So why do I like the iPhone 4
The geeks of this world are divided into two groups: those who adore Apple and those who hate it. You may claim that this is not the case, and that there are some people who combine the use of Apple products with the use of products from other brands, but they are certainly not "Apple Fanboys". Those people are not really geeks then. People who choose their technology according to their usability and not according to their brands simply can't cut it as "real" geeks...
I belong to the Apple haters, and I have the usual geeky reasons: their products are beautifully designed but always flawed and their attitude towards their customers and developers reminds me of either a feudalistic or a totalitarian regime. In fact, the way Apple fanboys (and fangirls) talk about Apple reminds me very much of a religion. Those who know me might remember my hypothesis that every religion has:
- God or a prophet (Steven Jobs),
- An unmistakable symbol (the bitten apple logo)
- Shrines or churches (Apple Stores)
- Clergy (Genius Bar technicians)
- Customs (standing in line for new products, visiting Apple Stores)
- Believers (Avid users)
- And above all, conviction (show me one real Apple fan that doesn't think he has better gadgets and in fact is a better person than a PC user).
However, despite me claiming I'm an anti-Apple fanboy, I have quite a long history of almost buying Apple gadgets. But each and every time, I found dealbreakers. Here's a list of some of them and the alternative I chose at the end.
- 1st generation iPhone: no GPS, no 3G, no front-facing camera. Alternative: HTC P3600 had it all.
- iPod Touch: relatively poor sound quality and iTunes. Alternative: the much simpler but better sounding and open Cowon D2.
- First unibody MacBook 13": The screen was unusable outside in the Israeli sun, reduced performance when battery is removed, price. Alternative: Dell Studio XPS 13
- Latest iPod Nano: Really poor sound quality. Alternative: stayed with the Cowon D2.
- iPad: I expect a tablet to be closer to a computer than to a media player - the iPad is not. Alternative: not yet.
So at the end of this really tedious lists, why do I actually like the iPhone 4? Well, simple: this is their first products that hardware-wise is better than anything else on the market. It has the fastest CPU, highest resolution, thinnest casing and a descent operating system with some sort of mutitasking. Not to mention the fact that Apple did not follow the megapixel (MP) race and used the latest technology sensor with a sensible 5MP resolution. It also appears to be very well built and most of its design flaws can be solved with the use of a simple silicone case, which I always get anyway.
But I won't buy this phone. Not because of its design flaws, but because I'm waiting for the next offerings from other companies (namely HTC) which will probably be just as good, but will have more feature and less bitten fruits on their backs. Yes, at the end I am a geek, and my reasons for not liking Apple as a brand are not entirely rational. But geeks are people too, right?
well... it just mead me to reflect upon myself and remind that:
ReplyDelete1. I am not a real geek. All I am is a pragmatic whore that would sell her soul to anything that simply does it for her:)
2. I despise ANY type of fanaticism as you do:)
3. I hate Dell for no particular reason.... wait... I think nowadays my Uni has a deal with them....hence they are imposed, hence I don't like them.
4. No alternative to iPad says it all... Apple wants that to stay this way and change the way people use their computers. As long as there is no alternative, they actually succeed in this.
5. HTC was OK but it is NOTHING special
6. I want iPhone 4! And FAST!
Love you loads:)
Also, looking at all the bullshit I have on my phone, my iPhone 4 will have a maximum capacity available on the market! I might start saving NOW!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all I'll start off by saying I'm an Apple fan, not mainly because of their products but because of their vision.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion the only company out there with a real, solid, uncompromisable vision about technology and it's place in people lives.
You know for a fact that today in 2010, the technical limits are pretty slim for doing pretty much anything people need or think they need.
you CAN have an oven with WiFi connection that can download recipe cooking times, you CAN have a car with a built-in pc, you can also have a phone with video calling.
Question is, who can steer all this functionality possibilities which are out there for years (technically) to something that is really usable by people, not geeks like us.
This is what you call a flawed un-equipped apple product. This is what you don't grasp in why people choose an apple products over a higher quality HTC one. The product "talks" to them on so many levels, how it looks, how it approches them, how it reacts. An application that bounces "in excitement" on the OS X task bar until it's loaded is another example.
Maximum functionality is 2001, it's the PocketPC era that came and gone.
It's saying to other people and yourself "Look, I have a Word icon on my little device so it's like the one on the PC"
2010 is about real, deeply thought user functionally.
It's about making those decisions where not to add a camera to a device. Sure it's cool to say look I have a camera, but do you really need it there?
Apple sales and populate now are through the roof because of all these reasons.
They take it step by step, crafting their vision which is based on what they believe is right for this world (time will tell)
They aren't afraid from raging geeks on Engadget complaining about the lack of that, or the limitations of that
because they were wise enough to understand that the only way to move forward and stay around is like this.
So I don't think you can really be an apple hater at this times, even if you don't like the products :)
Dan, I completely agree and disagree with you (what an odd sentence to start a comment with, right?).
ReplyDeleteBut as you probably read in my blog post, I actually like the iPhone 4 and its functionality as a phone speaks to me - it is the most geek-oriented product Apple has ever released. I can claim that I won't buy it because of the price, because of the iTunes dependability or the arbitrary usage limitation which Apple enforces, but that will be dishonest.
I won't buy it for the same reason that some people will never drive in a BMW, wear Lee Cooper, drink Pepsi or watch HBO: it's about branding or brand loyalty... I simply don't like the oh-so recognizable bitten Apple. This is not rational but it doesn't have to be. It just is.