"Erik Goldoff" <egold...@gmail.com> wrote on 05/18/2009 10:12:24 AM:
> Thank goodness I get to make my own decisions now for what I'm gonna use .. Now? What's different about now? You haven't been able to make your own decisions in the past? Who made them for you? > "For me, individual check boxes aren't what's important. It's > the overall experience." > > To me, that sounds like saying a MFP is a better choice because > it copies, faxes, prints, & scans all in one box compared to > maybe having separate components. .. No, you missed my point entirely. Let me try again - I have acquaintances who won't even look at products like the iPhone because it's missing a "check box" feature - like a removable battery. If I engage them and press them to how many times they actually used the removable battery, often I can get them to admit it was just a few times - but they stick to their guns and discount the product because it doesn't have one of their "must have" features. Heck, I've had people reject a product just because of the manufacturer - which to me is just plain daft. I own Apple, Microsoft and heck even Sony products - if the company produces a product that meets my requirements, I'll use it! The anti-fan boys are worse then fan boys if you ask me... > if having them all > together is important to YOU , then yep, it's better for YOU > ... just like in my old stereo days, I like having discreet > components when they provide a better experience than the > hobbled all in one, but that's just ME But mobile phones, by their nature, *ARE* integrated devices. Unlike a stereo system, it wouldn't make sense to have a mobile phone that was modular and consisted of multiple parts. So the sum of the parts *IS* more important then just one or two individual components. If I had a phone with a battery that lasted for a week, but the browser was such garbage that I never wanted to use it, then it fails at one of the things I use all the time. Wait, I do have that phone - it's my work issued Blackberry :) I used to have discrete devices for my "digital life" - a separate phone, music player, GPS and storage. If I tried to mount everything on my belt I felt like Batman. Not a good thing since I didn't have the cool car and martial arts skills to go with it. Now I have everything in one device. And that one device not only does what the sum of those old parts did, in many cases it EXCEEDS their capabilities (with the exception of Turn by Turn in GPS, which 3.0 should address) Isn't technology grand? > "How many other computer or gadget companies are there where I > can go to a local store for support? " > > How many other computer companies are there that have the > ability to monopolize the hardware and software and operating > systems all under their own brand ? All of them. Apple isn't a monopoly. You aren't forced to buy their stuff. Is Microsoft any more a monopoly for ditching Plays for Sure (leaving their previous partners high and dry) and producing the Zune? Can we stop with the silly and erroneous "Apple is a monopoly" arguments? At best it just makes you look desperate, at worse you look seriously uninformed. > And I have been to a local Apple store, when I decided on a > new phone after 3 years with my PPC 6700 ... the place was >like a cult chapel, everyone lining up for the cool-aid ... Sigh. You saw what you want to see... I've been to multiple Apple stores and never experienced the "cult like" atmosphere that so many insecure PC people insist on perpetuating. Are the sales people enthusiastic? Sure! They are there to sell a product - if they said to you "Hi - would you like to see our latest mediocre offering" that wouldn't exactly motivate you now, would it? And being enthusiastic about your product isn't something I hope is limited to the Apple store - that's just good business - something successful companies do. > I could get no real data from the sales nogs on comparisons, > only the PREACHING on how great the iPhone was ... Just like any store, there are different technical levels of people in any store. Had you been referred to the Genius bar (perhaps by politely asking if there was someone who could offer you more technical details), you would have more then likely gotten someone who could pull up the technical reference sheets from the Apple web site for you and engaged you in a conversation. Then again, I'm kind of surprised you just didn't do it yourself. Or google and find any one of the articles out there comparing the iPhone to just about any phone. I find it fascinating you went to a brick and mortar store to research specifications. > To be honest, I think the iPhone is a good phone, but I just > didn't see anything about it compelling me to go that route > over any other ... Applications. But then you have to use it for more then five minutes to see the value in the wealth of third party applications. Apple blew past Plam and Windows Mobile in less then a year. The next iteration of the SDK for 3.0 with dock support should do for accessories what the first SDK did for software. The iPhone is now more then just a smartphone, it's a platform (feel free to groan :) >I picked it up, used it to browse, to make a > call, and although it didn't really fail at any task, I just > wasn't overly impressed with it either... I would suspect that's because you weren't really looking to be impressed, gauged by your comments and characterization in your email. And that's fine - you weren't bowled over by it. Not everyone is going to be. As you say, that's why it's good we have choices :) I think we can agree to disagree. My preferring an iPhone isn't going to threaten any enjoyment you get out of your Windows Mobile phone, and you preferring Windows Mobile isn't going to affect my enjoyment of my iPhone. But let's stay away from the colorful euphemisms - I imagine folks would get rightly upset over Micro$oft and pee cee terms being thrown around. Back to the original topic - the only thing I would be willing to have the iPhone increase in thickness for is a slide out keyboard. I was really missing the slide out keyboard from my PPC 6700 - but I must say, the more I use the on-screen keyboard, the less I miss having the physical keyboard. And I definitely don't miss having a holster for my phone - I love being able to just slide it into my pocket and not notice it. Eric Eskam =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= The contents of this message are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. Government "The human mind treats a new idea the same way the body treats a strange protein; it rejects it." - P. B. Medawar ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~
