This iPhone thing - I've heard about it but I'm not entirely sure what all the fuss is about... It's just a phone isn't it?
Here's the skinny: the iPhone is a mobile device made by iPod-maker Apple, the first version of which was unveiled at Macworld back in 2007.
It's a touchscreen device with all the mobile phone functionality you'd expect, plus iPod capabilities and a mobile browser.
Is that it? I thought it was some kind of life-changing uber-gadget.
It's easy to be underwhelmed now, more than two years after its debut, but the mobile industry is a different beast post-iPhone.
It's worth highlighting that Apple didn't actually invent converged mobile devices - there were mobile phones back in the day that incorporated web browsing, multimedia playing abilities and more.
Sony Ericsson's music-playing Walkman phones debuted in 2005, for instance, while Nokia's flagship N95 - which launched a few months before the iPhone - included 3G, GPS, wi-fi, a five megapixel camera, multimedia playback, web browsing and even an accelerometer.
That's more than Apple managed to squeeze into its first device - which begs the question: what's so special about the iPhone?
So why all the fuss?
In a word: usability. The first iPhone may not have had 3G, GPS or even a 5MP camera but it did have Apple's particular brand of UI magic dust.
The problem with many mobile phones in the pre-iPhone era was they were not very user friendly. While the high-end smartphones of recent years could technically already do all the stuff the iPhone could do, actually doing it was probably not very fun - if not utterly infuriating.
As such the iPhone came as a breath of fresh air - if not a force-10 gale - by making a virtue of its easy to navigate UI.
Given the importance of the UI to the iPhone, it's no wonder the screen was a key focus for Apple - the iPhone has a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen, a noticeable jump up from the competition (Nokia's N95, for instance, had 2.6 inches of unresponsive TFT).
While Apple did not invent touchscreen mobiles - both Palm and Windows Mobile devices have had touchscreens for years - once again the company used some of its magic dust to transform the status quo, doing away with a fiddly stylus in favour of a tactile capacitive technology that allowed users to control their devices through tapping and pinching.
While these may sound like mere details, you could argue Apple made usability mobile's killer app. By revamping the humble UI, the iPhone shook up the mobile world, even if it didn't technically have the best specs.
Comments
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1. Jan Davies
I too have always had a healthy scepticism for why the i-phone was creating such a hoo ha - as you said "it is just a phone isn't it?". However I talked to my friend last week, who truth be told had never got on with a mobile - especially texting phone. She had just inherited her sons old i-phone as he had upgraded to the latest version. "It is great she said - it works just the way I think " - another Apple convert I think - dont think that she will be racing to buy the beer swilling ap but if there is something on choosing the latest handbag well that may be a different story.
2. Richard Davies
I have a blackberry, iPhone 3G and HTC Hero.
I like the iPhone but I now think that the new 3Gs is too expensive (device and contract) and doesn't include anything extra really...slightly better camera and now video...wow!
Sure they paved the way, but others are now catching up.
The new HTC Hero is brilliant and about the same speed as the iPhone 3G (not s!). They are releasing new firmware soon to help fix a few issues.
To sum up...I think the iPhone days are numbered if it doesn't re-invent itself.
Also, everyone has an iPhone...I want something that the masses don't have.
3. Rory Choudhuri
One other area that I think is frequently overlooked when comparing iPhones with competitors is how easily and how well they integrate with the owner's computer, whether Windows or Mac.
Having spent a hugely frustrating evening yesterday trying to get my son's BlackBerry talking to his Macbook, I am ever grateful for the ease with which my iPod touch talks to both my Windows laptop and the iMac at home.
4. anonymous
As a owner of a simple mid-range Nokia phone and contemplating an upgrade as Orange is soon to offer the iphone, I find this article very comprehensive on the facts. I'm not a quick buyer and I don't like flowing with the stream of what's popular unless convinced its a necessity.
I'm still not sure I want to part with my good cash for the iphone when there are cheaper and equally reliable alternatives, albeit less attractive alternatives.