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December 2009 
iPhone: It's all about the interface, and the hype!
Posted on Jul 3rd, 2007
by 
~C4Chaos
~C4Chaos
(Crossposted from www.c4chaos.com)
There's no question. The iPhone launch is a stunning success. Case in point: Apple is having difficulty keeping up with demand.
But now that the launch is over and the smoke of the hype is subsiding, let's look at how the technology geeks rate this baby.
Engadget: iPhone Review
"The last six months have held a whirlwind of hype surrounding the iPhone the likes of which we've rarely seen; an unbelievable amount of mainstream consumer electronics users -- not just just Engadget-reading technology enthusiasts -- instantly glommed onto the idea of a do-it-all smartphone that's as easy to use as it is powerful. The fact is, there's only a very short list of properly groundbreaking technologies in the iPhone (multi-touch input), and a very long list of things users are already upset about not having in a $600 cellphone (3G, GPS, A2DP, MMS, physical keyboard, etc.). If you're prepared to buy into the hype, and thusly, the device, it's important that purchase (and its subsequent two year commitment to AT&T) not be made for features, but for the device's paradigm-shifting interface."
Apple's iPhone Dissected: We did it, so you don't have to
"We have only had the phone for a few hours but we needed to get inside its casing, what follows is our dissection of the Apple iPhone. Please note that we're doing this so you are not tempted to on your recent $500/$600 expenditure, while it is quite possible to take apart using easy to find tools we'd recommend against it as it will undoubtedly void your warranty and will most likely mar up the beautiful gadget's exterior. Do whatever you wish to your iPhone, but do so at your own risk :)"
Apple's iPhone: The Future is Here
"You're sick of hearing about the iPhone? I'm sick of working on the iPhone, I just want to use it already. "
As for me, I echo Chris Pirillo. "iPhone 2.0 will be more my cup of tea." Of course, I'm sour graping.
Access: Public
Paradigm-shifting interface - INDEED - and there IS always the possibility that the paradigm-shift will not materialise until a WEB 3.0 enabled iPhone 3.0 - but who cares - what IS - IS - and ain't NO ISer - the genie's out of the bottle and I've already set my date for the completion of the technological paradigm-shift - perhaps Tom should take this as a stock tip !
yeah - there's a lot of hype both ways, but I'm amazed at how strongly the anti-iPhone hype has been, and how it hyperlinks itself to 'prove a point' … the funniest part about all of this is that it illustrates Apple's 'saviour' position in the computer market - and thus everything they touch.
People want the iPhone to be the God of cell phones. Hell, if all you want is a phone, then most any will do - as for smart phones? By gods I actually have a phone for which Mac support wasn't an afterthought bolted on by a third-party. My contacts, my photos, my email accounts, my calendar - everything's just worked without conflict. From what I can tell, Apple spent a lot of time making it work equally well with Outlook on Windows.
Try that with a Blackberry or a Treo (and honestly, no, I don't need any smart phone, but they're pretty much standard at any tech company these days!).
And it's a pleasure to use.
Not everything's been perfect - but the stuff everyone pooh-poohed like the keyboard? Not an issue. Data speeds on EDGE are fine for email and checking the web, and they scream on wifi.
Most important thing of all?
It's updatable. Apple can release updates as necessary to fix bugs, add features, improve quality. Kinda makes that whole 'wait for 2.0' thing out-of-date; that's really just people worrying that the hardware will be buggy, or trying to blame Apple because their pet acronym wasn't included.
Here's my test for buying just about any piece of technology - get it when you need it or want it. Don't wait for the next big thing.
Hell, that goes for life.
Where else in the world will people wait 72 hours (or was it 48 hours) in line to buy a $600 phone. This is another great example of consumerism run amok and underscores the economic inequities in the world. Let's hope, for the sake of all of us, that new iphone owners refrain from surfing the web while driving.
This being said, I think it is quiet a sexy technological UI(user interface) design.
May it bring us the happiness we desire.
peace,
werner
There's a lot of people saying that the iPhone represents the pinnacle of American hyperconsumerism – which is probably true. But then think of the money flowing into Korea and China and Japan for the components used to build these phones. And then think of the fact that China is actually helping Africa build dams and highways where our most high-profile projects come down to throwing money and political clout into places where we're really not sure what we're doing (not saying either the Darfur projects or RED or TED are bad - but that the money we spend in the US on companies that actually function within a global economy does indeed flow outward, even in ways we possibly can't predict.
So I don't feel bad about buying an iphone. But I didn't wait 48 or 72 hours or even 1 for mine. Just walked right in.
I'm sure Captain Kirk would have been proud of IT - but perhaps we would have to seek legal advice - in order to settle these galactic discussions.