[MW Forums]

There are lots of questions surrounding the iPhone, but we're ready to answer the biggest one -- should you get Apple's new mobile phone? Jason Snell has put the device to the test, and finds that, in spite of the hype surrounding its launch, the iPhone is the real deal. more

[swartzfeger]

Putting Mac fanboi hyperbole aside, I love my iPhone. I went in thinking that the 8GB limit, EDGE, and other negative caveats would dampen the experience, but so far it's been an utter joy to use.

[bigpics]

Clearly Apple's succeeded brilliantly in creating and hyper-marketing a whole new class of digital device that will appeal to millions, and all in their first foray into this new market.
Yet personally, all things considered -- the minor limitations of iPod functionality and small on-board storage, and considering I don't use Apple Mail (gMail does everything I can think of with mail, especially when combined with the emerging gaggle of gServices and requires no syncing), I think a combo of a wi-fi internet enabled 120 GB iPod and my current (coverage everywhere I've been) Verizon phone will be enough device convergence for me -- shaving 5# off the iBook + phone combo I presently lug to coffee shops.
At least until we see what a G2 (or even a soft or firmware upgraded G1) iPhone offers, or if Apple introduces SOME kind of device larger than a pod and smaller than a MacBook.
But the beauty is that in the iCology they're creating, both people for whom the iPhone is the digital grail and for others like me, for which it represents sacrifices for convergence I don't need, will all be served. And served well.

[SpecialEddy]

I agree that having "Stocks" is a wasted application for me. I would much prefer having a dictionary. Also, I use an English-Spanish dictionary from a company called Ultralingua, and would love that on the iPhone.
Finally, I use AudioHijackPro on my Macs. The effects improve the quality of iTunes music considerably. iPods were not accessible to this company's software. I hope that the iPhone can be at some point in the future.

[jabbo]

Let's hope that Apple will offer upgrades to the operating system and apps. I would not like to have to buy new hardware to get upgraded software. This is one topic I haven't heard much about.

[cfromberg]

regarding the gps:
i think apple has an ace up it's sleeve there... the crs bluetooth chip costs only $1 more with gps built in... why would apple be so stingy not to put that chip with bluetooth and gps in the iphone???
i think they did and will activate it with a s/w update in the near to mid-term future like they did with the 802.11n capability in the mb and mbp....
it's too tempting for apple not to di it like that... people that already bought the iphone will be thrilled to have gps navi phone based on GM and all the others will see that apple thinks ahead and values their customers like no other company;-)
also pix shot with the iphone will have the gps data in the exif... very cool;-)

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[jhow]

I got mine on Sunday and finally set it up this afternoon. So far the only things I only slightly disappointed in are things That probably can be fixed in software.
The biggest one on my list is Wireless Syncing, through either the bluetooth or Wifi. The only good thing about my old sony ericsson T637 was that I could sync contacts and calendar through Bluetooth via/ iSync.
Other than that I'm pretty happy.

[ChrisMyFirstMac]

I'm digging my iPhone so far. I'd like to delete more than one item at a time, but oh well
I'm not too disappointed with the widgets and apps being in Safari. There's a Dashboard game widget redone for iPhone called Avalanche that's a perfect fit for tapping on the iPhone. You can see all the widgets at iPhone Widget List .
That bluetooth chip with GPS sounds intriguing. Can someone check the dissected iPhones to cofirm?

[Ponceno]

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Let's hope that Apple will offer upgrades to the operating system and apps. I would not like to have to buy new hardware to get upgraded software. This is one topic I haven't heard much about.

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It going to happen. Apple is on record that they will update both the System Software & Applictions.
Look at the iPod, get update from time to time.
Look at the Apple TV, first get YouTube and now Photo streaming, 2 features not on the 1.0 version.

[jwharding28]

Apparently, if the battery loses it's ability to charge, and according to Apple, it will, within 1-2 years, (300-400 charges) you must send it out and lose use of the device for 3 days!
Seriously, that might just keep me from getting this phone.
Am I wrong to think that a reasonable solution would be to have it be a repair that could be done in an Apple Store, with same-day turnaround???

[tomburton56]

Well, I for one agree with you. I intend to wait until this weakness and others are addressed. Waiting is made painless by rural Hawaii's mediocre cell networks (all carriers), with many dead zones, dropped calls, and waylaid messages. Also, I prefer silence to music most of the time, and I pretty much know my island and don't need maps. Not exactly iPhone material
Congrats BTW to JS for a fine review, managing to add value beyond the existing plethora.

[dansterpower]

Yes, All fanboyism aside, the iPhone has far exceeded my expectations in most areas.
It does not feel like a version 1 product and I am happy I did not wait for Version 2.
I am not worried about the battery and sending the phone our for a few days at all. I actually think the sealed case and the strength this brings outweighs the lack of removable battery -- a lot of people forget about this point. This phone is one tough phone.
I used to drop my Blackberry Pearl and the battery cover would pop off, the sim card would loosen and I'd get a Sim Card Error message: not so with iPhone -- the sealed case makes it really tough.
I'll take this over a user replaceable battery any day of the week and happily pay apple $90 to replace it.

[Euge]

I've been reading a lot of complaints of people not happy with the fact that Apple might take 3 days to replace the battery. I think this is ridiculous. First, they offer an iPhone rental. Don't want to pay it? Then find another AT&T phone or unlocked phone, and put your SIM in it. Think Apple should provide it for free? Too bad. These are the things we have to deal with in life.
If my car needs to be in a shop for a week, its my responsibility to deal with not having a car for a week. If my computer needs to be repaired and is gone for 10 days, its my responsibility to deal with it. If I have to go to the doctor, I can't force him to take me at 7pm so I don't have to take time off work.
I wish car rental were freely provided by my mechanic/dealer/insurance. I wish computer rental and data transfer were free when it needs to be repaired. I wish my doctor's hours were weeknights and weekends. And I wish Apple would provide a free iPhone loan if they need to replace the battery. But the sad fact is these things are not reality.
In all these cases, the duty of the vendor is to guarantee their product or service. Not cater to my life. Of course, if possible they'll do what they can, but not at the expense of losing money. They are all businesses, after all, and can't operate on charity.
So to jwharding28, I find it a little disconcerting that your reconsidering an iPhone purchase, on the sole fact that you MIGHT be without it for 3 days, IF you have to replace the battery. Or is it based on principle? (If so, as I've illustrated above, there are a lot of other companies/industries you can boycott based on the same principle, and especially who charge more than $30.) And the probability that you'll turn in your iPhone for battery replacement is less than the probability that you won't.
And to think that Apple could do a battery replacement with same day turnaround is unreasonable. Here's why: I'm assuming that iPhone battery replacement is similar to iPod, where it might actually be a refurbished replacement. Even if not, these things are not easy to take apart and is not a 5-minute job.
To put it in perspective, let's say that Apple DID offer to do it right there and then. It'll probably take between 30 minutes to 1 hr, between them taking apart the phone, replacing the battery, verifying the phone works, the consumer making payment, then doing the paperwork. So you walk into the store and ask, "Can you replace my battery while I wait?" and the reply will be, "Sure, come back in 2 weeks." Why? Because instead of a Genius taking 10 minutes to pack up the phone, do the paperwork, and send it to a shop where they replace batteries en masse, they spend 30 minutes to an hour with each customer. I don't know about you, but I'd rather hear, "we'll have it ready in 3 days," than "we'll have it for you same day. Come back in 2 weeks."
So then you think, well then Apple should hire more people. No problem! But who is going to pay for them? Either the cost of the phone goes up, or the battery replacement cost goes up. The money has to come from somewhere.
Anyway, I had no idea this would turn into a rant. And to jwharding28, I don't mean to reply with any hostility. Its just that its natural for consumers to think in their own little world, when usually there's much more to it than that. Companies need to make money, and (usually) make decisions based on this, not just to randomly stick it to their customers.
ANYWAY, back on topic. When reading through the article, there was one thing that I just realized. The calendar app and lack of to-do's got me thinking. The calendar was the one thing that Steve had in his Keynote slide, but didn't demo. We all know that there will eventually be a software update to the iPhone, but I didn't think that the calendar and to-do functionality was probably left on the back burner so that more critical apps could be finished before launch. I'm sure between 6-8 months the iPhone software, in particular calendar and to-do's, will be much more polished.

[JakeT]

Can I still use my old phone? I have AT&T and two phones that I can swap the SIM card. Will those phones still work with that SIM card after activating the iPhone with that telephone number? My treo works without a SIM card. I just can't do things like make calls that would require the SIM. Can I do that with the iPhone? What happens when I have two phones turned on with SIM cards using the same phone number?
Since the iPhone is using OSX, I thought the apps would have all of the functionality of Mac apps. It sounds like they don't. When typing, I like to use the arrow keys a lot to move around in the text that I've already typed and insert or delete or cut and paste. I didn't see any arrow keys on the keyboard.