Apple's iPhone Wake-Up Call
First let me say that I am absolutely delighted and extremely thankful for all the comments that were made in my previous post Palm Treo 680 vs. Apple iPhone and which I received via email. I’m glad to see that there are so many Treonauts passionately contributing their views (praises and criticisms alike) and would like to thank everyone for their input – please keep it coming as the debate is essential to stimulate further innovation in this space.
Naturally, following such a heated and interesting exchange I believe that some additional commentary is required to help further clarify my views as well as provide you with more insight into my take on the Treo versus iphone debate.
Treo Is Great, iPhone Sucks. Treo Sucks, iPhone Is Great.
After nearly three years reviewing, analysing and developing my own views on the future of the Treo I have learned that all smartphones are ultimately the result of a series of goals, constraints and compromises from which they simultaneously benefit and suffer. The resulting device is one that meets particular needs at the manufacturer level and answers unique identified needs at the consumer level but does not provide the ‘perfect’ solution for everyone.
The Treo was developed under one set of goals, constraints and compromises while the iPhone was developed under another. As such, the solution that each ultimately presents is different and will appeal to a distinct set of customers. For some like me the Treo will continue to represent the best smartphone there is while for others the future iPhone will.
I can just as easily present you with a list of 10 things I love and hate about my Treo as I can about the iPhone. The decision as to which smartphone you will ultimately choose rests entirely on the particular criteria that you apply to the features that you personally like or dislike, need or don’t need. However, using a word that someone raised in the previous comments, the real “delusion” is to think that either the Treo or the iPhone are “flawless” – they’re not.
The fact is that I’m perfectly happy for someone to tell me that they don’t like the Treo since I know perfectly well that there will be others that will equally not like the iPhone – we are all free to choose which one we prefer. Having said this, my personal preference for the Treo does not under any circumstances mean that I cannot fully appreciate – even envy – some of the terrific features that the iPhone will bring.
Palm Delusion. Apple Delusion.
My current preference for the Treo over the iPhone should under no circumstances give either Palm, PalmSource/ACCESS, Microsoft Windows Mobile or the many third-party developers and even accessory manufacturers in the “Treo ecosystem” a sense of comfort that might even remotely allow them to become complacent – there’s a ton of work ahead.
In some areas the iPhone has clearly raised the bar that the Treo ecosystem must now thrive to meet or surpass and I will naturally continue to provide both praise and criticism when required to reward innovation and punish lethargy. In the same vein I have absolutely no intention of letting the Apple hype machine distract me from seeing the true iPhone picture with all its merits and faults.
In this respect, what does unnerve me are things like Steve Jobs’ assertion in his keynote address yesterday that the iPhone is: 1) technologically five years ahead of any other smartphone and 2) superior in all respects to all existing smartphones including our Treo. Both claims certainly demonstrate Jobs’ extraordinary showmanship but are not representative of reality outside the Apple Magic Kingdom. Arguably though he did rate our Treo as the best of the “other” smartphones.
Palm Reality. Apple Reality
As I have stated before, I believe that the arrival of the iPhone is the best thing to have happened in the smartphone space not because of the device alone but because with its announcement Apple has now completely validated the smartphone as the “phone of the future” and brought it to the attention of hundreds of millions worldwide who will now be more curious to learn about the iPhone and also other smartphones such as our Treo.
Palm has achieved great success in the ‘corporate smartphone space’ and its Treo 680 has for me been one of the single most exciting entries in the ‘consumer smartphone space’. Apple’s iPhone on the other hand has little to no chance of penetrating the corporate smartphone space (it was not designed for this) but it is however the new benchmark that others will have to beat in the consumer smartphone space. The Treo 680 will continue to do extremely well as a consumer smartphone this year but there is no doubt that the iPhone and all its cool iPhone accessories will quickly catch up to it when it is launched (unless Palm is able to release a newer and better consumer model by the middle or end of 2007).
The smartphone market promises to be absolutely huge and I have no doubt that in due time this category will come to dominate the entire mobile phone industry. A large part of this market will consist of corporate smartphones where I envisage that our Treo will continue to thrive and another part of the market will consist of consumer smartphones where the iPhone promises to be a key player – albeit one where others, principally Palm, but also Nokia, SonyEricsson, Motorola and Samsung will undoubtedly bring worthy competing offerings.
The big consumer smartphone battle has not even begun as the iPhone is still months away from launch but there is no doubt that this year promises to be a new defining moment in the smartphone space – one that will present as many threats as opportunities for our Treo and a time which promises to be anything but boring.
Treonauts are always the most passionate… 
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d8341c71a953ef00d834d622da53ef
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Apple's iPhone Wake-Up Call:
Comments
This makes Palm and PPC look like open platform...
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2082059,00.asp
In retrospect many of Andrew's gut-feelings would seem correct.
I think innovation is a little more complicated than, "I did this first."
Rio made the first mp3 player, or at least one of the first. Creative Labs made the first hard drive mp3 player, or at least one of the very first. Were they 'innovative'? Sure. Would you say that the iPod was innovative for taking the mp3 player and making everyone else buy one? Yes. I'd say that 'innovation' outweighs the others.
How innovative are you if you make something no one wants or no one buys?
Apple already 'stole' their UI from Xerox, MS stole theirs from Apple, Vista and OS X are trading features, on and on and on and on.
The iPhone def wins in the iCandy competition but not in much else in my mind. However, the 4 & 8 gig internal memory standards are more than nice.I have Good Link running as thats what we use at work and I have constant issues with my 700 W (from Verizon) when it comes to streaming my XM radio thru it. I am always going into my memory and ridding it of any thing I brought in over the last few days in order to get the Media Player to work. This is a frustrating step that makes me run thru the process all over again with XM and YES I have a FEW 2 gig cards where most of my files go but every once and a while something gets sent to my internal memory and I would like something more than the wopping 62.95 MB they provide. Why is the Treo memory so weak? (i NOTICED THE 750 IS A LITTLE BETTER)and what else can I do to make life easier?
I think the major step forward that Apple has taken is on the experience level. The hardware is not 5 years ahead of it's time, but the UI are. Hopefully Palm & Co wakes up and realize that usability is very important if you want to be competitive.
I was very close to invest in a Treo 680, but decided to wait and see what Apple was up to. Now there's no way I'll buy a "dinosaur" Treo...
I just read Andrew's latest posting, so I haven't had a chance to read the responses above.
I keep hearing that the iPhone is not a real business phone and that the Treo is. Why? What business features are lacking on the iPhone?
I use my Treo as a contact, calendering and alarm device (thank God for Agendus Pro-I hate the default calendaring/contacts). Periodically I use email when I'm going to be out of my office for a while. I use Documents to Go to read Word documents. I rarely use the web programs because they are a joke. I'm tired of loading a page and seeing all of the "Xs" where images should be. I occasionally watch TV, listen to streaming radio and listen to music, but it is not an easy task. The camera's resolution is ridiculously bad, so I rarely use it. Am I missing something here? Where are all of these applications that are missing on the iPhone?
The iPhone has a web browser I can actually use. The ability to load a page with graphics and photos and zoom in and out will make it usable. I can have multiple web pages open.
Email on the iPhone is also usable. The interface is clean and readable. There are rich html messages. Email is linked to contacts, photos and other applications. Imagine a "smartphone" that doesn't shut down every application when you switch to another!
Contacts will download all of the information I have in my 1800 contacts - just like I have it in iCal. Once again the UI is clean and usable.
Visual voice mail is revolutionary. The ability to choose which voice mail message I want to listen to, just as I can choose which email I want to read, is fantastic!
The iPhone has wi-fi and will automatically detect a wireless network. Is that some sort of silly consumer (non-business) feature? How about the fact that I will no longer be re-pairing my bluetooth headset? The iPhone does it automatically.
So, tell me, what is missing?
I fully agree that this iPhone is iCandy, and clearly aimed at the consumer fashion world looking for a "hot phone" market more than the functionality needs of a truer smartphone user. It provides a converged device for people who carry iPods and cellphones separately. Great.
Not to take anything away from Apple hardware/software synergy, it will be slick, it will be solid, no doubt.
However, one of the reasons I love my Treo is that I can "make it mine". If I am a doctor, I can test a slew of apps and find that drug toxicology list or the DSM or whatever, and install it. If I am a lawyer, or engineer, or teacher, or preacher, or whatever, there are apps out there I can use, and the Treo works for me, while you are installing whatever you need/want to make your Treo work for you.
But Palm is not responsible for poorly written code from these developers, or from conflicts that might ensue from installing apps that may change things internally and conflict with each other. That's just the nature of the beast, crashing may occur. Windows crashes. And hey, guess what? Mac OS crashes, too. Not as much, to be sure, but...
With Apple, you're probably going to get a phone/mp3 player with widget capability, but do we really expect this thing to be a productivity platform with the availability of everything/anything under the sun to do what YOU want YOUR smartphone to do (as opposed to hoping that what Apple thinks is sufficient for you really will be sufficient?)
I watch TV and movies. I list to MP3s. I txt msg. I send/receive email. I surf the web. I've got book readers and office applications for spreadsheets and presentation slides. I have a Bible in here. I keep track of all my calendar entries for appointments for the kids, the wife and I beam outings and activities back and forth (she's a Treo user too), I keep track of all kinds of other information, account numbers, people, places, things, I snap quick pictures and videos, I've got Google Maps for free to figure out how to get from here to there...
What in the world must "5 years ahead" look like if I'm ALREADY doing all this now?
@Duane (comment 31)
Can't summarize my thoughts better......thanks.
One more personal observation;iphone is more like a PSP with a phone it's like a toy.As a doctor I don't think I'll be walking around the hospital comfortably with a shiny toy in my hand,treo looks more professional,but again this is only my opinion just wanted to share....
Still one thing hurts deeply....wifi
Andrew, I would just like to applaud you for not taking the comments personally. While I did think your previous article was bias, I found much of the comments rather scathing, and undeservedly so.
In any case, I just found out today that the iPhone will NOT be able to run 3rd party software :~(
http://www.43folders.com/2007/01/12/no-iphone-apps/
What will I do without Apps like SplashID, Metro, converter, etc? It appears we will have to rely on Apple to do the development, and no doubt, charge an exorbitant price, otherwise it would be no different from a stock Treo from a functionality point of view.
So much for the great promises...
>>In any case, I just found out today that the iPhone will NOT be able to run 3rd party software :~(
http://www.43folders.com/2007/01/12/no-iphone-apps/
Meanwhile, we find out that Beng cannot read.
“These are devices that need to work, and you can’t do that if you load any software on them,” he said. “That doesn’t mean there’s not going to be software to buy that you can load on them coming from us. It doesn’t mean we have to write it all, but it means it has to be more of a controlled environment.”- Steve Jobs on Apple iPhone introduction
No buggy apps crashing your phone = no stupid crashing problems that plague Palm Treo!!!
The apps will come, and iPhone out-of-the-box will offer most users more functionality than a Treo loaded with scores of crapplications that crashes ceaselessly.
I'm probably in the minority (but then again maybe not) but there's nothing like discovering some new app that makes your phone that much nicer than it was before...
With apple iPhone as ti stands the wow factor will be over too soon for me - no matter how nice something is the human mind has a short attention span and in 3 months that shiny screen w/o buttons may not hold me as much w/o apps to revolutionize it regularly...
I have my treo 680 and yes it's crashed but only twice from two old apps...it's been running fine for weeks now as my one-stop multimedia device/work console... I'll def. be into a open-dev 3G iphone which allows me to get my "wow" fix continuously w/o exorbitant prices for streamlined products (heck some 3rd party apps ARE free!)...
@yru clueless: yes, absolutely, the opening is there for _something_ besides Apple's software to be allowed on the phone. No question, and it's probably fruitless for now to second-guess what (or in what time frame) that would be.
Thing is, every OS X developer I know is champing at the bit to get their product on this unit, and potentially in front of an enormous audience who's never sat in front of a Mac. And that software (which would rely on as-yet unannounced parameters) would obviously take time to build and test. Something like, say, six months, would have been nice lead time for developers. ;-)
I'm hopeful that Apple will come around in a way that protects their users' experience while still offering a range of interesting functionality to iPhoners. It's just that, as a fan and friend of a lot of indie and one-person development houses, I wish that those folks' skills, contributions, and dedication to this platform would have already earned them a seat on the train. Time will tell.
dear Andrew, the iPhone has still to prove itself, so, at this stage the battle of who has the most is maybe premature. When it comes to Apple, their consumers will buy anything that Steve Jobs will serve on their plate! Good, bad or indifferent, such is the attraction of the Apple Brand. Consumers buy Brands! I love your passion and honesty, well done. Godfather
I agree with some of the above comments, (especialy the African Nerd), (750p) Palm OS on 750 is the next product line up from Palm. For Iphone, Steve should be think of Share Market on the International Frontier, in particular in Asia, we are moving towards 3/3.5G. Iphone - an amazing interface, but I cld not unleashed the power. I still love my 650.
This is a major blow for Palm simply because Rimm owns the enterprise space and Apple has a great chance to own the consumer space. Palm because more of a tweener. Palm OS is ancient is has been due for a refresh in UI and overall design for 5 years now.
Today I carry a Treo 650, iPod Nano and the white earbuds. If Apple's iPhone can play music over a Bluetooth headset, then I have a huge savings of weight, dimensions and clutter in my pocket.
Switching to Cingular is not my preference but will do so for this phone. The benefits far out weigh the disadvantages. With a better camera, I'll be more inclined to take pics (Treo's camera is just horrible in comparison). I will miss not having simple video capability, but this should be added in a future iPhone (if not by June).
With regards to potential scratches and smudges, who doesn't think protective covers will be available?
As far as not running 3rd party software initially. Sounds good to me. Hackers are going to be giving OS X more attention. Any software on iPhone needs to be fully certified and every line of code reviewed to make sure there are no security holes. Sure it is not as open as Windows, but I don't want it to be as vulnerable.
Priorities are security and safety first and then as much functionality as possible. Apple is now committed to advancing the smartphone market, unlike Palm which only did small incremental improvements. Thank you Apple!
My only concern is that Cingular's data rate will limit the iPhone internet experience.
When the palm / blackberry first came out, I'm sure there were guys on the internet who said "Yeah right, there's no way you can type fast on a miniature keyboard like that, LOL"
Until the iPhone comes out, nobody can say for certain that the lack of a physical keyboard is in fact a deal-breaker. I'm sure that after spending a few weeks on the iPhone keyboard you can get fast on it, just like it takes you a few weeks to get fast at regular thumb typing.
This is a treo site, so of course it's going to be treo biased... but when I saw that keynote all I could think was Daaaaaaaaaamn, it's going to be rough over at the Palm and RIM offices. The fact that Palm's latest release is basically a 650 with the antenna removed pretty much says it all about the company's lack of commitment to innovation.
As a response to #41 by FredKA ...
You can use the Treo 650 with a bluetooth stereo headset currently. I do it all the time. It also handles phone calls, etc. You do have to spend $15 or so on software - Softick Audio Gateway ... but well worth the money.
Um, wow!! I owned a Trep 600 (broke too many times to count) was given a Treo 650 for al of my troubles(after much hell to my cell company and palm with a near lawsuit) and it works well for what I need it for. I'm pretty sure, I'll hop onto the apple bandwagon if palm doesn't kick it up a notch, BAM! Sorry treo. ---You were good to me but for awhile, give me a reason to stay with you. You were my first smartphone love, so I will not abandon you without good reason. Make me remember that grand love we first shared. Gazing at the internet, anticipating your arrival, playing with you for days! OH! Those were the days!! Now give me some new in ya baby!!! I need you to remind me or I can't promise that I'll be faithful!!! (aint temptation a pain?!)
Using my Treo 700p is great, but it's clearly not in the same league as the iPhone. I wanted a PalmOS 6 (Cobalt) device, but it never came. So I got a the 700p instead after a long wait.
Regardless of what we think, the markets spoke pretty loudly the day the iPhone debuted. Apple's stock jumped 8% that day, while Palm and RIM dropped about 8%. As recent owner of Palm's stock (I sold before the last disappointing quarterly announcement), it became clear that Palm doesn't execute very well.
Ed Colligan's now infamous quote--“We’ve learned and struggled for a few years here figuring out how to make a decent phone. PC guys are not going to just figure this out. They’re not going to just walk in.”--shows just how out of touch Palm truly is.
OS X on the iPhone is dramatically better than Palm OS as an operating system for a smartphone. Don't let the eye candy fool you--this is an industrial strength operating system with Apple's cutting edge media technology, networking and security.
While it may be the sum of all fears for some Treo users and Palm fans, there will be 3rd party applications for the iPhone, just not right away, and only by trusted developers. There's no reason to believe there won't be some kind of Exchange support in the future. Until then, people can get free push email from Yahoo. The calendaring app isn't done, but should be light-years ahead of what passes for calendaring on my 700p in 2007. Something like iCal on my phone, that syncs seamlessly with my Mac, talks to web-based calendars (like Google) and will support CalDAV? I'd be nuts to pass up that kind of advance in features and usability.
3G, different form factors and price points--those are all coming. I do use 3rd party apps on my 700p, but when I get an iPhone (2nd generation), the Treo becomes a SplashShopper and Pocket Quicken device and a modem for my laptop until my contract with Sprint ends.
Contacts, email, browsing and Google mapping and everything else will move over to the iPhone, since that will be a much better user experience. Plus I get a much better camera and music player. Although it's not getting much play, the iPhone will get frequent software updates from Apple, so there will be more goodies in the future.
What's not to like?
The drawback of a small keyboard is overcome on my Treo 650 by the shape of the keys (slightly convex, it is easy to press on the correct key by feel). A virtual keyboard, the same size but on a flat surface, is going to be much more difficult to use (I can visualize folks keeping a toothpick handy to use as a stylus). Even larger virtual keyboards are a PITA to use!
The other, more important drawback is that I use a number of Palm applications for my job (physician), and none of those applications is ported for a Windows OS, let alone an Apple OS. And you can't even install third-party programs?!?!
The only potential disagreement I have is where is the typical consumer finding $500+ for a MP3 player/phone. Seems most that have that kind of cash to spare would also be the corporate types that would prefer the functionality of the treo.
We'll see. Given what consumers will spend on DVDs and video games, I'll likely be wrong again.
2. I think the iPhone's virtual keyboard is a huge improvement over the mechanical thumbpads found on the Treo and any other smart phones of its size.
The buttons are significantly larger, you don't have to hit them dead-center, you lightly tap them instead of punching them down, and the software is smart enough to know that you meant to type "Tuesday" instead of "Tudsday."
After 30 seconds, I was already typing faster with the iPhone than I ever have with any other phone. I suspect that true e-mail demons will need to adapt to the lack of tactile feedback, though.
You could call iPhone perfect
January 18, 2007
BY ANDY IHNATKO
I have used the Apple iPhone. I had a private briefing the day after Steve Jobs' keynote and spent about 45 minutes noodling around with the device.
You may touch the hem of my robe if you wish.
In response to a Beatlemania-scale pile of e-mails, here's what I can tell you so far, based on my hands-on impressions, my talks with Apple and general first-hand sniffing around:
1. The touch-interface works flawlessly, in terms of both technical function and user interface design. Whatever you want to do -- select an album to play, make or take a call, compose and send an e-mail -- your first impulse is almost always the correct one.
This is the simplest phone ever.
And there are no lags, no pauses, no waiting for the slickly animated UI to catch up with you, even when you're scrolling through a stack of album art that's flopping past your finger in 3D: It's liquid.
The bad news: It works only with direct, skin contact. You can't wear gloves, and I don't know if you can even put a screen protector on it. On the plus side, the screen is supposed to be more scratch-resistant than an iPod.
"So long as you don't have a pocket full of broken glass, it'll be OK in there," I was told.
You could call iPhone perfect
January 18, 2007
BY ANDY IHNATKO
I have used the Apple iPhone. I had a private briefing the day after Steve Jobs' keynote and spent about 45 minutes noodling around with the device.
You may touch the hem of my robe if you wish.
http://www.suntimes.com/technology/ihnatko/215441,CST-FIN-Andy18.article
3. It's the most beautiful freakin' display I've ever seen on a phone or PDA, both in range of color and level of detail. Even microscopic browser text is credibly readable.
4. The apps that were functional at the time of the demo give the satisfying, protein-rich experience of "real" software. The mail client and browser make you feel like you're using a powerful desktop app, not a cell phone that can kind of send e-mail and browse the Web (depending on how you define "e-mail" and "the Web").
Specials
Bestselling
