OK. I have to start by apologizing to all of our clients and partners who read this blog to gain some insight into today’s technology hot topics and how it affects their businesses. (Yes, I’m assuming what I write it at times useful to you… bear with me.) This post is meant for the techno-geek within each of us and it’s meant as a wake-up call to all the new fans of the iPhone.
After being inundated by “iPhoneebia” all week through every available media outlet, I have to add my bit. Granted, I haven’t seen one of these units in person and I haven’t even talked with anyone who has… however, what is the big deal, really!?! It’s an iPod, with phone functionality and no buttons. True, it looks slick, but keep in mind the following when considering the latest and greatest from Steve Jobs and his “product pioneers.”
- You can purchase an iPhone this spring with a 2-year contract through Cingular (one of the crappiest networks in the States). Oh, and you will only be able to purchase it through Cingular until 2009 when their exclusive contract runs out. (This may change, but don’t hold your breath.)
- It’s still not 3G. I.e. it won’t support steaming video or any other advanced features. (It probably will be 3G compatible in the future, but not now.)
- The iPhone is supposed to be an all-in-one device meant to combine the functionality of your iPod, phone and PDA. Guess what, while that’s really pretty cool, anyone who actually has a PDA (or anyone with a company-issued phone) will still have an extra device on their hip, in their bag, etc. It will handle POP3 and IMAP email, but check with your company’s IT department first.
- Why on earth, with the growing network of 802.11n networks across the country (including Apple’s latest product release in this arena) wouldn’t they make the iPhone capable of handling these networks? It will handle 802.11b/g networks at this time, but again we’ll have to purchase the upgrade after 6 months to be relevant.
- And last, but not least, while I have no doubt there are many of you out there, I will NOT be spending all of that money for a maximum of 8GB’s of storage. That’s barely enough to handle any of the music, plus a video or two, that I want.
In addition to these Top 5, what about those other “iPhone” companies? There is Cisco who is suing Apple for the use of the name. And then there is www.iphone.com, dubbed “The Internet Phone Company”. I’m sure their web requests are booming, but how about sales and market confusion?
While I’m sure the iPhone will be a cool and useful product in the future, I would wait to make this investment until some of the above questions are cleared up. Unless, of course, you want everything Paris Hilton wants, before she can even figure out how to dial on it. Enjoy!
