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Wouldn’t you just buy an iPhone?

Posted: February 6th, 2009 | Author: | Filed under: VoIP News | 6 Comments »

I really like a lot of the VoIP companies that are jumping on the iPod touch bandwagon. I can respect the fact that they are trying to show folks how to use their technology.

But if you wanted the ability to make phone calls, wouldn’t you just buy an iPhone? And if you bought an iPod touch, you obviously didn’t do it because you wanted to make phone calls (you probably have a phone for that).

So while I really like and respect these VoIP companies, I don’t see their efforts here amounting to much. Unless of course they’re offerings are more about hype, then driving real business.

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6 Comments on “Wouldn’t you just buy an iPhone?”

  1. 1 Kiran said at 9:05 pm on February 6th, 2009:

    I beg to differ.

    I think there is a good market for converting the iPod touch into a workable cordless phone. I didn’t buy an iPhone because I have a Blackberry that does voice + email. But I could definitely see a scenario where I’m using the iPod Touch to make and receive VoIP calls (if only it had a built in mic.).

    A jail-broken iPhone is still cost prohibitive (as compared to a Touch).

  2. 2 Garrett Smith said at 9:27 pm on February 6th, 2009:

    @ Kiran

    Exactly! It doesn’t have a mic because it’s not supposed to be a phone.

  3. 3 stuart Henshall said at 9:27 pm on February 6th, 2009:

    I’m seeing many people using the Touch for all manner of things. They are carrying it in addition to often a simple mobile phone. They are rejecting the price plans for the iPhone and I really can’t blame them particularly if the spend the majority of their time in WiFi environments.

    Turning it into a phone makes sense to me. Unfortunately it still has limitations re mic, and speakers etc. However, it can’t run in the background so these apps are somewhat limited. For calls… for many it will be better than making them off your PC. So we will see what happens.

  4. 4 Frank said at 3:12 pm on February 7th, 2009:

    Alright, Garrett, I just have to ask. First you pitch Apple should buy Skype, then you write this. Sounds a bit contradictory.

    Like some others, I would love to have an iPhone sans contract. Just the device. And this only because the iPod Touch doesn’t have a built-in mic or speaker. If the iPod Touch had these, I’d buy one in the blink of an eye, as I could install TruPhone or another VoIP app and use the iPod Touch as a wireless VoIP handset while at home, the office, or public WiFi hotspots like the local Panera/etc. Of course I can do this now, but I need to either add an ugly dongle to the iPod Touch to add mic/speaker, or I have to buy that fancier headphones with mic built-in, and that’s not quite as convenient as a VoIP phone as just lifting the iPhone to your ear.

    The only real differences between an iPhone and iPod Touch are the way in which their internals are used. There are 2 slots basically. In the iPhone, one is used for all the cell tech and GPS, while the other provides the Flash storage (16GB max. at this point). Since the iPod Touch doesn’t need the cell tech, both slots can be used for Flash storage (hence the 32GB max.). And as an aside, it turns out that the CPU driving the latest iPod Touch is, in fact, more powerful than the one in the latest iPhones.

    So it comes down to the iPhone has cell tech, GPS chip, internal mic/speaker. The iPod Touch has faster CPU and double the storage. Though the impossible ideal is an iPhone device with faster CPU, double memory, and that requires no contract at all (i.e., users can buy them as iPod devices or go buy a cell contract in addition if they want one), that’s not how Apple markets them.

    If you’re so rah rah for Apple to buy Skype, I would’ve thought you’d be all for these outfits turning iPod Touches into VoIP phones. ‘course what I’d love to see is Apple make the next iPod Touch with just a few tweaks… an internal mic/speaker (and ideally a GPS chip). That’d be all I’d ever need/want. And THAT would make a Skype client far more appealing.

  5. 5 Garrett Smith said at 4:01 pm on February 7th, 2009:

    @ Frank

    Thanks for the insight. I guess what I meant to say was wouldn’t you just get an iPhone because you can add those clients to the iPhone as well.

    That would give you cellular and wireless VoIP capabilities. Twice the punch in just one device.

    Now, I am a wireless VoIP phone fan and IF the iPod touch came with an internal microphone, I’d be a fan…and user.

  6. 6 funk said at 1:50 pm on February 10th, 2009:

    the android is better than iphone

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