an iphone!!
I WISH IPHONE A GREAT SUCCESS FUTURE PHONE
ALL ABOUT IPHONE http://www.handphoneapple.blogspot.com
I Had my I phone For About 3 Weeks and I Love it…I see everyone had the same complaints about battery and memory…. have all the years I have owned a Cell phone I have been with one company and that has been Bellsouth, to Cingular to now the new AT&T, I have never once in those years needed to replace a battery on any phone so why would I start now. As for the memory I have bout 500 songs stored and it on used 1.8 GB of my storage, not to mention I can change what I store on a daily basis because I don’t want to hear the same shyt over and over again. I don’t even buy Itunes I use limerwire for free and my entire music library work fine on my phone. I’m able to make my own custom ring tones. Now I will admit the phone would be better if it had messengers, and MMS, but I rarely miss those because I’m so busy watching movies, music videos or browsing the net. Over time this phone will get better, and I might just have every version they come out with, because I absolutely love my phone. I’ve had a Dash, Sidekick and hated them both returned each of them within 5 days…….So My 600 was well spent
before i commit to buying on, is it true that they charge you for itunes the net and the maps! my freid said that their bill was $500.00 for the first bill! i need t know please resond fast
Jon, just get the GoPhone if you’re that worried ;)
no mms, no 3G, no windows office, i dont know if it has live messenger, no worth the hype for me
Do u here that loser the iPhone sucks dont buy it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i have just purchased the unit and i just simply love it the only thing that is not that good is the size its quite big
ANYBODY ANSWER, is there anyway you can get AIM Instant messaging on this phone????
yeah but if the phone was small it would be pointless because you wont be able to see shyt on the screen :)
Its easy to get messengers in the iPhones there are many web-app based messengers for Skype, MSN, Yahoo etc etc any phone with internet access can have access to the web version of these things (thank god for UNLIMITED DATAPLANS, wich my service provider does not have and charge me 5c a kb).
Infact the iPhone is moving towards the right direction regarding 3rd party support. using WEB APPLICATIONS for 3rd party support. Web applications are easier to create and they have an actual standard as I have myself created superior applications that you will never find compiled for crappy smart phones that are actually more expensive than the iPhone. Flash is going to be supported via firmware soon. Battery life is also irrelevant how long do you intend to keep a phone anyways? When most people get a new phone every 3 to 5 years.
There will be a better iPhone by the time the battery on your old one dies with more storage space than the ones previously. And regarding the price, the iPhone’s price is NOT SUBSIDIZED. Mobile phones that are competing against the iPhone are in the ball park of $800+ unsubsidized. so hallelujah for the iPhone a marvel of compromise and functionality.
Most of the problem I see people have are things that are all but irrelevant and unrealistic. If you want a brick for a phone go ahead theres a reason why the iPod is more popular than the other brands that have more functions is because the iPod does not look like a square erection in your pocket.
I have owned My 8gb iPhone for close to two months now, and absolutely love it!
6 of my friends also have them (4gb and 8gb) and have absolutely no serious complaints other than other people noticing the phone then coming up and whining to them the about price or some mundane, rarely used feature that they just can’t live without.
It did take a week or so to get used to not having physical buttons on the key pad, but the phone seems to learn to anticipate what you meant to type, so it’s really less of an issue than one might think.
I have almost 900 songs on my iPhone and still have about 3.5gb left of unused storage.
My phone has had a hard two months of life, it gets beat up constantly; I’ve repeatedly fallen on it during hikes (I keep it in my back pocket), dropped it more times than I can count and it still works like a charm.
I have noticed that most of the people complaining about the iPhone are douchebags, er, I mean jealous haters…yeah, that’s it.
Quit bitching, pony up the dough and enjoy it! You only live once…
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they never really did quite live to meet the hype, but they still rock!
Dont buy the iphone from jerry,he is real scam cheater…!
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