Home > Plugged In > Archives > 2008 > July > 11 > Entry
Not everybody loves the iPhone
There’s always a naysayer, even with the much-hyped 3G iPhone.
Mitch Wagner, in a blog on InformationWeek.com, said the new cell phone wasn’t a breakthrough device. He, as other reviewers have pointed out, complained that you’ll surf the Internet faster only if you live in one of the 280 U.S. cities where AT&T has upgrades to the faster network speeds.
He said the use of 3G will drain battery life quicker, and it was already “marginal” in the original handset.
It may also have built-in GPS coverage. But it can’t copy the turn-by-turn navigation of one of the more expensive GPS units used in vehicles. If a building blocks the signal, it can only locate the general area you’re in and not the precise location.
Wagner’s blog pulled together his own observations along with those of other reviewers so you get a pretty encompassing collection of the iPhone’s foibles.
He suggested looking at what new applications are available on the Apple Web site before buying. Still, for heavy users, the GPS and 3G capabilities are nice to have.
Comments
By paul a'barge
July 11, 2008 7:02 PM | Link to this
what a maroon
By Ellen Hilburn
July 11, 2008 10:59 PM | Link to this
I look at the iPhone and it overwhelms me. I like the idea of all it can do, I just don’t have the time to play around with it or utilize that which it offers. My little flip Samsung is mod enough and I will never learn the intricacies of what it can do. Will I ever get an iPhone? iDoubt it. I think I’d have better success completing a complicated tax form than mastering that mini-machine. But I must admit that the multiple, bunched icons are nice to view.
By Bob
July 12, 2008 8:01 AM | Link to this
Ah, look out. The Apple Fanboyz will be out in force as soon as they find out there’s an article that says you can’t walk on water with the iPhone.
If you want to commit yourself to paying $2K plus for a phone over a two year period, knock yourself out.
By It's great to finally see some negative publicity!
July 13, 2008 7:25 PM | Link to this
Please keep up the good work, Mr Pounds!
If more thought provoking journalists like you would pump more sensationalized rumors into the media, then maybe, just maybe, all of those suckers in line at the Apple store just dying to get their own iPhone will bail early.
Then I won’t have to wait so long to get mine!
PS - Whatever you do, don’t mention that the article you’re referencing was specifically directed at whether or not CURRENT iPhone owners should upgrade. Also, if we could keep it on the down low that you’re writing for a rag in a town that has had 3G service for years, that would be great! Or the fact that most of the rest of the world uses 3G now, and the rest of the US will eventually be covered by its current or future iterations. Oh my gosh, I almost forgot, but this is the biggest thing we need to keep between us: MITCH WAGNER, THE AUTHOR HIMSELF, SAID THAT HE WOULD UPGRADE TO A 3G iPHONE EVEN IF IT WASN’T HIS JOB TO REVIEW GADGETS. Man, I’m glad people like you and me are around, or all the sheep out there would get lost in a hurry, eh? (high five!)