For those of you following along at home, you may remember that I was the lucky recipient of an iPhone courtesy of our CEO, Benjamin Sayers (hence why it is the worst phone I never bought). Honestly, I was shocked to get one and was extremely grateful to be one of the first to have it. It was love at first sight. Sleek, stylish and sophisticated (just like it’s new owner), I was the focal point of crowds and every party I attended. Everyone want to touch, feel and play with my iPhone.
Boy was it cool.
Then I used it for a week. Then another month went by and I started to realize that the iPhone has to be the worse cellphone I have ever used. I tried to fight it. I mean the iPhone was “cool”, but so are mopeds and you don’t see me driving one around. Fortunately for me, I didn’t shell out $599 for it, but that is not the case for most of the folks who are currently using the most over-rated cellphone ever. I am not being harsh. I have legitimate gripes. Take a look at the 11 reasons why the iPhone is the worse cell phone ever.
- No useful applications. If I want to add anything useful to this phone, I have to hack it. I am not a hacker and I’m not really interested in bricking the phone should a new firmware come out that actually contain something useful.
- You can’t send or receive MMS messages. That’s revolutionary. Nice thinking Steve!
- iCalendar sucks. I use Outlook. Outlook and iCalendar don’t play nice. It is always fun to be on the go without a calendar that works right.
- The battery life is awful. If I want to have a long conversation, I need to use my office or home phone. Otherwise…
- It gets hotter than hell. Well, I don’t really know how hot hell is, but I am going to use my imagination. Talk on the iPhone for more than 10 minutes and you can cook breakfast on it.
- Touch screen is cool, but only for the first day. The touch screen is great for web browsing, but I use my phone to make calls and send text messages and for these purposes, “keyboard” performance is sub-par.
- No camera zoom or flash. What is this 2001? The iPhone has the worst camera I have ever used and forget about using it to take pictures if you don’t have photo shoot quality lighting.
- Why do they say it has a speaker phone? My BlackBerry was louder than the iPhone’s speaker phone when I wasn’t using the speaker-phone.
- It took over two months to add bulk SMS functionality. Trying text messaging “Merry Christmas” and “Happy New Year” 200 times. See how happy you are.
- My screen stopped responding. After only eight weeks, half of the screen stopped responding. I touch, nothing happens. Try using a touch screen phone when the touch screen does not work.
- Worst. Support. Ever. Please get me in touch with someone who speaks English as a first language and don’t charge me $30 USD for a loaner phone. I didn’t break it, it stopped working.
Are you a disappointed iPhone user too? Let’s hear how much you loath your $599 paper weight. Leave a comment below!
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7 responses so far ↓
Frank // Jan 16, 2008 at 4:53 pm
While some of your complaints are valid, aren’t you being a bit of a drama queen here?
First, the price hasn’t been $599 since September 2007. It’s $399. And any early adopter who asked would get $100 back, though admittedly I think it was in Apple store credit:
http://www.apple.com/hotnews/openiphoneletter/
Second, while you’re right that apps do not yet exist, Apple announced an SDK would be available in Feb. 2008, which should end the need for hacking/bricking of iPhones.
Can’t argue with Outlook support (but then, if you’re so MS-centric, why are you using Apple products? It’s like bitching that your BMW doesn’t have OnStar.). It would be nice, but it’s really not a requirement. Now if you had this issue with an MS Windows Mobile device…
I don’t own an iPhone, but your comments abt battery life/heat aren’t unique.
As for “keyboard performance”, it’s called a touch-screen for a reason. And if the screen stops functioning, how exactly is that any different than the keys on a Blackberry keyboard not working? If the input mechanism on a device doesn’t work, you’re screwed. Period. You make it sound like it’s something unique on an iPhone.
No flash on camera? Umm, you just finished writing “I use my phone to make calls and send text messages”, and now you’re complaining about a lack of flash on what is essentially a cell phone? My work-issued Moto RAZR doesn’t have a flash either. So what? If I want to take proper pictures, I use a digital camera. Right tool for the job.
Speakerphone sucks? Again, if that’s the case, valid argument.
The lack of bulk SMS does suck. But they did add it eventually. How many other phones you have owned have the ability to have new functionality added without having to buy a new one? Some yes, many no. I see you bitching a good bit, but where’s the objectivity?
Your screen stopped working? Basically sh*t broke. Gee, that never happens to anyone. No, seriously, that does suck, but nothing’s perfect. The question I would have is how MANY of these have broken in short usage? If a lot, then you have a good argument for unreliability.
Worst support? I’m afraid I can’t fault you this either. I had heard that Apple went overseas for some phone support, then yanked it after seeing what it did to the quality of service (notably in the human communication area). But I guess it’s hard to escape this entirely. Same has happened to me with Dell, IBM, and countless others. Welcome to globalization.
Suggestion on support, though. You live in Buffalo, NY, right? Why not go to the Apple Store in the Galeria mall there and deal with someone face-to-face? If you’re not happy, tell them you’re not satisfied and ask for a manager. While Apple is no more perfect than any other company, I have noticed that they do have a corporate policy and business model predicated on offering better customer service than most. They can afford it with their profit margins, but it’s like BMW vs. Ford. They’re in a niche market, not going to volume at small profit margins. If Apple’s customers don’t think they’re getting better than the volume seller (i.e., Wintel PCs or Motorola/Nokia/etc.), Apple is screwed.
As for having to pay $30 for a loaner, that’s nuts and I agree. I could see holding onto your CC info so you don’t go walking off with it, but otherwise providing loaners to anyone with an iPhone UNDER WARRANTY for free. If you’re out of warranty, then I could see charging something.
Anyway, bummer it’s not living up to your expectations.
Garrett Smith // Jan 16, 2008 at 5:17 pm
@ Frank:
1. It was bought a day or two before the “price drop”…and we are still waiting on the rebate, thanks Apple.
2. So I am supposed to wait for some third party to create an application that I have to pay for in order to get what I would consider standard functionality? Please.
3. Apple is touting the phone in all of the business magazine and if you read a lot the interviews, they are heavily targeting the “business user.” You’d think with that target demographic in mind they would play well with Microsoft.
4. I am working on a video on me frying an egg on it. Seriously, I have been averaging 3 new phones (different models) per year since 2000, that is 21 phones. All high-end, as I was formerly in the wireless industry. Hottest phone ever.
5. We have six people here with them. I have four or five close friends using it. In addition to me, three others have had the same problem. Small demographic, but 40% defect rate? That is unacceptable.
6. I use it to make phone and send/receive SMS, but as a revolutionary device, shouldn’t it change my usage habits by offering other outstanding functions? The camera should have zoom and flash, especially in the price range.
7. Bulk SMS should be a standard feature. It has been around on cell phones for years. Again this is supposed to be a revolutionary device.
8. This my blog. This is not a review of the phone. I do not have to be objective.
9. See point 5.
10. The iPhone is a different beast. The Apple care team at the Galleria points people to the 1-800 number, since they are supposedly lacking the diagnostics or ability to do anything…something about AT&T. I stopped listening somewhere after, “Sorry, but…”
It does suck since I was expecting to be wowed and amazed by this revolutionary cellular phone. It sucks even harder for my CEO who shelled out the cash.
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Frank // Jan 17, 2008 at 4:40 pm
@Garrett
In response to your most recent post:
1. That does suck. The program expired at the end of November, so even if you put in for the rebate on the last day, that’s well over 6 weeks.
2. My comment was in reference to #1 in your original post, in which you wrote “No useful applications.” My bad. I figured you meant no ability for 3rd party apps to be added, as that would be a logical and (currently) valid argument. As for built-in apps, you don’t consider the Google Maps implementation, email, etc. to be “useful”? What are you expecting? Satellite death ray support? It has what most high end phones have, sans apparently the MMS support, which can be substituted with the built-in email if you need to send attachments/etc. Sure, MMS would be nice, but popularity-wise, I suspect SMS and email outrank it. (Reminds me of one of my favorite quotes…”That’s the great thing about standards…there are so many to choose from.”)
3. Good point. But if you got it just before the price drop, then you had plenty of time to read reviews on the thing (which started the day it came out) in which such matters were brought up. You’re right, Apple is touting something in a way they shouldn’t, but it doesn’t say much for you or your boss’ buying skills. It’s easy to blame the vendor, but if you didn’t do due diligence in the purchase… Caveat emptor, remember?
4. THAT could be very convincing. Get it up on YouTube (haven’t looked if others have beaten you to it), and explain your background with detailed list of phones you’ve owned (don’t be oen of the “this sucks” without backing with details), and you can drive your point home.
5. Again, this is a good point. That isn’t unacceptable, it’s an unbelievable failure rate.
6. I’m sorry, but you’re harping on a flash on what is in essence a communication device is a bit silly. I’ve never owned a phone with a flash on it, and honestly, it’s a terribly weak point. As for it being “a revolutionary device”, you don’t think things like multi-touch, the whole iPod audio/video support with autorotating screen due to orientation, visual voicemail, among others, count? Please list for me all the phones you have owned prior to the iPhone which had these features. I’m curious.
7. No argument here. But the “Again this is supposed to be a revolutionary device.” is wasted rhetoric. This has nothing to do with being revolutionary. It was lacking basic functionality.
8. And you haven’t been. Good for you.
9. Useless filler, as it relates to nothing.
10. Geez, that is bad. It’s their product. They should support it. That’s why many Apple users would buy it…so as NOT to have to deal with AT&T but rather the company they were used to getting good Mac support from (though as with all companies, YMMV).
It’s a shame it was such a disappointment. I can imagine how that’d feel considering the hype. And you have some seriously good points which should give people pause. Unfortunately, some of your points seem trivial and come across as whining, detracting from your overall argument. But then, you’re right. This is a blog. So whine away.
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