Apple's iPhone and MacBook Air have come to represent cutting-edge, state-of-the-art consumer electronics. We're approaching the iPhone's first birthday and Wired magazine is still calling it "handset of the moment -- maybe even the next few moments."
And the MacBook Air was popular enough last month to single-handedly account for 20% of Apple's notebook computer sales. Any way you slice it, that's impressive.
So what is it that keeps me from getting excited about these products?
I don't think I'm biased for or against Apple. We have a Mac Mini in the house and I'm always happy to see strong competitors in the personal computing space. So I don't think it's any sort of systematic unwillingness to accept Apple's products.
I'd like to think it's the technology. Sure, the iPhone and the MBA are pretty. The iPhone has a user interface that's somewhat innovative, and the Air is very, very svelte. But beyond that, I see more sacrifices than benefits.
The iPhone is a keyboardless EDGE handset with no expansion card slot. To me, that's three strikes right there. I feel like I need a real keyboard; I use the stink out of my Treo's EVDO connection and would dread going back to EDGE speeds; and, as far as I'm concerned, SD cards are the new floppy disk (i.e., ubiquitous). And then there's the issue of the non-user-replaceable battery. Ugh.
Similarly, the MacBook Air is rife with trade-offs: you don't get a removable battery, internal optical drive, Ethernet port, or VGA output (all things I rely on pretty frequently). Yes, it's light, but not markedly more so than many other laptops (for one, my 12.1" Fujitsu subnote weighs less). And don't get me started on the decision to hamstring it by including just a single USB port!
So, is it me? Am I somehow missing the real benefit of these devices? I'll admit, I've always been a function-over-form kinda guy, so is it that obsession with features that is blinding me to the design, or some other source of value entirely?
Or, am I more normal than I think, and it's it just that the media and a significant part of the digerati who write about this stuff have different utility functions than most of the rest of us?
Craig -
You should know better.
Most users crave simplicity, even if they don't consciously realize it. Being a simple thing that "just works" is why Palm beat out the much more advanced Newton and WindowsCE devices.
Apple is the one big tech company left with enough discipline to intentionally leave features out. And for most users, this is a good thing.
The MacBook Air would not work as a laptop for a power user like myself, but for so many people I know who barely know what a USB port is.... It is a perfect compromise...
As for the iPhone. Egads - I love mine. A usable web browser is more valuable than EVDO speeds. Browsing on the iPhone is not just a little better than on other phones, it is an order of magnitude better.
Yes - I do wish for more features and openness... But overall, no other phone comes close.
- Chris
Interesting comments, Chris...thanks. I guess I'm not aware of what I'm missing with the iPhone's browser, then...Blazer on my 700p meets my needs 95% of the time, if not more. Apart from Flash and AJAX support, I'm not sure what else I'd really use (and Flash is overused as it is, IMO). But then when I'm in a pinch, I can always VNC into a PC or Mac to do something really complicated -- I don't think the iPhone lets me do VNC, does it? Regardless, maybe you're right about simplicity for the masses.
The browser on the 700p is ok for looking things up. But the iPhone's browser is the first mobile browser that actually encourages "browsing". The statistics coming out show it to be true as well - it is an actual pleasure to surf on, despite the EDGE speeds. If it were 3G, there would be no comparison at all.
I'd encourage you to borrow an iPhone when you get a chance - I think you will be impressed.
I used to think it would be too limited of a device to lure me away from my Treo, and for a while I kept both on hand. But after a few months, I realized I was no longer even touching my Treo. The simplicity won me over. That, and the browser. :-)
- Chris
My sister got a 4GB iPhone the week they came out and I've spent a fair bit of time with it. The browser is very good rendering-wise, but I really don't like having to use two hands to operate it.
Frankly, even 480x320 is too small for a "great" browser experience, IMO. The Archos 605 WiFi has an 800x480 screen that really does give you a decent view of webpages as they're designed to be viewed without having to zoom in and out constantly. If the next iPhone has 3G and a higher-res screen, I might be persuaded.