The Apple brand, history and reputation for creating products people must have helped to set in motion the all-consuming buzz that put the iPhone in a different category from other smartphones that offer as much, if not more, in the way of features. As a result, Apple's is poised to successfully step into a far more competitive market with the iPhone than it did with the iPod six years ago. And, like with the iPod, the new phone/iPod/Internet device combo, for better or worse, is being treated as the second coming.
It's almost as if there aren't already products on the market that can make phone calls, play music and video, access the Internet for e-mail and the Web, taking pictures, etc. I'm not saying any of these smartphones are perfect, be they built on the Palm OS, Windows Mobile, Symbian or some flavor of Linux, but you wouldn't think they exist from the attention and coverage the iPhone is receiving.
Sure, there is much that Apple has done right to warrant this attention, not the least of which was allowing demand to build up for years before Steve Jobs stepped out on stage at MacWorld in January to introduce the iPhone for the first time.
Unless you've been living under rock for the last six months, you're likely aware of much of what the iPhone can do. And, from early reviews, it seems Apple has gotten much of that right; particularly with what is said to be a fantastic display and compelling and intuitive user interface. (The fact that they've implemented cover flow technology into the iPhone is enough to make it a compelling iPod alternative in my book.)
However, there are some features available in many of today's smartphones (and even some cell phones) that the iPhone does not have. While many of these may be able to be added or improved upon with software updates later, others clearly cannot until future generations of the iPhone.
Below is a list of missing features:
no MMS support to send pictures or video with text messages
no instant messaging client
no over the air (OTA) support for music downloads from iTunes (over AT&T's EDGE network or even Wi-Fi)
no wireless syncing over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth - can only sync through a cable connection to a PC or Mac
battery not removable - should the battery poop out, you'll have to go to Apple, as with the iPod, to replace it. Also, many folks like to carry around a spare battery, which you cannot do if the battery can't be removed.
2 megapixel camera can't take video.
no flash
no hard keyboard
no Bluetooth Dial Up Networking - you can't use the iPhone as a modem for a laptop to access the Internet or enterprise
can't make ringtones out of audio files, even those from iTunes
No ability to cut, copy or paste!
no java or Flash support - the iPhone can play YouTube videos through a bundled applet, however.
no voice recognition or voice dialing
no support for Bluetooth wireless stereo headsets (A2DP)
no 3G - AT&T has the fastest data network (UTMS/HSPDA) among GSM carriers in U.S., and yet Apple chose to limit the iPhone to 2.5G EDGE technology, which is far far slower; painfully slow, as some reviewers have pointed out. The stated reason: EDGE is far more widely available than 3G. That's true. But in areas where 3G isn't available you automatically drop down to EDGE with other smartphones, so why not include 3G in the first place. Heck, it's been said the Safari browser in the iPhone is one of the best mobile browsers ever. Why not give it the juice to do its thing right when a Wi-Fi hotspot isn't around?
no GPS - Google Maps is nice, but combining it with a technology that could tell where you are would be even nicer.
no expandable storage - 4GB and 8GB seems like a lot of storage, and for most folks it is probably more than enough, but having an expansion slot would have given the iPhone unlimited expandability. It also would have been another convenient method for transferring and sharing files and documents.
a lack of SIM portability - while it is often the case that a cell phone or smartphone is locked by a carrier so it can't be used on another operator's network, it appears the iPhone may only work with the SIM it came with. You may not even be able to remove the SIM at all. That means AT&T customers who buy the iPhone may be locked to the iPhone. So, for example, I may not be able to pop the SIM I have in my Treo back and forth between that device and the iPhone.
it is said you can't use the touch screen and soft keyboard (the only means of entering data into the iPhone) with gloves on, as it looks like it requires skin contact. If true, you may quickly miss having several buttons, a hard keypad or keyboard, and stylus input on a cold day.
Of course, none of the above matters to those who've already made up their mind to buy an iPhone. The iPhone's interface, display and, let's not forget, style is more than enough for many consumers who aren't used to having the features it does offer in a single device.
After all, it's not those familiar with today's smartphones that Apple is targeting with the iPhone. We're the ones who are the most skeptical, after all. It's mostly folks who are, thanks to the Apple brand, hype and genuine interest, coming to a device like this for the first time that are making the difference with the iPhone.
In the end, that can only be good for the smartphone market as a whole.
