Smart Technology
iPhone Worth Every Penny
Is the most-hyped gadget of the year worthy of all the commotion -- and the hefty price tag? We think so.
By Jeff Bertolucci, Contributing Writer, Kiplinger's Personal Finance
September 10, 2007
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Editor's note: On Sept. 5, Apple cut the price of its iPhone by $200, offering people who had recently bought one at its original $600 price a $100 credit for other Apple products. We liked the iPhone at its old price, so we like it even more now.
The iPhone has been out for a while, the media blitz has mercifully ended, and CEO Steve Jobs is off pitching other Apple wares. Which makes us step back and wonder: Was the iPhone worth the hype?
In a word, yes. After putting Apple's first smartphone through its paces, we believe it's the best personal communicator your money can buy. Sure, it has its shortcomings, but they're minor relative to its merits.
Of course, the iPhone isn't for everyone, particularly those who don't need an iPod or Internet access anytime, anywhere. And then there's the sky-high price ($400), which limits the tech gadget to the usual early adopters: well-heeled tech enthusiasts, status seekers and Apple devotees.
Hello, good lookin'
The iPhone's design is striking: A mere 11.6 millimeters thin, it's uber-cool aluminum and glass casing sets it apart from the often-clunky lineup of smartphones. Practically every feature and setting is managed via a bright 3.5-inch diagonal touchscreen, and the handset has a strikingly clean look. A single button below the screen is for turning the device on and returning to its main menu. (The sides of the unit have a few additional buttons and ports for volume and mute settings, connecting earbuds or headphones, and so on.)
Perhaps the greatest challenge facing smartphone designers is how to build a simple, intuitive interface for a complex toolkit. With the iPhone, these tools include a camera, cell phone, e-mail reader, web browser, music and video player, and web browser. The good news: iPhone is quite easy to learn -- albeit with a few exceptions -- without cracking open a manual.
Its home screen features a colorful icon for each major feature. Touch the phone icon, for instance, and the screen becomes a 10-digit keypad for dialing; tap the Safari link and a web browser appears. By comparison, other smartphones sport a confusing mishmash of cryptic controls and are harder to learn.
Just a touch away
Indeed, the iPhone has so many clever innovations it's hard to catalog them all. Example: The Safari browser displays full Web pages, not the text-only, slimmed-down versions you get with other phones. Of course, iPhone's screen is too small to read standard web pages, but Apple has a solution. To magnify a page, simply tap the screen twice. Still too small? Tap again. Or you could try the pinch method: To zoom in, place two fingers together on the screen and move them apart.
Granted, all this tapping, dragging, and zooming gets tedious after awhile, and iPhone's mini-browser is no substitute for its full-size cousins. Then again, it's good enough for browsing news sites or running a quick Google search.
Speaking of Google, its popular map feature is accessible via the main menu. To enter a street address, you tap the map window and a keyboard slides up, filling the bottom half of the screen. Google Maps provides satellite photos too, just like the desktop version. On the down side, we're not crazy about the touchscreen keyboard, which is cramped and hard to type on. Typing errors are common, and hopefully future iPhones will allow you to resize the keyboard.
Reader Comments (14)
Posted by: James at 08/22/2007 11:14:29 AM
Worth every penny? Hardly. Its cute. I certainly can't understand why Apple saddled an above average phone with such a below average phone network. This phone at $200-$300 on 2 or 3 networks would probably have obliterated the current wireless phone market (although I'm very happy with my dash). As it stands they've had average sales. Most of have the sense NOT to drink the Apple/AT&T kool-aid. At least with other network choices you wouldn't have to settle for a restrictive 2 year contract with AT&T.
Posted by: nathan barley at 08/22/2007 12:29:09 PM
well said, it is the best personal communicator out there.
Posted by: RON NORRIS at 08/22/2007 12:29:55 PM
"Security experts are also reporting that the iPhone is an easy target for hacker attacks. Using the Safari browser, for instance, an iPhone user could surf to a rogue website, which might install software on the iPhone that extracts your personal information. However, no widespread iPhone attacks have been reported thus far," Bertloucci reports. MacDailyNews Note: That proof-of-concept issue was corrected last month with iPhone Software 1.0.1 update. Version 1.0.2 was released yesterday. Apple's OS X-based iPhone is not an "easy" target for hacker attacks.
Posted by: Dave at 08/22/2007 12:43:48 PM
Shutter lag isn't a problem, once you understand how the shutter works: it "trips" when you lift your finger UP from the camera "button" on the touchscreen. If you think it works when you TOUCH the button, you'll always feel as if there's a huge shutter lag, because you'll touch (nothing will happen) and there will be a "lag" until you lift your finger. The proper technique is: touch and hold the on-screen shutter button, until you're ready to shoot: then release your finger.
Posted by: Joe at 08/22/2007 01:27:40 PM
Nice review, but one correction is sorely needed in your copy ASAP. You wrote: "Security experts are also reporting that the iPhone is an easy target for hacker attacks. Using the Safari browser, for instance, an iPhone user could surf to a rogue website, which might install software on the iPhone that extracts your personal information." THE FACTS ARE THAT: The security vulnerability you describe is/was a proof-of-concept issue discovered by a good guy (not a hacker) and reported immediately to Apple. It was corrected last month with iPhone Software 1.0.1 update. Version 1.0.2 was released yesterday (Aug 21). So the patch is already in place. Apple's OS X-based iPhone is not an "easy" target for hacker attacks. Again, nice job on the review.
Posted by: Bruce at 08/22/2007 04:31:18 PM
The security stuff is old news - and been fixed. I have owned an Iphone since day one and have been more than satisfied with everything it does. Yes, the Edge network is slow - but usable and getting Java and Flash will help - but here are five things that make it awesome. 1. The web is "real" and most web pages are very easy to read and navigate - double tapping to enlarge and the use of finger tips to shrink or expand a page is very cool. 2. The video player is great - the screen is just large enough to make long waits in the airport more tolerable. 3. Email is great - much better than on my blackberry or treo. 4. The ITunes synch and interface makes the memory limit very manageable - choosing what content you want to take with you is very easy. 5. Leave the laptop at home - I have taken two short trip - gone one night on one and two on the other and was able to do everything I needed to do and not have to lug along my powerbook - longer trips may be possible once they get Google docs to work with the Iphone. And they have been running a special at the website - $100 off on fully guaranteed refurbished units...
Posted by: Eyecare at 08/23/2007 08:25:39 AM
"Worth" is a relative term and is a matter of perspective. There were so many naysayers prior to this device's release that it's actually refreshing to see someone post positives about it. There are still isssues, cost and network restrictions are at the forefront of these, but overall it's a well designed product that performs as intended. Even if the rest of us never end up purchasing an iPhone or a Mac (another very good but high priced product) I suspect that the innovations in design and productivity will give cause for the rest of the field to develop comparable products. Competition can be a good thing for us end-users.
Posted by: Kiki at 08/23/2007 09:53:07 AM
Is it true that you may receive upto 300 pages of bills from iphone?
Posted by: John at 08/23/2007 12:49:53 PM
I don't know that the iPhone is worth every penny. You should check out iPhailure.com for some good alternative views on the iPhone
Posted by: Paul at 08/25/2007 10:45:10 PM
I was a bit skeptical about gen 1 of this product, but after reading initial reviews, and after frustration with my Blackberry (great for phone and email, and that's it), I decided to jump in. The iPhone user experience is light years ahead of anything else, even given its current first gen limitations (there are a stack of them -- Flash (who needs Java if the phone doesn't rely on it?), cut and paste and document editing, voice dialing, 2G network and GPS on the hardware side, and 3rd party aps -- but many of these will come with software updates and new models for the hardware. For a version 1.0, it is remarkable, probably the best version 1.0 I've seen from Apple. I agree that it is expensive, and it's not for the "free phone" crowd. It's a constant pleasure to use, and I agree it supplants the PC for short trips, because I can stay in touch, entertain myself, and check on the latest info via it's best in class mobile web experience. On top of that, it is incredibly easy and intuitive. I agree, no manual required. You can naysay as much as you want, and James it ain't cute, it's an engineering marvel (say what you will about ATT, it has been fine for me, though EDGE makes me cringe). But I don't think anyone can deny that this device has set a new standard by which everything else will be judged. And that can only be good for everyone, because in a few years much of this technology and design philosophy will be copied by others, and become cheaper. Anyway, your assessment was right on. Despite that, I am looking forward to some serious software updates to make this great 'personal communicator' (and personal entertainment center) even better. This will be good for everyone who own a mobile phone down the road, because one thing that is inevitable, whether other companies envy, admire or hate Apple, most of them end up copying them.
Posted by: average at 08/26/2007 02:02:26 AM
James: Average compared to what? The number the analysts came up with after re-circulating rumors as news amongst themselves for six months? The sales figures haven't even been released yet except for the first two days -- and they sold 270,000 units in less than 48 hours...more than one per second. That's the most successful product launch in CE history. Recent articles say they're tracking for a million units easy by the end of the year, and probably above Apple's estimates. Average sales? I think not. Enjoy your Dash, though.
Posted by: stinky at 08/26/2007 04:34:42 AM
it isn't innovative at all when you consider it relies on old technologies rather than better, newer ones. my phone does more and i've had it a year and a half. i look at people with iphones and say, man did you waste your money. worth is definitely subjective.
Posted by: Spellman at 08/27/2007 11:16:02 AM
"Is it true that you may receive up to 300 pages of bills from iphone?" It used to be, but AT&T recently changed the default billing statement option to a simplified one, to eliminate the 300-page bills unless customers want that level of detail. PC World had an article on the change last Thursday -- I'd include a URL but this comment system doesn't allow that.
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