Say Hello to iPhone
Posted by marshall Sat, 30 Jun 2007 22:56:00 GMT
Well, it's finally here. And yes, I waited in line at my local AT&T store (no Apple stores nearby, alas) to get one. There were two others in line when I arrived at 12:30 PM, but by the time the store opened the line was down the block and around the corner. Not a bad turnout for a little regional store. I ended up being the first one to actually get one in the store, since the people in front of me took a bit longer asking questions. While it doesn't look like Apple's having trouble keeping up with demand just yet, they did run out of the 8GB models while I was still there looking at accessories, so I'm glad I waited.
First impressions? It's everything I hoped it would be.
The things I missed most from my Treo were the hardware ringer switch and the threaded SMS view. The things I liked best about my Nokia E70 were the Safari browser engine, the wi-fi support, the 2MP camera, the multitasking, and a UI that didn't keep me constantly reaching for a stylus. The problem with both of those devices was stability and lack of memory. While the E70 wasn't anywhere near as infuriating as the Treo in terms of instability, it kept shutting down individual apps because it ran out of RAM, and it could only get through a few web pages before I started getting messages saying I had to close some apps (despite the browser being the only one open).
The iPhone has all of these advantages and none of the drawbacks...plus a wealth of other benefits. And the implementation is just a joy to use. The web browser is outstanding; it really does provide a desktop-class browsing experience. While the E70 had the same browsing engine, the text rendering and navigation is so much more pleasant on the iPhone. The e-mail really does support full HTML messages with no problem, and it synchronized the settings with my e-mail accounts on my MacBook Pro, so I didn't even have to set them up. The iPhone connects to my wi-fi network automatically, and even keeps per-access-point proxy settings. While it felt like other devices were playing at music, playing at e-mail, playing at web browsing, the iPhone feels like the real thing.
And then there's all the little touches. The visual cues like the rubber-banding when you scroll too far and the way photos shrink down into the trash when you delete them. The automatic disabling of the screen when you hold the phone up to your ear. The local recording and editing of your voicemail greeting before sending it to the service provider. The slide-your-finger-to-unlock system that is quick and easy yet makes it virtually impossible to accidentally answer a call while pulling out the phone (a common problem I faced with previous devices). It's truly a revolutionary user experience, both in the big concepts like multi-touch, and in the small details that make everything just a bit more enjoyable.
What I am the most pleased with, though, is the speed. My E70 had Google Maps, but in order to use it, I had to unlock the phone (press menu key, press star, unless it was already unlocked and I didn't notice the difference in the left menu title text, in which case I just re-locked it and have to do it again after a slight delay for the phone to catch up), then I had to arrow over to the Google Maps app, then I clicked. After 5-10 seconds during which it looked like the phone wasn't doing anything, the Google Maps intro screen would appear with a progress bar. Then I'd wait another 20-30 seconds for the app to load.
On the iPhone, though, it's a single swipe to unlock (or just a press of the Home key if I'm in another app), a single tap on Google Maps, and I'm instantly there. No load time. And this is with multiple pages loaded in Safari, an e-mail message in the middle of composition, and music playing in the background. Of course, the map images themselves take time to load, especially when not on wi-fi, but switching between applications is instantaneous and trouble-free.
Now, while it's true that the iPhone is all I hoped it would be, it isn't all that I hope it will be. I knew going in what to expect. I was already aware that there was no 3G (AT&T doesn't offer it around here anyway, so that doesn't bother me much, plus it apparently kills battery life). I already knew there were no included games. I already knew that the keypad takes some getting used to (and I don't think it will ever match the feel of the Treo's or the utility of the E70's, though I appreciate the way it adapts to the task at hand). I'd already heard and complained about Apple's ridiculous press release that they were "supporting third-party Web 2.0 applications" (heck, I write so-called "Web 2.0" apps for a living and I still think Apple's current public position is stupid). There's definitely room for improvement, and I have no doubts that improvements will come: one of the great benefits of the iPhone is that software updates will come out for existing models and be effortlessly installed via iTunes, and I expect that we'll soon be seeing third-party games available on iTunes as well -- though I'm guessing ScummVM won't be on the list. I also wouldn't be surprised if, once the UI conventions have been established, a real SDK is made available (WWDC 2008?).
But even though I'll enjoy improvements when they come, it does what I wanted it to do, and it does it extraordinarily well. It's a superb web browser. It's a solid e-mail client. It's great for text messaging. And it has some little bonus features like making phone calls and playing music and videos and stuff. I guess some people think those are important.
Kottke is right: we're in the future. But I still want a hovercar.
