Developers Turn, Return, and Reaffirm -- iPhone Still Unmatched
Tim Cook (in)famously said other platforms and devices are still struggling to catch up with the original 2007 iPhone 2G, and while TiPb wouldn't go that far (the App Store didn't show up until the iPhone 3G in 2008), strictly in terms of user experience and functionality, he may have had a point.
First up, Jamie Zawinski (jwz) has abandoned the Palm Pre and gone all in on iPhone, despite Apple being worse than Palm when it comes to developer relations and closed ecosystems. Why? "Because it just [redacted] works." He highlights Mac sync, but especially performance as key. Long delays in being able to use the Pre calendar, phone, and camera apps are especially irksome.
I don't expect the performance of this phone to be even remotely suitable for every day use for at least a year. I figure it's going to either take a substantial amount of work on the lower levels of the OS, or they're going to have to throw Moore's law and new hardware at it...
Next up, Steven Frank, who abandoned the iPhone after the Google Voice incident, and returned to it when he couldn't find happiness with another device, nails why that's still the case some 2 years later:
It’s not just that the iPhone has fancy woo-woo transitions and purty graphics; it runs all the way down the software stack. For example, when I tap on something, I don’t have to hover for five seconds wondering “now did it get that tap, or do I have to do it again?” This is something other platforms are still struggling with. When we say you have a bad experience, this is the sort of thing we mean. It has little to do with features, and everything to do with core functionality.
Lastly, Daniel Pasco offers a theory as to why -- Apple spent years and a fortune figuring out the iPhone:
Because of that effort, since the iPhone was released, everyone else has been struggling to play catch up, and no one has really come close. Apple raised the bar higher than anyone else had before, and by the time the competition realized how much of an effort would be required to seriously compete, the public had already turned to them to see how they would meet Apple’s threat.
Spending 2.5 years in secret, and who knowns how many of those billions, and then unleashing the iPhone 2G multi-touch user interface changed the game in 2007, and more -- it forced competitors to play catchup in public. Sure, many have the iPhone now to copy, but Apple has the momentum to keep innovating.
The question is, can incredibly rich companies like Microsoft, and amazingly innovative ones like Palm -- or Google which is both -- bridge that gap at the core functionality and user experience level?
[via Daring Fireball]
Editor-in-Chief of iMore, Executive Producer at Mobile Nations, co-host of Iterate and ZEN and TECH, cook, grappler, photon wrangler.
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I don’t have to hover for five seconds wondering “now did it get that tap, or do I have to do it again?”
He must be using a different version of the iPhone than what I have, as having to hover for 5 seconds, wondering whether it "got the tap" is absolutely routine for me. Not that this is the worst problem in the world (and I suspect that it's better with the 3 GS), but still. Let's not pretend that the iPhone doesn't have it's problems.
Agreed, with the 3G I probably wonder at least 2 or 3 times per day whether or not the phone "got my tap". I'm jealous of 3GS users
Really they raised the bar in 2008 with the app store, other than that companies have far exceeded the iPhone sadly, just because we don't all use the ever bloated iTunes doesn't make it a better product
@Sean peters
The 3G is unusable after having the 3gs. The 3g is slooooooooooowwwwwww.
Oh how we quickly forget. Just because the faster 3GS is out doesn't mean the 3G is obsolete. I've had the 3G since release date and I have yet to see it "hoover for 5 seconds, wondering whether it got the tap". Why do you all think that just because one iPhone 3G has this problem, you think that is a rule for every single one of them? My 3G is fast enough for me until the REAL next-gen iPhone comes out next year!
I agreed a long time ago that companies are catching up the the iPhone as a whole. However, they will eventually catch up so it really is important that apple continues to innovate to stay ahead.
Yes - of course they can, especially if Apple internally thinks competitors cannot.
At the first two posters, I have never had that problem with my 3G. If I tap it I know the iPhone got it. From time to time the keyboard might lag after lots of use but it still reads my inputs even if they show up 3-4 letters later. Then a reset or free memory clears it right up.
Spelled "sync" wrong.
It seems to me that alot of the people on this web site haven't actually used any of these "iPhone competiters". They are all playing catchup to the iPhones reliability and usability. No matter what the specs say, or how much they more they say they can do, the bottom line is that every one, pre, android, winmo, and blackberry become frustrating if not unusable when in everyday use.
You should have had your iPhones repaired, the hovering is on other phones. My iPhone of a year and a half has no problems with response time. If you still have your warranty, get it loomed at right away.
"Really Says: October 20th, 2009 at 7:46 pm
Really they raised the bar in 2008 with the app store, other than that companies have far exceeded the iPhone sadly, just because we don’t all use the ever bloated iTunes doesn’t make it a better product"
Other than that, companies have far exceeded the iPhone? Try naming one company. Why don't you try backing up your statement "really" instead of typing pure ignorance on online forums purely to have people like me vomit in my mouth over your stupid statement.
"No matter what the specs say, or how much they more they say they can do, the bottom line is that every one, pre, android, winmo, and blackberry become frustrating if not unusable when in everyday use"
@Rob:
Very true. It seems like many smartphones are designed by the geeks for the geeks. They flash 2-pager of specs in your face but what really matters is the day-to-day user experience and ability to perform mainstream tasks efficiently and enjoyably (yes, that's right!).
Well, didn't the blackberry stormsurpass the iPhone?? Verizon said it did??? ....hehehe.
Henry Ford once said:
"The competitor to be feared is one who never bothers about you at all, but goes on making his own business better all the time."
It looks like Verizons of these world are really afraid...
@ Mav: Im sure Ford is has been using that same saying since Toyota took over a decade ago
@Loner:
What's interesting is that this quote was used by someone in our company with regards to Apple. And I thought it was well said.
As I keep saying...only thing competitors are playing "catch up" to from the consumer standpoint is the App Store.
Everything else is opinionated. You, me, and every iPhone/Android/Pre user can say BBOS is antiquated and dated all day...but you'll never get a BB lover to care. Nor will you get the numbers to reflect that either.
Same goes for iPhone. Many say that the UI and design is getting boring and overused. But you won't be able to tell a iPhone lover anything. They'll just stick with "It just works"
A lot of people need to get off their high horse. iPhone has flaws. Android has flaws. WinMo has flaws. Yet in the end...neither is going anywhere. Neither is gonna disappear from the face of the earth.
Ppl R free 2 say wutevr they won't about the iPhone but if it wasn't 4 the iPhone then they wouldn't be running around launching all these touch screen fones after the iPhone came out back in 2007, 2 yrs later there's more options out there, there's bbs 4 users who need stability in push notifications 4 business which even I can say that maybe apple needs 2 tweak up there's push on the iPhone, if they we were 2 improve push capabilities like that of a bb then that would blow everything else out of the water once again..as far as palm pre - ahaha weak, android? 1gb internal memory... That's a laugh, I'm not here 2 bash on other so called "competitors" b cuz in all honesty the iPhone may not b 4 everyone but it is 4 most it does almost of everything..all we need is tethering, LONGER BATTERY LIFE, full push functionality, & 2 b able 2 view flash websites... Furthermore iPhones number #1 verizon can suck it them & their wannabe iPhones.
Not sure why bloggers and commenters adopted this silly iPhone "2G" signifier. It's iPhone, iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS. How is that so difficult?
I always liked the "iPhone Edge" moniker for the first generation.
@joe McG:
I have to agree, I'm not saying that the iPhone 3G is hopelessly antiquated, but on a personal level, I can't stand how slow they are after becoming acclimated to the 3GS. It's like so many other elements of this market, very subjective.
Apple hasn't "innovated" anything since the App Store. If they don't come up with some serious enhancements to functionality (messaging app/ calendar) and an update to the springboard in 4.0, I'm jumping ship. Sense UI for Android is quite a marvel, and it is clearly the OS to beat right now.
I've had a chance to play with the competitor phones. There are lots of awesome features, no doubt. If I were to compare them to the 2G, I would say, just for speed alone, they are better.
Owning the 3Gs has been a good experience thus far. I still feel that the UI is so much more intuitive than other smartphones. There are limitations and omissions, but I am very comfortable with the UI over the rest. The overall design of the 3Gs makes a lot of sense to me, too. I wasn't thrilled when the 3G was first introduced because I liked the shape of my 2G, but after having the 3G, day to day...I fully understand the evolution. Other phones don't seem to have that "feel" for me.
So...the iPhone 3Gs, itself, is still a marvel to me.
But...the carrier and the restrictive manufacturer...that's where the game is, IMHO.
@evol
Well with what you saying, any phone does "almost everything" with all the "ifs" you had.
You can add ifs onto any phone and piece together why they could be #1.
So I really don't get your point.
Also...do more research. Android has handsets with more than 1GB of onboard memory. The Galaxy has 8GB, and these are early handsets. Later handsets will have higher onboard memory I'm pretty sure.
Every device can have quirks depending on its quality but also on how it is maintained by an end user.
Personal experiences vary and they often do not reflect the real state/quality of some product, no matter if we are talking about handhelds or any other type devices.
I personally believe that iPhone is a great device, with terrific OS and solid support. But, I also can't wait to lay my hands on or at least to read about the new devices which this competition race between Google, Microsoft and Apple might produce.
PALM PRE SUCKS.... z
Palm Pre is too damn backward in its technology to be even considered as a worthy iPhone competitor.. The closest any phone has got to killing the iPhone is the Samsung Omnia HD (i8910).. If iPhone does not go HD with it's next generation then we are sure to see this phone take it's place..
10 Rob
"No matter what the specs say, or how much they more they say they can do, the bottom line is that every one, pre, android, winmo, and blackberry become frustrating if not unusable when in everyday use."
I think that you are the one who hasn't use iPhone competitors, at least, Android ones.
Blackberry storm fail palm pre fail motorola droid soon to be fail
Hey FormCodeWizard - Use of the word "fail" as a verb and a noun in the same sentence = fail.
Counterpoint, from a developer who sold his successful iPhone business to return to full-time Mac development:
http://tinyurl.com/ykqk498
"I no longer enjoy building software for the iPhone because of the bureaucracy and infrastructure that surrounds it. […] As it stands, it’s too much effort with too little reward when compared to distributing software on my own terms on the Mac platform."
I find it a little laughable that everyone is trying to bring the iPhone down to Android/Palm/BlackBerry level. I have owned more devices using more platforms than most people I know, and I have to agree that the iPhone "just works." Every Android device I've used, from the G1 down to the Hero, has been plagued with lag issues. Palm Pre and webOS? Don't even get me started -- I practically threw the thing against a wall.
Everyone feeling a little iPhone envy saying, "Get off your high horse; the iPhone has its problems just like everyone else," needs to stop smoking whatever it is they're smoking. Yes. The iPhone CERTAINLY has its issues, but they pale in comparison with everyone else's problems. You can't compare the iPhones shortcomings to those of Windows Mobile, Palm, Android and BlackBerry because they don't even come close. Not by a long shot. Even the upcoming Droid isn't going to sell as well as expected. New hardware, updated operating system and lots of hype -- it's still Android.
7.4 million iPhones sold in the last quarter is a testament to the popularity, reliability and usability of the iPhone.
I personally am not feeling any iPhone envy, as I own one. And other phones shortcomings are rather beside the point - I want Apple to fix these problems, not rest on their laurels. What problems, you may be asking. For starters: the iPod app routinely stops shuffling and switches, uncommanded, to play only songs by the same artist. Or this: play a song in iPod, hit the back button before it's done playing. Song starts from the beginning as expected... but before it plays to the end, it skips to the next song. Every. Fricken. Time. Or in safari... If you have more than one page open, you go to the control to allow you to see multiple pages, and hit the little red x to close one of them... Safari locks up.
Again, I don't really care if the iPhone is less sucky than other phones. I want the iPhone suckiness purged.