Updated 2007-01-11: revised cost estimates.
Apple’s iPhone has been announced, to the surprise of many and the delight of many more. It certainly looks like Apple have pulled another winner off, like they did with the iPod. I’m not a mobile pundit, although I’ve been known to play one on TV, but here are my thoughts.
No 3G
This is a biggie at first sight, but I don’t think it’ll be a deal-breaker for the intended audience. Wifi will take care of the high-bandwidth needs. GSM has lower power requirements and smaller physical footprint.
Personally, I wouldn’t buy a phone without 3G.
Cost
It’s expensive. The famous reality-distorsion field has everyone
saying it’ll cost $499 for the 4GB model, $599 for the 8GB. But these
prices include a two-year commitment to Cingular. I’m in Europe and
don’t really know how much such a commitment would cost, but I’ve
heard that $50 a month is not unknown. If we’re generous and say that
$25 goes towards subsidising the phone, that works out to an unlocked
price of $1,200 for the 8GB model. I’ve seen speculation that the subsidy from Cingular will be in the region of $200. This would give an unlocked cost of about $800.
That’s insanely expensive. The Sony Ericsson
W950i
is comparable to the 4GB model. It’s music-centric, has 4GB flash
storage and a touchscreen. It costs 4,950 SEK ($700) unlocked in
Sweden. I’m predicting that the Nokia
N95 will cost between 7,000 and
8,000 SEK, and that phone also can give the iPhone a run for its money
spec-wise.
Update 2007-01-14: Amazon.de is taking preorders for an unlocked iPhone. Cost for the 8GB version: €999. Hat tip: Gruber.
Interface
Time will tell if the touchscreen interface will work in practice. Here are my question marks.
Fingerprints will be an aesthetic issue, although they can obscure content if you’re unlucky. More important will be one-handed operation. Can you use the phone with your thumb? Another one is touch-typing, obviously hard to do. Not to mention that this is not a phone for blind people.
Part of the appeal of the iPod is that you can switch songs and adjust the volume etc. by feel alone. This doesn’t seem possible with the iPhone.
The one thing people seem to be most enthused about is the visual voice-mail application. This is a nice idea, and kudos to Apple for developing it. The rest of the handset makers should be ashamed of not pushing something like this themselves.
Tentative conclusion
Pros: cool design leaves other handset makers looking dated and derivative (I’m looking at you, Palm), interface rethink is welcome in a fragmented industry.
Cons: Price! No way I can afford this phone. Network specs and camera are dated already.
Questions: interface responsiveness, power drain.
MobHappy have a good list of more comments. Head over there to see what the big boys think.