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Welcome to Macintosh
Apple's iPhone Isn't the Mobile Phone 'For the Rest of Us'
- 2007.06.29
Bookmark in del.icio.usBong! . . . :-) . . . Welcome to Macintosh!
Over the years, there have been many revolutionary, breakthrough products.
What defined them as being revolutionary, breakthrough products? Innovation was one factor. Others include seizing an opportunity to reach the masses, not being afraid to try something different, and good old fashioned being at the right place at the right time with the right product.
When you think of the computer industry, you naturally think of Apple in regards to great products and innovation. They've had numerous successes - and numerous failures. Their most recent success? The iPod. The iPod was successful in part due to the points mentioned above.
World, Meet iPhone...
Is the iPhone revolutionary? Absolutely.
Will it have an impact on the cell phone market due to its innovation? Most definitely.
Will it reach out and grab the masses? Nope, nada, not gonna happen - at least not with the rules as Apple has set.
It's a shame, because the iPhone definitely has the potential to change the world, or at least change the way we look at cell phones.
This is vaguely reminiscent to what Apple thought the Lisa (and later the Macintosh) would accomplish when it entered the market in 1983. It had enormous potential to completely reach out and grab the masses.
Why didn't it? Too restrictive, very little software, and $10,000 price, to name a few things.
Fast forward to the iPhone. Again: too restrictive, very little software, and it commands too much of a premium price-wise, to name a few things.
There are three major things among a lot of things that make me question the iPhone making a big splash:
- Price: $499 for a base price (4 gig model). $599 for the 8
gig model.
Most people will not buy a cell phone for $500 - no way. Sure, it's revolutionary, but ching-ching is still the name of the game here. To be fair, the iPod was also expensive in the beginning, before it gained the acceptance of the masses. In a world where cell phone's are cheap commodities that are replaced at will, $500 for a cell phone? Strike one. - Limited to one carrier.
Notice I'm not mentioning AT&T specifically. It's just wrong to limit a phone to one carrier, no matter who it is. This limits choice and therefore limits the appeal to the masses. While it's understandable why Apple would take this position in the computer industry with the Mac, and perhaps even with the iPod, this will not work in the cell phone industry. Take into account the many people who are already locked in with their cell phone provider of choice. Maybe they'd love to get in on the iPhone goodness, but they can't. Strike two. - No prepaid option.
Let's face it. We're locked into contracts with just about anything these days. You can rarely get away from it. With most cell phones, however, you at least have the option for prepaid or "pay as you go" service. No joy in the case of the iPhone. You're locked into a two-year agreement. A lot can happen in two years. Oh, if that's not enough to deter you, think of this: If you cancel early, you get to pay a lovely parting fee of $175. That's a over a third of the cost of the basic iPhone! Strike three, you're out!
I have many other problems with the iPhone. The price plans are much too expensive for most people on a budget. $59.99 to start out with, yuck. I can already hear the complainers.
"But you get unlimited email and Web access, roll-over minutes, 200 SMS text messages, visual voicemail, mobile-to mobile, and 450 minutes for that price. ($79.99 for 900 minutes and $99.99 for 1350 minutes.) What's wrong with that?"
A lot of people don't need all that jazz, especially if they're on a budget. Keep it simple and keep it affordable, please. You have to have iPhone activated to use all the features.
And that's another thing - you need to pay an activation fee of $36. Personally, I don't know anyone who would buy the iPhone just to act as a widescreen iPod, but I'm sure there are such people out there.
Bottom line: I'm amazed at what the iPhone is. Apple has pulled off another truly wonderful feat. One of the biggest reasons I want the iPhone to succeed is to bring more attention to the Mac.
The iPhone clearly is a winner innovation wise, but it's sad to
think that Apple has insured it won't reach the masses by offering
it only to the higher echelons. I guess us little people will have
to settle for our disposable cell phones with their clunky, awkward
user interfaces and physical buttons until Apple wakes up and
markets the iPhone as the phone for "the rest of us." 
Editor's note: We have divided opinions about the iPhone here at Low End Mac, and we'll be sharing more of them with you after our summer holidays. See you on July 12. Dan Knight, publisher
Recent Welcome to Macintosh articles
- Hooked on Classic Macs, 01.09. Tommy Thomas is back with a renewed focus on Macs that can run the 'classic' Mac OS.
- Apple IIe Nostalgia: A Reunion 15 Years in the Making, 01.06. Sometimes nostalgia is all you remembered, like when you get to recreate your first computing experience from the Apple II era.
- Distraction Free Writing on the Go with the Laser PC6, 10.27. Sometimes you just need a keyboard and screen instead of a full-fledged computer. The Laser PC6 could be what you're looking for.
- Apple's eMate still a great tool in the classroom, 05.09. How one teacher equipped his classroom with eMates with his own money - and plans to keep using them as long as possible.
- More in the Welcome to Macintosh index.
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: 15" 'TiBook' PowerBook G4, Jan. 2001 - A new 1" thin PowerBook design with a titanium case, 15" widescreen display.
- Group of the Day: ModBook List covers the Axiotronic ModBook tablet Mac.
- January 9 in LEM history: 01: Macworld keynote - 02: The new iMac - Redefining Apple's market - 03: Safari shows off the Apple difference - Impressions of Safari beta - 04: The colored iPod mini - 06: Installing 'Tiger' on unsupported Macs - Time to replace 5-year-old PowerBook - 07: iPhone and Apple TV - Axiotron Modbook - Mac vs. PC price comparisons are never fair - Backup to the rescue - 08: 2008 Mac Pro value equation
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- MacBook Keyboard Among Best Ever, Glass Trackpad Less than Intuitive, TiBook Desktop Mod, and More, The 'Book Review, 01.09. Also $179 to change battery in 17" MacBook Pro, argument for an Apple netbook, MacBook Air SuperDrive hacked for any Mac, bargain 'Books from $170 to $2,299, and more.
- BYO $240 Hackintosh, HyperCard Resurrection, USB 3.0 10x as Fast, SlimBlade Trackball, and More, Mac News Review, 01.09. Also the brilliance of the Macworld keynote, businesses embracing Macs, Picasa for Mac available, Toast Titanium 10 ships, and more.
- iPhone Reaches Vermont, 15 iPhone Tips, Apple's iGlove, First Editable Office App for iPhone, and More, iNews Review, 01.09. Also WebEx collaboration on the iPhone 3G, hands-free visor kit from Kensington, portable iPod and iPhone power, new cases from Speck, and more.
- Software Should Come with a Fresh Date, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 01.09. Sooner or later, some hardware or OS update will probably break a program you own. Software vendors should be up front about how long they'll support it.
- Thanks for the IBM PC, Dad, L. Victor Marks, My First Mac, 01.09. Dad, thanks for bringing home that first IBM PC way back in 1981.
- What a Legacy: The Origin of the IBM PC, Tom Hormby, Orchard, 01.09. IBM introduced its PC on August 12, 1981, shaking up the entire personal computer industry. Today even Apple makes its computers IBM compatible.
- Our Debt to the IBM PC, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 01.09. A Mac user looks at the legacy of the IBM PC.
- Heat Management for 'Books and the Last Mac to Run OS 9.1, Phil Herlihy, The Usefulness Equation, 01.08. Tips on keeping a first-gen MacBook Air from throttling back with CoolBook, using G4FanControl with a G4 PowerBook, and the fastest Mac that can boot Mac OS 9.1.
- Surprise, Average Broadband Throughput Is Lower than Maximum Throughput, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 01.08. If a service is advertised as 8 Mbps maximum, it shouldn't surprise anyone that the average speed is below that number.
- A History of Apple's Lisa, 1979-1986, Tom Hormby, Orchard, 01.08. Originally envisioned as a business computer to replace the Apple II, the Lisa brought the mouse and GUI to the computer market - only to be felled by the less costly Macintosh.
- Lisa's DNA Is All Over Modern Computing, Ray Arachelian, Apple Seeds, 01.08. Those who label Apple's Lisa a failure are ignoring the computer's legacy that shows up in every personal computer sold today.
- The Innovative Lisa, Dan Knight, Online Tech Journal, 01.08. Apple's Lisa and how it paved the way for the Macintosh.
- The Lisa Legacy, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 01.08. We should always remember how Apple's innovation paved the way for all future computers.
- Waterfield First with SleeveCase for New 17" Unibody MacBook Pro, Charles W. Moore, 'Book Value, 01.08. Waterfield has a reputation for top quality bags at appropriate prices, and it's already designed a sleeve for the new 17" Unibody MacBook Pro.
- Blackouts and Web Access, Death of a Kanga, the Future of PowerPC Macs, and More, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 01.07. Also another email client suggestion and whether a G3 iMac can handle a 7200 rpm hard drive without overheating.
- The 17" Unibody MacBook Pro Value Equation, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 01.07. The new model is a bit faster, a bit smaller, a bit lighter, and has an incredible 8-hour battery life.
- How Netbooks Impact Microsoft and Apple, Tim Nash, Taking Back the Market, 01.07. Netbooks are keeping Windows XP alive, which may slow adoption of Windows 7, and perceived value keeps the Mac market share growing at the expense of Windows.
- Apple's Worst Business Decisions: Another Perspective, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 01.07. Apple's poor business decisions predate the Macintosh. Let's hope they learn from their mistakes.
- The Ill-Fated Apple III, Jason Walsh, Apple Before the Mac, 01.07. "...not only was the Apple III mind crunchingly expensive, it was made with none of the passion of the Apple II or Macintosh."
- 2 Apple Failures: Apple III and Lisa, Tom Hormby, Orchard, 01.07. Apple's two not-so-great product lines between the Apple II line and the Macintosh.
- Apple III Chaos: Apple's First Failure, Joshua Coventry, Cortland, 01.07. Apple had known nothing but success with its Apple II product line, but when it tried to enter the business world with the Apple III, the learned the cost of failure.
- More links in our archive.
Recent Deals
- Best MacBook Deals, 01.09. Used 1.83 GHz, $595; 2.0 SD, $650; refurb 2.1 GHz, $849; 2.2, $899; 2.4, $949; new 2.1 SD, $945 after rebate; 2.4, $900 a/r; 2.0 Unibody, $1,199 a/r; more.
- Best G5 iMac Deals, 01.09. Used 17" 1.6 GHz Combo, $400; 1.8 SuperDrive, $450; 1.9 iSight, $575; 20" 1.8 GHz, $500; 2.0, $625; 2.1 iSight, $699.
- Best iPod nano deals, 01.09. New 3G/8 GB, $125 shipped; 4G/8 GB, $134 shipped; 16 GB, $175 shipped (most colors).
- Best Apple TV Deals, 01.08. Refurb 40 GB Apple TV, $199; new, $220; refurb 160 GB, $279; new, $320. Prices include ground shipping.
- Best Mac Pro Deals, 01.08. New 2.8 GHz 4-core, $2,099 after rebate; refurb 8-core, $2,399; new, $2,589 a/r; 3.0 $3,398 a/r; refurb 3.2, $4,099; new, $4,099 a/r.
- Best 12" PowerBook G4 Deals, 01.08. Used 867 MHz Combo, $490; 1.33 GHz, $548; 1.5 GHz SuperDrive, $595.
- Best 17" MacBook Pro Deals, 01.07. Used 2.16 GHz Core Duo, $1,190; 2.33 Core 2, $1,400; 2.4, $1,799; refurb 2.33, $1,799; 2.5, $1,899; new, $1,900; refurb 2.6, $2,299.
- Best Power Mac G5 Deals, 01.07. Used 1.8 GHz single, $500; dual, $629, 2.0, $700; dual-core, $929; 2.3, $999; 2.5 dual, $900; 2.7, $1,089; 2.5 Quad, $1,399.
- Best iPod shuffle Deals, 01.07. Refurb 1 GB '07, $39 shipped; new, $43; '08, $45; refurb 2 GB '07, $59 shipped; new, $58; '08, $63.
- More deals in our archive.
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