iPhone Arrives
Last Friday, Apple released the iPhone to the masses after five months of hype and anticipation. Many see the iPhone, which combines an iPod and cell phone, as a game changing device for the cell phone industry. Indeed, the iPhone lives up to most of the hype.
The iPhone’s two greatest areas of strength are the user interface (UI) and web browsing experience. They’re both unlike anything ever seen in a mobile device before.
Getting Rid of the Buttons
The most radical change from most cell phones is that the iPhone features only one physical button on the front. Many have citied the iPhone’s lack of a physical keyboard as a downside, however this is instead one of its best strengths. By removing all but one physical button, the user interface is able to change dramatically based on the application being used. This not only maximizes screen space but also leads to a highly superior user experience.
Concerns about the lack of a physical keyboard are mostly unwarranted. The iPhone’s virtual keyboard is extremely intelligent and easy to use. After a few days of use, most people should be able to type just as fast, if not faster, than on the small plastic keyboards found on most smartphones.
Overall, the touch screen interface is vastly superior to any cell phone interface on the market today.
The “Real” Internet (with some exceptions)
While most cell phones today include web browsing capabilities, it’s usually via a crippled web browser that is unable to render web pages in their full glory. The result is a very clumsy and difficult to navigate browsing experience.
The iPhone includes the full version of Safari, the same browser that ships with Mac and is now available as a beta for Windows. What does this mean? For the most part, web pages on the iPhone look just like they would on your computer.
When you load a web page, you see an overview of the entire page. Double-tab to zoom in and use your finger to pan or click on links.
Ideally, the Web site should look nearly identical to how you’re used to seeing it on your computer but there are some exceptions. For example, Safari on the iPhone does not support several web technologies, Flash being the most notable. If you attempt to visit a site that features extensive use of Flash, you’re out of luck. Streaming video, whether in Flash or other popular formats such as Windows Media, also will not play.
You may also notice a few issues with Web pages in general. Text may sometimes overflow or there may be other minor graphical inconsistencies compared to how the site displays on a computer. For the most part, these issues are minor and appear to affect only a minimal number of Web sites.
Final Thoughts
Despite the iPhone’s significant strengths, there are also some flaws. On the hardware side, the phone only works on AT&T’s slow EDGE network instead of faster and more modern 3G networks. On the software side, iPhone is unable to record video, set custom ringtones, or access mail from an Exchange server unless your IT department has enabled IMAP. The good news about the software deficiencies is that they can all be corrected through free updates. In fact, Apple CEO Steve Jobs has already hinted to news reporters that some of the issues I just mentioned could be addressed in the near future.
While several aspects of the iPhone can be improved, overall the device is largely worth the hefty $500 to $600 price tag. The iPhone sets a new standard for the cell phone industry. It’ll be exciting to see how the landscape changes over the next few years.