The iPhone starts its transatlantic journey
It’s a beautiful blue-skied sunny autumn day in London and Steve Jobs & the Apple team are at London’s Regent Street Apple store announcing the UK release date of the new iPhone.
Apparently the adverts for the iPhone which they showed at the beginning of the presentation are all rehashed versions of the old US ones with the O2 logo replacing the AT&T one and the Guardian website replacing the New York Times.
It seems everything about the presentation was slightly anti-climactic, although perhaps people got their hopes up a bit too much when they found out that Steve Jobs was coming to give the presentation, in expectation that it would be something even more special – the iPhone is exactly the same as the US one – no 3G and no bigger hard drive – they do have unlimited browsing data plans, but they only start at £35 for the cheapest plan and they’re not strictly ‘unlimited’ - 1.400 page views per day – which doesn’t sound too unreasonable unless you plan on using the iPhone exclusively as your Internet browser, and even then it’s not that bad (according to Google Answers the average Internet users see 100 – 150 pages per day).
In a country where we’ve become pretty accustomed to getting even the newest phones for free, or at the very least below £50 - £100, it’s difficult to weigh out the benefits of buying an iPhone.
I think if I buy one, it will be an extravagance relating to my enjoyment of using Apple products, and I think the vast majority of UK mobile customers will steer clear of the iPhone with it’s £270 price tag and £35 monthly tariff.
So what are the benefits?
Well I’ll be able to sync my iPhone with my 17” Macbook Pro, sharing addresses, phone numbers, calendar appointments, photos, etc – which I already do with my three year old Sony Ericsson K750i.
I’ll be able to surf the web and check email on a full colour screen, with full html email including images – which I can already do with my Sony Ericsson K750i, albeit to a far more limited degree and without the WiFi connection – but if I’m near a WiFi connection, that’s what my laptop is for.
I’ll be able to listen to my music and watch videos - which technically I can also already do on my current phone, albeit in a far less simple manner, on a far smaller screen. I have an iPod for that too, which sort of dwarfs the iPhones 8Gig memory, which will also be taken up by other things such as software.
I have to say, if you think rationally about it and ignore the ‘touch-screen technology’, which is obviously a huge plus for the iPhone, when you compare the actual technological real-life day-to-day advantages of owning an iPhone vs most other modern phones in Europe, it’s not all that mind-blowing or practical. And when you consider that most prospective iPhone users more than likely already own an iPod, that removes that element from the equation - and will also probably be more sensible, since using music and video, and all of the other extras on the iPhone will take away valuable battery life – the iPhone dock will definitely get a lot of use with these phones.
Quite a few prospective UK iPhone owners seem to be upset that it’s taken them this long to get the iPhone here, given that Apple have been so good at simultaneously launching their products internationally in the past. But the iPhone is obviously a-whole-nother kettle of fish, since they’ve had to find and partner with an appropriate provider.
The UK Market has been very good to Apple in terms of iPods and its computers, but I think Apple may get a slight shock from Europe when it comes to the iPhone. We’re not used to paying £270 for a phone and we will weigh-out the pros and cons of an iPhone vs the competition, before buying. Many are already saying they’ll wait for the 2nd generation iPhone and hope that it receives an International launch once all providers are established.
Having said all that though, anyone who knows me remotely, knows how much I love technology, and with undoubtedly the best mobile Internet and mobile email device on the market, you know I’ll more than likely pick one up at some point, especially considering I’ve purposefully not upgraded my old phone while waiting for the iPhone to be released. I’m sure I’ll find many excuses to convince myself to do so in the next two months before its release, but I will also be checking out the competition in the meantime.
September 18th, 2007 at 5:22 pm
Very good points, Aidan. I think - as you and I have been discussing this a lot in person - unless you know you will definitely use the iPhone for multiple tasks: i.e. using it is as an iPod, an Internet browser, an emailing communication device, an address book, and a time-management device, it’s a worthy purchase. However, should you plan on simply using it as a phone, or just a nifty mobile browser (why?? most people we know have laptops!!), it’s a slight waste of money.
I think the iPhone looks fantastic and can cater to a lot of people. I could find a good use for something as tactile, flexible and beautiful as the iPhone. However, I would hope approach something as multi-functional as the iPhone as an investment, rather than a business or life accessory.
Question is, does the iPhone really fall into the ranks of ‘investment’? At its current price, at least for me, it is, rather than something I could buy outright without some serious thought.
September 18th, 2007 at 5:58 pm
Thanks for the message, Chorna.
I also think, given that Steve Jobs suggested after the recent US price cut of the iPhone, that he wanted more people to be able to afford the iPhone, Apple has made some strange choices in the UK. Especially when you consider that it costs £270 ($540 - $140 more than the US $399 iPhone).
But perhaps they also want to keep it slightly exclusive? If everyone has an iPhone would it be less special? When it comes to the iPod that certainly hasn’t been the case, but I do think many people believe their mobile phone is more of a status symbol than their portable music playing device. And despite all the press, I still don’t think the iPhone is close to the realms of the popularity of the iPod just yet.
September 20th, 2007 at 8:39 am
Even though I said in your last post I would rather have the IPOD classic and an Iphone, I failed to actually mention that I don’t actually think much of the Iphone. Mobile phones in the UK are becoming so advanced and free with your provider, that paying extra for the novelty of having an Apple phone isn’t a great trade off.
I think in the US it is a big deal because their mobile (cell) phone system isn’t quite as up to speed as ours. When you’ve got the big guns that are Nokia, Sony Ericcson and Motorola playing the field and pretty much owning the UK market, it’ll be an interesting thing to see how the Iphone pans out! Sony Ericsson with the cameras…who’s to say the gaming side isn’t going to start coming in soon.
I personally think smoke signals are a great way of communicating myself!
September 20th, 2007 at 11:19 am
Hi Caroline,
A lot of the attraction of the iPhone does come from the novelty-factor of the touch screen - although I think ‘novelty-factor’ does demean the years of extensive research Apple has put into touch-screen technology. But you’re right, if you take that away, then there really isn’t that much the iPhone offers in terms of advanced technology compared to most of the phones that have been out for a year.
My brother-in-law’s Xda and the director of my last company’s Blackberry 8800 can both already do GPS Satellite positioning, telling you exactly where you are on a map as you walk around - now that is useful, especially in a big city, while the iPhone, out of the box, cannot.
The Xda is a pretty good all-round mobile phone/PDA, but I have to say, despite it looking quite nice (in my opinion - and I was tempted!) the Blackberry 8800 is a truly abysmal phone for the exact reasons Steve Jobs stated in his iPhone Keynote speech in May - the buttons/keyboard. Although it doesn’t help that the software and general usability of the thing is terrible as well.
I think another point about Apple is that, very few companies, if any, do usability as well as Apple does. I think there’s no doubt that the iPhone is probably the best phone on the market in terms of usability. But is that usability worth the price tag? I think for most people the answer will be no.
I have a lot of respect for what Apple have done with the iPhone – there’s no doubt, in my opinion, that it is a brilliant piece of technology. And for professionals who do need permanent access to their emails and the Internet, as well as phone calls, voicemail, texts, etc, I think it’s probably the best solution out there right now.
We’ll have to wait for two months to find out though!