Boston Globe reporter Hiawatha Bray is backtracking on his earlier column that Apple, Inc.'s (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhone is perfect. While his employer fronted him the $600 to consider an iPhone purchase, Bray cites four reasons he'll return it:
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It doesn't sync with Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT)'s Outlook. Bray likes Outlook and has "his life" on it and he was delighted to see that the iPhone is designed to let users copy their addresses, phone numbers, and appointments into it. That means users can find their Outlook phone numbers on the iPhone, then just tap a number to dial a call. Unfortunately, it took Bray about a dozen tries before the iPhone copied the Outlook data stored on his work PC; it's never worked on his home machine. Bray found at least a dozen online complaints from iPhone owners with similar problems. Either the iPhone won't sync with Outlook at all, or it does so intermittently or incompletely.
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The GPS navigation doesn't work. Bray admits this is a trick question but he finds it hard to believe that the $600 iPhone lacks GPS, a feature built into the Verizon Communications, Inc. (NYSE: VZ) Wireless phone he got for free when he renewed his contract in 2006. Bray finds the iPhone's Google, Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) Maps implementation quite useless when he's lost. And he doesn't understand why GPS is now common in the cheapest phones, but absent from the iPhone.
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AT&T Inc.'s (NYSE: T) network is slow. AT&T's wireless service -- which Bray believes features a rather slow data network -- makes it frustrating for him to access Web pages and YouTube videos. While AT&T is building out a faster network, the first-edition iPhone won't be able to use it. Apple could have included the necessary chips, but left them out to save battery power. When AT&T's system is ready, Bray points out that users will need to buy a next-generation iPhone to see the kinds of data speeds already available through Verizon Wireless.
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iPhone is not good as a "data dump." When he plugs a regular iPod into a computer it acts as an external hard drive. He can carry important files on it, then access them on any computer. Bray keeps some software programs on his, and runs them off the iPod. That's not happening with the iPhone. It holds music, videos, and the address book, but most other file types are forbidden.
Bray joins a New York Times writer as the second journalist I read about who's been less than thrilled with the iPhone. I wonder whether others have the qualms they've mentioned. And if so, how they will affect Apple's revenues and profits.
Peter Cohan is president of Peter S. Cohan & Associates, a management consulting and venture capital firm. He also teaches management at Babson College and edits The Cohan Letter. He has no financial interest in the securities mentioned in this post.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-09-2007 @ 6:53PM
Steph said...
Only 4 reasons???? And, they're LAME. I wonder if Mr. Bray actually knows HOW to configure his Outlook data for use on the iPhone. Somehow, I doubt it.
But, JEEZ! If TWO "journalists" (I use THAT term loosely these days), are "less than thrilled" and they have such COMPELLING reasons for being so, I guess Apple had better be worried. Maybe the people who don't like the iPhone can ask Bill Gates to build a Phune for them. We KNOW how much better THAT would be.
And WHAT does this REALLY have to do with AAPL? This is not some massive consumer problem, like the huge XBox 360 recall...
Maybe you should do a story on THAT.
7-09-2007 @ 7:49PM
Bobby Dee said...
No GPS isn't a massive problem?
7-09-2007 @ 8:13PM
Steph said...
Nope. But, I was referring to a *manufacturing defect*. Anyone who MUST have GPS can buy another phone or wait for a GPS module to come out, which won't be too long...again...no problem.
7-09-2007 @ 10:09PM
iPod Radar said...
I think the reporter makes some good points about the iPhone, but if my company dropped the money for it I doubt it'd be going back to the store.
Also, if you're looking for more iPhone news, reviews and info, I’ve got a mini iPhone mashup set up here...
http://ipodradar.com/iphone/
You’ll find news from Google news, links from delicious, and blog posts from Technorati. And you can track eBay auctions by price and date.
7-09-2007 @ 10:57PM
ColdShower said...
Steph,
I think Bray's point was that he should not have to know how to configure his data for use on the IPhone. Apple being Apple should have done it seamlessly for him, otherwise what's the point of buying Apple?
"Phune" made me laugh out loud. Thank you for that.
7-10-2007 @ 2:11AM
mongul said...
ColdShower: "Apple being Apple should have done it seamlessly for him, otherwise what's the point of buying Apple?"
The point of buying Apple is that everything works seamlessly across the OS, iCal, Address Book, Mail, iChat, Safari, you name it…
In that particular case the iPhone has to sync with Outlook, a third-party app. It should work, though.
7-10-2007 @ 8:02AM
sleepy said...
So it's not the right product for someone who prefers fast web page loads they can't easily navigate to slower ones they can easily navigate, who can't wait for the disk mode upgrade that will automatically arrive on iPhone, who is committed to Microsoft applications and Verizon and frequently gets lost when there's no-one around to ask where they are. In other words "I don't like tennis balls because they aren't basket balls, so tennis ball makers may be put out of business by basket ball makers".
7-10-2007 @ 9:21AM
David Miller said...
In reverse order:
- No file management capabilities? this will be added via software updates sometime between now and the fall. Don't forget that the iPhone is an OSX software platform and Apple has specifically said that it will be updated at no charge for the life of the phone. This is true today; but not a reason to return the phone, because it will not be true for long.
- Slow network... EDGE speed depends on the coverage in your area. I spent the afternoon in Boston yesterday taking a tour of Boston U with my teenage son. I was able to read/send multiple emails, browse the web, and while no, it wasn't as fast as a broadband connection, it was more than sufficient for my needs. And no, it wasn't as slow as dialup. Being able to DO all of this while not being tethered to a local WiFi connection is still an amazing thing. Is WiFi faster? Yes. Is EDGE sufficient when WiFi isn't available? Yes. Do I wish EDGE was faster? Yes, but I'm still so satisfied that this for me is also not a reason to return the phone. Repeat: the fact that it works, and well enough to be useable, is amazing.
No GPS? Well, how many other phones have this; and how many are as thin/light as the iPhone and have the same kind of battery life? Adding GPS would presumably have made the iPhone thicker, or heavier, or more expensive, or drain the battery more quickly, or all of the above.
Doesn't sync consistently with Outlook? Try a little patience and the first set of software updates, which are more than likely to solve this. Assuming there are many people with the same issue, it makes sense that Apple would be fixing any bugs in this fairly quickly.
I've had an iPhone since the first Saturday of sales and there is no way I would ever give it up.