Apple iPhone and related items (cont.)
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Kid_Eternity
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
dogmatique
merde alors
OMG! You mean someone went into a phone shop and successfully bought a phone?!!
Incredible!
Heh.
I've still got to explain to my boss that he's going to have to go into a store and do it all himself. He doesn't like that. Especially as I've had one for a fortnight.
It was a lottery, honest.
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hiraethified
It's very usable. The only time I feel like I want a hard key keyboard is on a bumpy bus. As for 12 key numeric - never, ever, ever again do I want to type text on one of those. I mean, has anyone ever really posted on a forum from one of those handsets? And corrected their mistakes? (on a 2 hour commute, I think I managed one post a week).
QWERTY ftw, even if hard key qwerty is slightly more ftw
QWERTY ftw, even if hard key qwerty is slightly more ftw
Sunray
Its sunny somewhere.
The Home button is entirely out of keeping with the rest of the phone, but they felt that a physical button would be better than a touch sensitive one, even though the phone is entirely touch sensitive?
Its there to ensure that the phone fails after a certain length of time. You use it all the time, it gets you out of the application your in, there is no alternative. Its destined to be the #1 source of failure in about 18 months time.
Its there to ensure that the phone fails after a certain length of time. You use it all the time, it gets you out of the application your in, there is no alternative. Its destined to be the #1 source of failure in about 18 months time.
I suspect that the key readon that the home button is physical is that it acts as hard reset in the event of an app freezing. Press and hold acts as 'Force Quit', and of course combined with the power button, it does a reboot. You can't rely solely on a soft UI for those operations.
Sunray
Its sunny somewhere.
Whats wrong with using the other buttons, like the power button and volume down?
There is no justification for the most pressed button on the phone being a physical button apart from wanting it to wear out.
Faster CPU would be nice, that slight pause while it renders after a zoom could do with removing.
There is no justification for the most pressed button on the phone being a physical button apart from wanting it to wear out.
Faster CPU would be nice, that slight pause while it renders after a zoom could do with removing.
I'm not sure they designed it to break? The most fragile thing on the 2g was the screen - which they've changed the design of in the 3g.
Gromit
International Man of Misery
Stephen Fry
Apparently Stephen Fry has taken a pop at the Beeb for not giving Apple enough media coverage.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/2008/07/apple_backlash.html
Apparently Stephen Fry has taken a pop at the Beeb for not giving Apple enough media coverage.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/2008/07/apple_backlash.html
Sunray
Its sunny somewhere.
No its not designed to break, that's not what they did.
Give me a single reason for the #1 most pressed button on a touch sensitive
device to be something that can wear out?
Lazy Llama
Suburban robots that monitor reality
You don't have to give up expensive and power-hungry display space for it.
The only alternative I can see to having a physical button is to use up screen space and have it in the UI. It would have to pretty big too, given it's importance. That aside I think you're jumping at shadows. The dial and end call buttons on other phones seem to hold up. I've not had one fail yet, and can't remember any friends having that problem either. More specifically, for the iPhone, I don't remember Reading any reports on the iPhone forums since last October, when I started following them. What I *have* seen is reports of screen damage/failures. And more general experience, I've seen the same with other models that friends own. Even those robust stubby little Nokias.
Furthermore, it's very difficult to engineer-in a set failure point. The variance will be so wild, that to get a reasonable 'hit' of post warranty, pre-obselence failure, you'll be taking back a huge number of phones - perhaps 10% - whilst still in warranty.
The single most effective way of generating new purchases is to foster obselence through the release new models. Happily for Apple, that is a zero cost spin off resulting from the need to maintain a competetive edge in selling into fresh hands.
For all these reasons, I don't for one minute think that Apple's future sales plan is geared around that very convenient, zero-screen use, and seemingly robust button.
Furthermore, it's very difficult to engineer-in a set failure point. The variance will be so wild, that to get a reasonable 'hit' of post warranty, pre-obselence failure, you'll be taking back a huge number of phones - perhaps 10% - whilst still in warranty.
The single most effective way of generating new purchases is to foster obselence through the release new models. Happily for Apple, that is a zero cost spin off resulting from the need to maintain a competetive edge in selling into fresh hands.
For all these reasons, I don't for one minute think that Apple's future sales plan is geared around that very convenient, zero-screen use, and seemingly robust button.
editor
hiraethified
Methinks the nice chap has lost it somewhat. The Nokia N95 sold a shedload more than the iPhone - and still technically does more despite being over a year old - and that got barely any coverage on the Beeb.
Looks like it's not the button, but cracks in the case that are causing concerns:
http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/07/30/question-is-your-white-iphone-cracking/
elbows
Well-Known Member
Oh dear! I read Stephen's article, and whilst I agree with some of his comments regarding the iphone, I dont think he is fit to comment on the BBC's Apple bias, as he is clearly a devoted Apple lover and so likely to be far more biased than the BBC on such matters.
As for the physical button, I think its a sensible part of the design. Whilst I would concede that hardware manufacturers are not likely to want to make devices that last a very very long time, I dont think its primary purpose is to fail in 18 months. Diminished battery life is more likely to bring failure woes to users in 18 months, unless Apple have made some other bad design or manufacturing decisions.
If physical buttons are perceived to be a weakness prone to fail, then Id think just about every other phone is more guilty of such flaws, as the iphone has fewer buttons than most. Still I further concede that it could turn out that the button will be a major source of woe down the line, but this will do Apple as much harm as good. So I think they'd rather concentrate on giving people other reasons to upgrade their iphone to a newer model in a few years time.
Gromit
International Man of Misery
That is worrying. Thought Apple normally used better plastics than that.
Makes the black or white question easier for me too. Black. Cheers.
That is worrying. Thought Apple normally used better plastics than that.
Makes the black or white question easier for me too. Black. Cheers.
Seems to be (as usual) a tiny minority of phones. Will check the test units at work, though... Kind of fun watching the fanboys rushing to check their phones...
Ed was highlighting a story in which the fanboys variously were threatening a class action, and one of which went as far saying jobs was sleeping with the engineers (I've toned that down a bit).
The thread of course could lead to a major iPhone scandal story, or it could lead to a minor level of faulty units and some fanboy twat saying the reason is that "Steve is Gay."
Anyway, away from piffle, anyone finding Safari is alot less stable? Mine's crashing a bit more. And another thing, "online" app installs seem to take ages and (I think) make the phone less stable?
Appreciate comments from people that use this phone. Cheers.
The thread of course could lead to a major iPhone scandal story, or it could lead to a minor level of faulty units and some fanboy twat saying the reason is that "Steve is Gay."
Anyway, away from piffle, anyone finding Safari is alot less stable? Mine's crashing a bit more. And another thing, "online" app installs seem to take ages and (I think) make the phone less stable?
Appreciate comments from people that use this phone. Cheers.
Usual fan-boy whining...
Main apps seem as stable as usual on the normal iPhone and on the 3G one... Some 3rd party apps are a bit dodgy, though... Downloading via AppStore.app also seems fine. What type of network connection are you using...
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hiraethified
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