I have been asked or have been told in some instances about some shortcomings of the iPhone. Although, no product I have ever tested, owned or seen is perfect, it always bothers me when these myths of widespread problems, in some cases “spin” or even FUD are propagated by competitors helped in many cases by the mainstream news media. The iPhone, which may likely turn out to be the most successful electronic device rollout in history or at least in the 21st Century with a probable amount of over one million iPhones sold in under a week.

Apple sure does not need my help. So help is not what I am here to sell. I would just like to set the record straight on some issues involving the iPhone I have been asked or have been erroneously told.

We have an iPhone in our household since Friday July 6. Switched from Verizon to AT&T with a family plan, that included buying a second (non-iPhone) cell, and keep the old phone numbers. Have used the iPhone a lot in the time we have had it and will add my two cents to what the experience was like.

Myths of the iPhone
1. Huge problems with people buying and activating iPhones?

The iPhone was in great demand with lines extending out of most retail stores that Apple was selling them from. But Apple and AT&T did a pretty good job of having anticipating the supply needed and you were able to get one if you wanted it. This was not the Wii, Xbox, and Playstation type shortages.

There were some problems activating accounts to use the iPhone. This seems to have affected only about 2 percent or less of new iPhone buyers. Of course, if you are one of the people who had a problem, it was a problem for you and I bet you could care less about the other 98 percent of the people who had NO problems.

We had NO problems, even though we switched carriers, added a second non-iPhone cell, and keep the old numbers. The whole activation process in iTunes was fast and easy. AT&T admitted to some problems activating in the beginning and has claimed to have fixed these issues. I think it is reasonable that a new product, new activation method (iTunes at home), and the massive amount of units sold in the first few days would have a few problems. I actually think there was less than I would have thought.

2. The iPhone’s has NO keyboard? The iPhone Keyboard is terrible?

iPhone has a software based on screen virtual keyboard. It just does not have a mechanical keyboard that would have added size and weight to it or not allowed for a the large screen it has. The keyboard is actually very good, suggesting replacements of misspelled words and I found it better to use than my Windows smartphone. Within a few days you will get used to the keyboard and never miss a hardware keyboard, at least this is my opinion.

Apple will be making more improvements to the keyboard in software updates like allowing the keyboard to rotate sideways in all the iPhone applications.

3. The iPhone is VERY Expensive? Cost more than ALL the other mobile phones?

NO, actually the iPhone is cheaper than quite a few other smartphones on the market, even Blackberry, Motorola Q and most Windows smartphones. The cost to ANY cell phone is the upfront cost of the phone plus the cost of the REQUIRED service plan!

The iPhone comes in two models, a 4GB ($499) and a 8GB ($599) with the ONLY difference being the internal memory it has to store media. The service plan is required for 24 months. The cost of the plan varies on minutes of talk time and includes an “unlimited” data plan (needed for all smartphones) and 200 SMS text messages per month. AT&T allows for “roll-over minutes” that are good for 12 months. This means if you have a 500 minute per month plan and use only 300 minutes, you get to KEEP 200 minutes to use another month within the course of a year.

See here how the iPhone is actually cheaper than the Motorola Q phone!

The Motorola Q with its minimum two year contract at $80/month is $1920 + $150 for the phone = $2070.
The Apple iPhone with its minimum two year contract which is cheaper at $1416 + $499 = $1915.

This makes the Windows Mobile Q over $155 more than the Apple iPhone! The Motorola Q is in no way the same league as the iPhon. iPhone has the best web browser on any mobile device, is the best iPod Apple has ever made, has “visual” voicemail, has great email, WiFi, Buetooth, dazzingly Google Maps with directions, and YouTube videos. But the Motorola Q when compared, costs MORE! The Motorola Q is does not even have a touch screen. Although, you can get a “black” Q phone for $30 more. Buying the iPhone is like getting an iPod for FREE!

A Palm Treo 700wx Smartphone that runs Windows Mobile will set you back $300 (after rebate) plus $80/month service plan. Verizon Wireless XV6700 also runs Windows Mobile and costs $300 plus service plan. The BlackBerry 8703e or BlackBerry 7130e will cost you $150 (after rebates) plus $80/month service plan making all these MORE expensive to own than the Apple iPhone.

See When Free Isn’t Exactly Free.

The Samsung i730 I have, cost $499 when purchased last year plus the service plan. This is much more expensive than the iPhone and I still had to carry an iPod!

In our case switching to AT&T with a family plan including an iPhone and a regular cell phone was no different than what the cost with Verizon. But we had no data plan with Verizon for our old phones!

4. The iPhone has NO IM application?

Apple has so far included only an SMS client on the iPhone, that looks a lot like iChat on OS X. It even allows you to keep a thread going so you can keep track of the conversation. There are already several web apps made for the iPhone that allow you to chat on AOL, MSN, Jabber, Yahoo and others that are free and easy. So IM is no problem for the iPhone really and I bet in a future software update Apple will add iChat to the iPhone natively. Also note the Leopard, Apple’s new version of OS X coming in October has added SMS, and screen sharing to its iChat application. This may have implications to what iPhone users can soon do with thier new mobile device.

5. I cannot get my corporate email on an iPhone?

Apple has supported IMAP, POP, and some Exchange in the iPhone natively. The iPhone supports Gmail, AOL, Yahoo, and many other accounts easily. Your corporate email may or may not work for you depending on your situation. There are already a few good solutions for supporting corporate email from third party providers for the iPhone like IceWeb for one.

We were able to get about five email accounts running on the iPhone in no time at all.

6. The iPhone’s Safari web browser does not support Flash?

This one is actually true for now. Apple will be releasing a Flash plugin in a future software update soon. The Safari browser on the iPhone is the best browser on ANY mobile device. In my opinion this is the “killer” app for the iPhone.

7. The iPhone is stuck on this very slow AT&T EDGE network?

Well not really. First of all of far my experience with the EDGE network has been that it seems faster than I expected. I was not expecting the speed of a 3G data network, but it surprised me. AT&T updated the EDGE network right before the iPhone launch and I guess this helped. With ANY cell service it is really where ever you happen to be standing, that will determine your experience.

The iPhone has some nice Wi-Fi features allowing it to connect whenever it finds an open network or a perferred network. I did have to play with my home network a bit the first time to get the iPhone to connect. But it has worked extremely well in our house and at some relatives Wi-Fi enabled houses. As soon as the iPhone detects Wi-Fi it automatically switches to it fro browsing, mail, etc. It switches back seamlessly for phone calls.

8. The iPhone’s battery is no good and costs too much to replace?

So far the iPhone has had very good battery life, even though EVERYONE wants to play with it when they see it. Although, I would have preferred a user replacement battery, the battery has been no problem. If you keep your iPhone a few years you may have to pay Apple (or a third party) to replace your battery for you. From what I can see the cost will be in line with replacing most other cell phone batteries. (This costs $79 plus shipping and handling right now). So it does not concern me and consider it a non-issue.

9. The iPhone has security problems and can cause Identity Theft?

This one is ridiculous. The iPhone poses no more threat to you than any smartphone. The iPhone can be set easy to be password protected and is probably less “hackable” than the average Windows smartphone.

10. You can not get applications for the iPhone?

Apple has not YET opened up the iPhone to allow developers to install applications natively on the iPhone and this is what adds to this myth. But web-based apps are already available in the hundreds for iPhone use. All you have to do is bookmark them in browser. There are several iPhone “portals” that allow for icon based view of these applications that looks like the iPhone’s “home” view allowing easy access for these apps. The list of apps keeps on growing and growing.

I have also been told that the iPhone can scratch easily by people that NEVER touched one, of course. The iPhone screen is protected by glass, not plastic like the iPod. It does not scratch that easy. There are already 50 plus cases available for the iPhone.

Next time you hear one of these myths, find out if they actually touched an iPhone!

OK, My Two-Cents
The iPhone is the best cell phone I have ever used. I have had many different cell phones and even have two smartphones from Verizon. The iPhone is an industry changing device. Even if you never buy an iPhone, it will affect your future mobile device usage as competitors will have to react to the usability of this device.

Usability, is the KEY word. This is the FIRST mobile phone I ever used that I actually liked and could use without being hugely frustrated. Apple has amazed me that in their version one product they got so much RIGHT and so little WRONG. I can not wait until the next version.

Owners Overwhelmingly Happy with iPhone
“iPhone buyers have no regrets,” says Edward C. Baig (USA Today). Baig spoke with Jason Kramer, the chief strategy officer of Interpret, a market research firm that conducted a survey of recent iPhone purchasers. The study found that “90% of 200 owners said they were ‘extremely’ or ‘very’ satisfied with their phone. And 85% said they are ‘extremely’ or ‘very’ likely to recommend the device to others.” The findings, says Kramer “are ‘pretty much off the charts.’” [Jul 13, 2007]

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