Josh Clancy
Jun 10th, 2008
Jun 10th, 2008
Of course the iPhone post…
I’m sure you already know by now that Apple has introduced the new iPhones. “Twice as fast” and “half the price.” I remember when the iPhones first came out a lot of bmxers hated the idea of carrying around a $500 gadget in their pockets. Now with 8 gig models going for $199 and the 16 gig models going for $299 what are your thoughts? You carry around ipods don’t you?
I’ve had the iPhone for about four months now and it has easily been one of the best things I have ever purchased. Just trying to get a discussion going…
Oh yeah…
http://www.apple.com/iphone/features/
i remember about 6 years ago i got paid to be in a market research group on cell phones. they pitched “what would a phone that gives you moment by moment driving directions be worth to you?” and i was the only person that said i would even use it. the times they are a-changin.
i’ll give it a couple months to see about batteries or any other glaring mistakes that may come up before I buy a new one but with the lower prices now… i’m on board.
I’ve had one for about 10 months and carry it around almost all the time.
Mine is pretty scratched and dented though and it has fallen to the ground countless times. but somehow still works. it wouldn’t hurt it to be a bit lighter/smaller but I really appreciate the features it offers. never owned any smart phone before but feel very good about this one, even just about the email feature. as there’s wifi almost everywhere in my country i even didn’t miss the 3g that much.
I’ve heard some people complaining about this and the other but I feel that people really expect it to be as good as a laptop and forget it’s just a phone size-device. but i think it tells quite a lot about it.
The new headphones plug is one good feature though. That was one of the stupidest thing of current Iphone and one of the reasons I rarely used it as Ipod.
iPods suck, I really do hate them, they are designed to break (planned obsolescence). I’ve had two and they have both broke within 2 years. Ok they look fresh and simple, but they dont last.
Im never buying one again. Full stop.
Ive heard Zens are much better and last so much longer.
iPods are a fashion, they are definetly not a good quality product.
Since I’m living in Canada right now, the iPhone hasn’t been available through any of the carriers up here and I’ve been running a BlackBerry 8800… There have definitely been times that I’ve had iPhone envy, but I’ve been pretty happy with my 8800… and every time I copy and paste something, I feel good that I can at least do one thing an iPhone can’t… I’d really be curious to hear if there are any legit reasons why you can’t copy on an iPhone… None the less, I’m sure before the summer is over, I’ll have an iPhone and wonder how I ever lived with out one…
they dropped prices but increased the data plans. sounds a little fishy to me.
dropping home activation too
The phone still is crazy expensive. AT&T is buying all of the phones so they can subsidize the cost into the 2 year contract you will HAVE to sign this time around. The cost of the phone from Apple is still insane considering what it must cost to produce and the final price they sell it at. But who knows, the amount of advertising they do to make the phones the greatest things in the world is most likely factored into the price.
Another thing is you are looking at a minimum $10 up charge for the 3G service witch gives AT&T $240 extra dollars over the life of your contract. I think that is more than enough money for AT&T to make up for the “savings” on the initial price of the phone. AT&T has not released any concrete numbers as far as the plans go. But looking at their track record for some of the worst plans in Cellphonedom, I’m not holding my breath for a “good deal” to entice the consumers, and damn man, that sucks.
I will say this, the new phones look fucking sweet!
As far as the iPod goes. I still have everyone I ever purchased and they all work fine, baring I didn’t detrimentally break them in some way. Technology is as good as you treat it.
It sucks that in the UK it’s barely been around for 9 months before its being replaced by an improved model with a drastically lower price. Apple is probably one of the only companies that could get away with doing that without angering consumers too much. That being said I’m still going to upgrade to the 3G as the Edge support is pretty bad over here but will probably wait until they have a 32gb option, which will no doubt come out later in the year.
honestly, just another gadget……more shit to charge, lose , steal, load, break, make you poorer, and you’ll want another one in a year, or less. and the one you bought will be worth shit tomorrow, and music sounds like shit, and it doesn’t work as a phone all that well.lets get off the rat wheel of consumer electronic crap……it makes humans boring and introverted when its supposed to do the opposite. hmmmmm you want real freedom, get rid of all these things and go ride
soulcraft for life
t-
I think a thing people rarely factor in when purchasing electronic device is the functionality and integration into their lifestyle. If your a construction worker who never uses email doesnt have a laptop and always uses his phone in a high risk worksite…the iphone is not for you. Think about the risk reward factors before you buy something and say its a piece of shit because you broke it doing something it wasnt intended to do. Also there are plenty of functional high quality cases for both the ipod and iphone. I have an Agent 18 case for mine and have basically thrown it into concrete and its still fine. What it mostly comes down to is getting the right product for you. Do some research before you spend your paycheck on a product you wont get the most out of. Otherwise…the iphone is dialed…if you need/use its services.
When somebody comes out with a hack (I’m guessing within a month or two) that lets you tether its 3G connection for free then I’m definitely getting one. I’ve been using one of those ATT 3G wireless modems lately and for being on the laptop as much as I am, it’s great. You can literally be just about anywhere and still get an internet connection. If you’re in a 3G area, it’s as fast as having DSL.
Very interesting about the cheaper models but the higher priced data plans… LAME.
Also a bummer about the in-store activation… well maybe not a bummer because that means I can resell the OG iPhone on ebay still for $$$.
Speaking of Ebay I think I am love with that new application for selling stuff on ebay. Snap some pictures with your iphone use the application to fill in the info about it and post it up. I could sell so much stuff with that little app because the reason I don’t now is just because I’m lazy =/
Also does anyone know if they added a copy + paste feature? Did they address that at all?
I’m all for the technology, but with your average phone plan starting at above $60 in most cases, it’s still out of my budget. Talk to the phone companies about cheaper plans and maybe smart phones will catch on, until then my opinion is the mass majority of users will be white collared class.
A side note, while at a site visit meeting with winery owners, I saw not one but two owners pull out iPhones. It kind of mad me feel like I was at high school all over again when text messaging hit big. Beepers sold and are now dead and gone, this will be next come 10 years.
yeah sweet shit, I’ve had an iphone for almost 10 months now down here in new zealand and it works sweet. the only thing though is that the internet rates haven’t been configured for the iphone here, so using the internet on it is super expensive, but then again, there’s always alot of wireless hot spots in the city so it’s all good. In my opinion, it’s probably THE only gadget you will ever need, I’ve got heaps of apps running on mine and it still goes sweet, you’ve gotta remember though that apart from being a phone, it’s also a mini hard drive, so needs refreshing from time to time, ie-turning off for a lil while. I’ve dropped mine a bunch of times as well and it still goes sweet, even dropped it in water and it still goes, you really can’t go wrong with the iphone, fuckin sweet gadget!
Stoked, got a text from O2 today saying if i renew my 18 month contract i get one for free next month, i only got mine a couple months back so like extending my contract for 2 months gets me a spare iphone!!
Does everyone agree with Ryan’s statement, “It kind of mad[e] me feel like I was at high school all over again when text messaging hit big. Beepers sold and are now dead and gone, this will be next come 10 years.”
??????????
i’ll buy one when consumers have a real choice and don’t have to use AT&T’s service. if i pay for the phone i should be able to use it with whomever i want to. it’s my phone.
I just watched the keynote and I’m sold… A large portion of the third party apps do no use to me, but the few that do are so incredible… TypePad stuff is dialed… All the band apps are crazy. I really hope I never see a bunch of kids playing songs around a camp fire on their iPhones… haha… I’m still a big fan off Microsoft office and I’m pretty psyched that it will all sync up and the me.com stuff is pretty nice, but they need to get a free Safari bookmark sync program going… I’ll be running Firefox until they do.
“Does everyone agree with Ryan’s statement ??????????”
He’s probably right. I mean, wouldn’t you think? All technology becomes obsolete…and it becomes “obsolete” without even really being obsolete. And it happens faster than ever now.
Not to rant or anything, but I’m wondering, does anyone else out there think all this might not be the best idea? What I mean to say is, if you look at how things have been moving, in this country alone, people really do seem like they’re not only becoming dumber, but also monumentally self-involved. I’ve been hearing grown adults try and make excuses, actually trying to justify texting while driving. Can you imagine that? The same Baby Boomer-aged “adults” that ripped into the children of the 80’s for playing with Game Boys are now so addicted to their PDAs and iPhones that they can’t handle having to operate a vehicle without being connected.
It’s crazy…people make out like their lives are so hectic and they absolutely MUST be able to get calls at all times…and all I can think is, what was everyone doing not even 10 years ago with all that extra “talk time” they have now?
I think a world where everyone is glued to a PDA/iPhone instead of talking to an actual human being (not on the phone) seems boring and dead. Most of my friends (particularly the ones who work as designers, for some reason) can’t even sit and be still and have a conversation anymore…even when they’re not on the phone, they’re fingering it and toggling it in their pockets and just ITCHING for whoever is talking to them to stop talking so they can….*drum roll*…check their email/myspace/ebay/whatever. Whoopdeedo. That’s what the art of conversation is dying for, so people can constantly update their motherfucking myspace pages? Pathetic.
Again, not trying to rant or rip on the iPhone as if it’s responsible for something…just some observations.
I don’t have that kinda money! Hahaha
Oh wait Sidekick lx, perfect, no bells and whistles. Aim, text, phone calls and Internet/email… All you need. Music and Mario and everything else, keep that seperate. To many eggs in one basket when that shit breaks you have full regrets. I use mactops and the 2gb Shuffles in purple son. Nothing more than those products, oh and my Apple pocket pussy with built in Wifi hotspots and ribbing
I can admit that there are times when I’m on my phone more than I should, but when I’m with friends and hanging out in a social setting, I really try to not use it. The one thing I can’t get my head around is how people use phones and or whatever to stay connected and communicate with people, but when they are actually face to face with someone. Say they are hanging out with person A, they’ll be texting person B the whole time, while ignoring person A…. and then when they are with person B, they’ll just ignore them and text person A who they were just with and ignored them the whole time… Not sure if that made sense, I just think people DO need to spend more time actually talking and interacting in a face to face social setting…
I have no problem with Technology Advancing. I have a plastic tub full of Gadgets that are more than likely still perfectly usable. I just choose to move on and not use them. I rather talk to a person than text, IMing is fine and it has its place, not that I have gotten a lot of use on my iPhone. These types of Gadgets are what makes it easier to live far away from my family and friends. If something new comes out I don;t have to buy it, but I usually will once it has proven it’s self and I decide I am into it. I am not going to buy something before I know more about it than the Tech at say Apple or AT&T. In the end that usually makes my buying experience a shitty one I have noticed. When I go in the store I want to be in and out in 15 minutes. I am here to spend my money, don’t make it so hard.
Again I am still on the fence with this phone. It’s nice that if I decide to go back to AT&T I can flip my Tmobile iPhone and still most likely break even. No complaints there at least. I guess I will have to use that money to pay for half the service at double the cost. Damn, lost again.
my iphone has been in my backpack untouched for a month now. When I first got it I was amazed by its convenience, now it just seems normal. I get annoyed by it at times, cause I’m reachable in all ways. Id still never give it up, but my mexican celly gets way more use these days and its analog I think…Its not always that once you go black you never go back. Idk what Im talking about.
Never would I want to buy something over $100 that I know I will throw at a wall. I go through phones like I go through toilet paper.
I do however have an iPod touch.
Wifi is basically everywhere, no need to pay $100 a month for my iPod.
That’s just me.
I’ve had my iphone pretty much since the day it came out. I have used it for more then just phone and text everyday i’ve had it. for me that is the greatness of it. It is super easy to use and doesn’t freeze up or do weird stuff. I can use it to get directions, find a number for anything, kill time with music or videos, and the most fun is to look up the answer to some stupid trivial argument I’m having with someone. I feel i got my money out of it and will be buying a new one just to get more hdd space and speed. Plus i’ve had mine in my pocket everyday for the last year and it has lasted. I have fallen on it riding, snowboarding, late nights and through everyday life. it’s still going strong. I guess for everyone on the fence, go to the store and play with one for a while, that’s what i did and i bought one on the spot and haven’t looked back.
Maybe we should all donate $50 to some charity. If everyone who went out to buy an iPod did that instead, some major world crisis would be solved and Apple would have to lower their prices due to a lack of sales. You might actually spend less, you happy little consumers!
“I just think people DO need to spend more time actually talking and interacting in a face to face social setting…”
Yeah, I hear you. Basically, it seems like some “superphone” users are so entranced by the gadget and using it, that they’re negating the fact that they’re actually standing there with another human being. If these things are to be used for communication, they should be used as a preliminary method of communication….as in, you call someone to see where they are and what they’re up to, then you meet up with them and the phone goes into the pocket. To me, that makes sense and that’s using this technology in a smart, logical, “means-meet-the-ends” kinda way. They just shouldn’t be thought of as “necessary” or “crucial” for human communication…I guess that’s what’s getting a little annoying about all of this. The technology is being treated as if it should be put third on the list of “absolute necessities for human life to continue” after air and water.
Another thing I keep wondering about….how long before a device is invented that just records every single second of what the user is seeing/doing…but as it’s recording it, it’s also uploading it to the web to be organized and placed on a social networking site? What does reality even mean at that point? What would “doing something” even amount to? Would things like photos and books and traditional art even be relevant anymore if you could actually create with a “recorded reality” that you’d have access to almost “as-it’s-happening”? What if you were then able to manipulate that “by-the-second” recorded reality through a filter that “made everything better”? What if it then could actually re-route your previously recorded “reality” from one second ago back into your consciousness so that you couldn’t even tell the difference and just always seemed to feel that life was stellar? (as long as that filter was on) What if there were massive online database-style social networking sites that just contain the “online you” (think “Second Life”), and the online you can communicate and share info and data, etc with “online” versions of other people, even when you’re not telling it to? In that reality, what would “life experience” even mean?
I had my iphone in the UK for a week before it went back to O2. As a gadget I loved it, as a phone I thought it needed serious improvement.
Poor Bluetooth capabilities. Couldn’t sent or receive files. I couldn’t even connect it to my cars handsfree!
No multimedia texting.
Battery life was useless.
I’ll get another but probably in a year or so when it’s more suited to the UK market.
Max you have 0% of a relevant point. its like saying communism is a perfect political system. sure it works out perfectly on paper, but never works in reality.
everyone has to remember that apple is a business like everything else. their shit has planned obsolescence like EVERY PRODUCT SINCE THE AMERICAN INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION. get over it. just because you don’t feel like dropping a couple thousand on a computer that runs like a dream, or feel left out because you won’t pay for an iPhone, please just be quiet. quit masking your jealousy and envy of the people who use these products, and the products themselves because you don’t have them.
apple isn’t hurting you when they release this shit, or putting any of your other cheap gadgets in danger when they release an iPhone. the people who are on top of the apple shit know that they run the risk of a new phone coming out or it becoming obsolete.
i could go on for ages and might when i return home.
man, i first bought my iphone four days before my birhtday on sept the 4th last year. literally two days later the price dropped! i was pissed considering i just got this coveted item. i paid five plus for this phone and it was now $200 dollars cheaper! wtf??? so, after much furious searching on the internet and calls to applecare for thirty minutes and nothing. when i entered my serial number into the refund website and nothing still. so i finally called the apple store and spoke with the manager. he asked me where i bought my phone and i told him i purchased it from him. he then told me to bring my phone and receipt to him so, i did. then whammo he returned it and sold it to me $216 something cheaper!! thanks apple guy!! now as for the new less expensive but, faster iphone im all for it!! i see alot of stories here about dropped phones and cracked screens, and unjustifiable price for some people.and my response to them is. well, it is an actual computer in your pocket that you don’t have to pay for internet services. you can watch youtube all day. you can wow so many people still with your new status symbol!! and with third party applications there are so many uses for the iphone or that are being designed for iphone! and think about this kiddos you can listen to music all day and receive a phone call with the push of ONE single solitary button!! what so super sick!! one last thing it is an apple product. apple products are expensive because they are built well and to last a very long time if properly cared for!!!!
# Andrew on 11 Jun 2008 at 5:51 pm
quit masking your jealousy and envy of the people who use these
products, and the products themselves because you don’t have them.
jealousy and envy of people and the products? maybe some people just don’t have the desire for those products? i have a phone that takes phone calls and text messages, i have cameras that take pictures, from big cameras to little cunts i can throw in my pocket, and i have music players that play music… not everyone needs to be on their email/instant messenger/myspace/ebay/facefuck all the time… maybe you should smoke some weed and relax a little? stop and smell the roses or something… and besides what’s wrong with people giving $50 to charity?
“What’s wrong with people giving $50 to charity?”
Nothing, I will do that and still buy my new phone. Man, I think the people that take gadget use to seriously are truly the ones that need to take a second look at themselves. “In that reality, what would “life experience” even mean?” What the fuck, really!? If you truly think that phones are the reasons people are like that, dude guess what, the sky is also falling. It is just a tool that makes a 24 hour work life easier and I have no problem taking advantage of it.
I do have days where I use the shit out of my phone and others where it just takes up space in my pocket. I think there are tons of advantages to say having the web in my pocket. The #1 I always think about, being I actually save trees. I don’t need to buy a news paper, I don’t need to print out maps and directions, I never need to print out flyers to events, I don’t waste notebooks jotting down notes and ideas, I save a serious amount of paper by having this type of phone in my life. I could go for days about how this device simplifies everything and allows me to enjoy the finer things in life, like sitting around at a spot with friends.
All I know is if they fit your, life then good. If not, don’t waste your air to try and feed me some BS about a fake reality. These are not the Rise of the Machines, not yet at least.
“quit masking your jealousy and envy of the people who use these products, and the products themselves because you don’t have them.”
If I had to pick one consumerist sentiment that’s grown to abominable proportions in the past 8 years of moronic neocon rule, it would be the CLASSIC, “You’re just jealous.” line. That is THE weakest, lamest, most soft-boiled response to criticism you can possibly use.
“Man, I think the people that take gadget use to seriously are truly the ones that need to take a second look at themselves.”
The people that aren’t glued to these devices are the ones that should take a second look at themselves? Please. You all should see yourselves…walking around like infant versions of Ichabod Crane, staring straight down into a 3 inch LCD screen, arms up, limp hands hanging down in front like a T-Rex, stabbing away furiously at those tiny buttons….it looks fucking dumb, dude.
I’m saying that people should monitor their own behavior, not that the phones should cease to exist. Don’t worry…there would be mass suicides if Americans couldn’t have their internet-on-a-handheld device, so I’m sure these things will never go away.
“It is just a tool that makes a 24 hour work life easier and I have no problem taking advantage of it.”
Good for you. But the thing you’re not realizing is that although you might have a “24 hour work life”, the mass majority of people that are glued to these things don’t.
“All I know is if they fit your, life then good. If not, don’t waste your air to try and feed me some BS about a fake reality. These are not the Rise of the Machines, not yet at least.”
Actually, I wouldn’t trust a “24 hour work lifer” to be the most proficient person to rely on to spot the early warning signs of the “Rise of the Machines”. In fact, if there is a “Rise of the Machines”, I’d fully expect it to be wrapped up and cheerfully presented to the masses by 24 hour work lifers, all the while insisting that anyone who dared question the logic of it all was “just jealous”.
Just my opinion based on observing the world around me. Not trying to offend.
bdubbs do any of these slackers fucking work long enough during the day to realize the many utilities of this technological marvel? i didnt think so either! these are probably the same kids that would want your old parts but, then criticize you when you have enough money to buy some thing new and hot that they cant afford!! let your balls drop kiddies and join the working world and then see after paying gas, insurance, rent, groceries, light bill, phone bill and then see if you want to give fifty dollars to charity!!!! oh and living at your parents house in the basement is not the fucking real world!!!!!!
If they increased battery life and the screen is no longer glass, I’ll consider it.
# Ryan Dee on 12 Jun 2008 at 9:33 am
let your balls drop kiddies and join the working world and then see after paying gas, insurance, rent, groceries, light bill, phone bill and then see if you want to give fifty dollars to charity!!!! oh and living at your parents house in the basement is not the fucking real world!!!!!!
i haven’t lived with parents for almost 10 years, and have been paying all those bills…all i said was what’s wrong with giving 50 bucks to charity? buy the phone, knock yourself out, shit buy two… i couldn’t really care that much less….might as well spend your money, it ain’t doing shit for ya when you’re dead
iBeeper?
I kind fo hate the argument that gadgets and technology reduce waste. I’m sure it does but when comments like that get made ther’s bound to be contradiction. I’m sure there’s mad wasted energy in order to make it. SImilar to what Dave Jacobs said where less stuff is made it’s better for the environment. Which in theory sounds good but probably isn’t really true when you take into consideration all the shit used to get a video over the internet or a little box made.
And without sounding like a total luddite I like handwritten notes, scribbled post-its and the such. I’m probably way less organized than all you guys though.
Nice blog, i have added it to my favourites, greetings