I've waited a little while before posting my
personal review of the iPhone. While the phone was
released more than six months ago, it still garners
a great deal of attention and hype. The iPhone
seems to have a following that is nearly as
polarized as American politics. People seem to
either think it a wonderful device that at the very
least changes the face of mobile telephony for ever
or that it's just a phone that while pretty is
missing key features. While detractors are correct
in that some features other phones have the iPhone
is missing; they miss the simple fact that the
iPhone has the features most people want and does
them very well. Best of all, the key function
"phone calls" work terrifically; and it is after
all a PHONE.
Until someone has actually used the IPhone it's
very hard to describe how different the experience
is from other so called "Smart" phones, or any
mobile phone. I can say this after using both
Blackberries and Windows Mobile devices as well as
many other phones. Most phones have lots of
features, yet do few of them well and most poorly.
These features seem added by the marketing
department first and then rushed through the
engineering department to meet a long decided
release date. In stark contrast, the features of
the iPhone seem to have been thoroughly thought out
by both marketers and engineers then compromises
made with the end user in mind. Some features were
seemingly left out, while others were added with
missing components; both of which Apple new could
be added later and since the phones release Apple
has done 3 updates, two bringing feature
enhancements. Click
Here to Read More...
Yeah, I know... Yet another long period of time has
passed since my last entry. I've been involved in
many different events and activities since Dec. 9.
There was a little holiday called Christmas, then
New Year's and of course working towards adopting a
child. Lots of paperwork, classes and other
necessary work that has to be done before we can
even begin the process of adopting. More on that in
a future entry.
I've also had my time consumed by a little device
called the iPhone. Yes, for Christmas my wife got
me that one gift I just had to have but wasn't
going to buy for myself. Apple Inc.'s well known
iPhone. You've seen the ads. You've heard the hype.
You've seen the news and maybe read a review or
two. I'm here to tell you.... BELIEVE EVERY
POSITIVE WORD. It isn't a perfect phone, but it is
far more perfect than any mobile phone I've ever
used or owned. It's actually better than any phone
I've every used before. More on the iPhone to come
later as well.
I've been busy, VERY BUSY, at work. I arrive each
day around 8:00 and leave each day around 6:00 or
6:30. Long days that go at an incredibly fast pace.
My company operates in 33 markets now, crossing
every time zone in the country. Since most of our
major clients are either medical or financial, our
clients are fast paced operations as well. Since I
am the Manager of Customer Service as well as one
of the chief operation managers, I stay busy
answering questions, researching problems and
approving actions. I love every minute, even if I'm
often exhausted by days end. I don't blog much
about work, and I don't see that changing. Work is
work, all that needs to really be known is that I
enjoy my job and the responsibilities that come
with my position.
This post is short and a bit "all over the place,"
but I promise to try and make at least one entry a
week. That's not much is it, one post a week?
I know what you are thinking.... Time has drunk the
Apple iPhone kook-aid. Read the article before you
make your decision. I think Time makes some very
good points and while I don't know if it should be
the invention of the year, only because I don't
follow enough of the invention tech news to say, I
do believe it has to be at the very least one of
the inventions of the year. If you just want to
talk about inventions with presense, then yep the
iPhone wins hands down.
Amazing... in 74 days Apple has taken the
mobile phone world by storm... and they are only
selling them in the United States and only to
AT&T (formally Cingular) customers. As the
quick press release states below, it took Apple
nearly two years to sell one million iPods. Again,
I say, simply amazing and a testament to not only
the coolness and functionality of the iPhone; but
the wizards of Apple marketing. Just makes you want
to go out and help them reach 1.5 million phones,
doesn't it?
Apple Sells One Millionth
iPhone --- Yesterday, just 74 days after
its introduction on June 29, Apple sold the
one millionth iPhone. “One million
iPhones in 74 days—it took almost two
years to achieve this milestone with
iPod,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s
CEO. “We can’t wait to get this
revolutionary product into the hands of even
more customers this holiday season.”
[Sep 10, 2007]
If you haven't heard about the iPhone yet,
then you may have been visiting Siberia or maybe
even the Amazon. Apple says that the iPhone will
re-invent the mobile phone industry. Cingular is
betting that hundreds of thousands of people will
want one in the early days of the release, and that
with their multi-year exclusive agreement Apple
fans will become Cingular fans; or at least
Cingular customers. To be honest, in the Apple or
more specifically Macintosh community, the iPhone
has got to be the hottest topic around; hotter even
than Mac OS X 10.5 which was apparently delayed by
Apple in favor of throwing more resources at the
iPhone.
Why is it such a hot
item? Well, for starters it is a phone based
strongly on the hottest selling handheld music
& video device ever, the iPod. Apple has sold
over 30 million iPods and re-invigorated the music
industry, while also creating a huge iPod accessory
industry to boot. Just stop and think how many
consumer electronic devices have specifically named
attachments for most major car companies higher end
cars; just one Apple.
I didn't partake in the Oscar festivities this
year, although I'm sure my mom did, but I did hear
a rumor that Apple would release their first
commercial for the iPhone. This was one rumor that
turned out to be 100% true! The commercial isn't
really about anything and you only see the product
for a brief moment at the end, but it is very
creative and was specifically designed for Oscar
night. Check it out and see how many faces you
recognize. Which film won Best Picture anyway?
The iPhone, scheduled for release sometime in June,
was announced to much fanfare back in January; but
even after two hours of a demonstration there were
many unanswered questions as well as questions
about what Steve Jobs left out of the
demonstrations. Apple loves secrets and loves to
release some information today and more information
tomorrow. The below video analyzes Steve Job's
MacWorld 2007 keynote and attempts to read between
the lines. Is he correct? We won't know for another
few months; although with a teaser commercial
expected during the Oscars, we may know more
sooner.
Last month Steve Jobs unveiled the much
rumored and extremely secretive iPhone. What can i
say but simply, COOL! I don't want to get stuck in
the propaganda or marketing machine; but this phone
does do some cool things that no phone has done or
at least done well so far.
If you haven't heard about it yet, which
means you must have been in the deep rain forest,
then you are in for treat. Once you are done
reading this entry, head on over to the Apple Website to
read more about it and see a few demos.
Suffice it to say though, that the iPhone is
1/3 Phone, 1/3 Mobile Internet Device and 1/3
Wide Screen iPod Video. Each of these has been
long rumored to be in development at Apple and
each has been eagerly awaited; but none
probably more than the Wide Screen iPod Video.
What's really cool though, is that when you
rotate the iPhone the screen rotates; making
the best use of the screen. It also means that
you can look at your photos in either
landscape or portrait positions. Click
Here to Read More...