A couple of years ago the mega computer company Apple released what has since proven to be the single best invention of our time. I know that a lot of you out there, especially those of you who do not have an iPhone, will disagree. I understand that you are simply jealous of the fact that you do not have one and we do. We, the largest smart phone user group, have been tapping away on our touch screens for quite some time. They have since released two new versions of the iPhone since it’s inception back in the summer of 2007.
Some of the things that make the iPhone so cool, outside of the fact that it doubles as your iPod, is the onslaught of applications that you can download. Whether you need to buy movie tickets for a hot date you have tonight or to grab a last minute table for dinner, there is an app for that. Maybe you want to get turn-by-turn directions from your current location to the mall. Or maybe you just want to sit back and watch some television that you missed last night. All of this, and more, have applications that allow that.
There have been some phones that have come out on the market that have tried to compete but most have fallen short. Today I wanted to sit down with you and discuss the two bit competitors to the iPhone. Note that these other two smart phones are still lacking in users and quite frankly would never turn my eye no matter the features that they offer. But the next time your buddy says, “Yeah, well, my phone is just as cool as the iPhone,” you can show him or her this blog post to prove them wrong.
I am going to look at not only the iPhone with you here today but also the Palm Pre that is offered by Sprint and the MotorolaDroid that is offered by Verizon. These phones are all specific to their carriers, which has made some users shy away from the iPhone. Most people think AT&T is overpriced and offers limited coverage. So instead of switching, folks end up with these other two alternatives. I will debunk the things that make these phones stand out and show you why you should make the switch to the iPhone.
Let’s begin with storage space. The iPhone, and note there are two models of the current 3GS phone, has a total of 16 gigabytes of storage space. The Pre has only 8, while the Droid has the same as the iPhone coming in at 16 gigs. The thing that you should note here is that when storing your music on your phone, for people like me who treat their iPhone as his or her iPod, you can quickly run out of space.
Another big topic is battery life. The iPhone comes in at 5-hour talk time with 300 hours of standby time. This is when the 3G is activated. The Pre ties the iPhone with the exact same battery life and the Droid wins on talk time but lacks on the standby time by over 30 hours.
When it comes to standard features, like camera and wifi functionality, all three come in with these as default options. Also all three offer GPS to get you from point A to point B. The iPhone and Droid even have voice command but the Pre does not offer this feature in its latest model.
Speaking of applications above, they bring a whole new market to mobile phones. There are almost 100,000 applications to choose from in the iTunes store. However, you currently can only download 258 in the Palm Pre App Catalog. The Android Market is trying to get there by offering just over 10,000 applications but they still fall way short of the iPhone. Sure, the Droid and the Pre are open source allowing you to program games and applications with a lot more ease than the iPhone, but something must be working right over at Apple if they have this many applications in only two years on the market.
The iPhone does fall short in one area however. On the Pre and the Droid you have the ability to multi task. Why is this important? Well, let’s say you are listening to Pandora Radio and you get a text message. You can leave the Pandora application open, check and reply to that text message, and never have a lapse in music. Or let’s say you are trying to figure something out with a buddy and you need to use Wikipedia to get your answer. You can put the text message, or phone call, on hold, open up the Wiki app, and find your answer. The iPhone (which I am used to it by this point) does not allow you the ability to run multiple applications at the same time.
Price point is also another big issue with these phones. For an unlimited usage plan for the iPhone, be prepared to drop $149.99 a month. This is before any taxes and fees that you might encounter along the way. The Pre, however, comes in at a flat rate of $99.99 for everything. They also offer a package that allows you to call mobile-to-mobile, and not only in the same network, for free. The Droid comes in at the same price as the iPhone. By looking at that over the course of a year, by going with the Palm Pre you could potentially save around $1,000 or more. That might make a lot of difference to some people.
I did not cover all of the features of all of these phones, as I do not want to bore you. But I did break down the big players when it comes to deciding what you want to use as your cellular provider first and foremost, an also as the smart phone that you want to use. The long and short of it boils down to the iPhone. I have had an iPhone since the day it came out, bought the 3GS the weekend it came out, and will never go back. The only way that Apple can be beat is by releasing another version of their already proven iPhone. I might not know what is next for cellular technology but I cam not wait to find out.
iPhone will always be King
Ricky,
I have to only partially agree with you. I have been an Apple fan for some time (as opposed to Fanboy), but I do take issue with some of your points. I hope you’re open to a little feedback.
Apple didnt invent the smartphone. They simply made a better mousetrap. I will grant you that the iPhone is a sleek interface, nicely implemented in some aspects and lacking in others. I completely take issue with your comment that those that dont buy into your line of thinking are simply jealous they dont own one. Its comments like that which completely discredit your arguments to come and bias your entire article. I grant you that the statement is an opinion, but its one that is better left omitted – since it paints Mac geeks like me in a general light to all PC users – that were an elitist bunch of snobs. Thats simply not true and as an Apple user, I resent it.
Tight integration of the iPhone and iPod interfaces is a nice feature. However, Apple only recently integrated applications onto the device. (Recently in the sense of history of the iPod). This is something that they could have implemented with the first generation of iPod without its users having to wait. The line wouldnt have sold nearly as well as the iPod Touch without this important feature. As far as I am aware, turn-by-turn directions isnt a feature without applications purchased from the App Store. Since these applications have various costs associated with them, this negates your implied claim that its a free feature. The best GPS applications Ive found are for Android (thats my opinion and YMMV).
I agree with you that other phones have fallen short, but this is because cell phone manufacturers compete in the wrong area. Their focus is hardware first, then the fill in the blanks with the software. Companies are only just starting to get the clue and realize what Ive been saying for some time – compete on software, UI and user experience FIRST, and worry about the hardware later. After all, a phone that looks pretty but that doesnt offer expandable storage or an open platform for software developers to write for isnt very consumer-friendly, IMHO. And dont get me started on Apples draconian app approval policies.
Its my contention that Apple would have done better selling its hardware in a more open setting – two versions of phones (CDMA and GSM). If Apple truly wanted to revolutionize the market, they would have sold the iPhone as they sell ever other piece of hardware – as is. Make it compatible to use with any carrier and let the consumer choose what network they want to have.
Most sensible smartphone users will agree with me that you should really charge your smartphone EVERY night, regardless of the manufacturers requirements or advertising. Anyone who knows anything about this can tell you that battery life claims on any portable device are greatly skewed (especially Apples claims on their notebook line of computers, but I digress). Unless youre camping out for weeks on end, you really have no excuse to not charge it every night.
I hope I’ve made an intelligent, fact-based (and yes, some opinion-based) points to make your article fair and balanced. I’m open to constructive criticism based on the points I’ve mentioned above.
*I would provide a post for the HTC Hero if I knew what that was. I cannot discuss a device that I have not seen nor used. If you are not an advocate of the iPhone, that is fine. But there is currently not a phone on the market that can come close to the things that the iPhone offers for me, and the average user. Whatever this HTC Hero is might very well be a good phone, but again, like the Palm Pre and the Droid it is NOT the iPhone. There is just something special about carrying an iPhone and I will not be switching phones for quite some time. However, I do greatly appreciate your comments.
I appreciate the information you’ve provided in your argument. I’ve always been a bit distraught that the iPhone wasn’t available for my carrier, but now that you’ve shown me how comparable (and in some cases better) an Android phone can be to the iPhone, I’m not nearly as upset. In fact, if you could write something up about how the HTC Hero is as good or better than the iPhone, I would really appreciate it.
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