iDay: The Apple iPhone Revolution Begins
Unless you’ve been lost in the deep forests of the Amazon for the past few months you will undoubtedly already know that today is iDay – the time when Apple begins selling the iPhone which is quite possibly the single most hyped mobile phone in history.
Treonauts have been caught in this hype more than others since the iPhone is perceived to be a direct threat to the Treo and naturally emotions have been running extremely high from day one with my first post Palm Treo 680 vs. Apple iPhone Comparison back in January generating the most heated and longest comment thread ever.
The biggest disappointment for me following the original Apple iPhone Wake-Up Call has been Palm’s lethargic reaction – I have not seen or heard anything in the past six months to demonstrate that the company is listening and openly responding to the passionate outcries of its most loyal customers. The Foleo announcement was the wrong product at the wrong time and the rumours of a forthcoming Treo 800 have also left many Treonauts underwhelmed.
Like many I feel that Palm has on the one hand simply not been listening and on the other made a lousy marketing and PR job getting the right message across to ensure that it properly defends and continues to conquer its rightful territory. The reality is that our Treo with all its faults remains an absolutely amazing smartphone and with another record high sell-through of 750,000 units in the last quarter (announced yesterday) Palm is evidently doing something right.
Having said this, even with these record sales I just don’t believe that Palm is quite squeezing all of the juice it can from its Treo franchise. The issue is that for every thing that the company does right there seem to be an equal number of things that it does wrong. As we all know, 1 – 1 = 0 which may explain why the perception is increasingly that on many fronts Palm is at a standstill since it does not appear to learn and correct its mistakes quickly – thus opening more and more opportunities for competing devices such as the iPhone.
Treo vs iPhone Comparison
A like for like comparison of the Treo versus the iPhone is not particularly helpful since as I have pointed out before the iPhone is primarily a consumer multimedia phone and not a business smartphone.
I will hopefully have an iPhone and some iPhone accessories in my hands early next week but in the meantime I have based this comparison on various reviews as well as video footage of the iPhone in action and also Walt Mossberg’s detailed take.
Screen + Keyboard
The most obvious difference is the fact that the iPhone uses a virtual on-screen keyboard whereas the Treo uses a full physical QWERTY keyboard as well as four program buttons, a 5Way navigation button as well as two dedicated Call Answer and End buttons which make it much easier to quickly access core functions.
The iPhone can thus use some 80% of its front surface to accomodate a 3.5 inch 320 x 480 touchscreen to beautifully display photos, videos and Web pages but according to Mossberg “it sometimes adds steps to common functions”, such as the phone interface which “takes more taps to reach than on many other smartphones” and “the lack of dedicated hardware buttons means extra taps are needed to start using features” even annoyingly needing to “switch to a different keyboard view to insert a period or comma”. The Treo offers a smaller 2.5” 320 x 320 touchscreen which is complemented by the full keyboard and dedicated buttons to provide faster and easier access to the most important functions.
Although in his review Mossberg repeatedly points out the relative “extra” steps required to access functions and accomplish certain tasks he nonetheless claims that the omission of a physical keyboard on the iPhone is a “nonissue”. I personally feel that the lack of both a keyboard and dedicated hardware buttons combine to make it sufficiently harder to use on a daily basis compared to my Treo.
Software + OS + Touchscreen Interface
I am happy to agree with Mossberg that the iPhone’s software “sets a new bar for the smartphone industry” and it “offers the best Web browser” available on any phone today. In comparison, although the Palm OS is still surprisingly good it has not had a major overhaul in more years than I care to count and is quite clearly no match for the absolutely stunning, crisp and dynamic overall look & fell of the iPhone’s user interface. Palm is now working on a revamped operating system but new Treo smartphones running it are unlikely to be released before 2008.
Having said this, for now at least, the iPhone suffers from a major drawback compared to the Treo as Apple does not offer the option to add third-party add-on software and only Web-based programs accessed via the iPhone’s built-in browser can be used. Palm on the other hand can compete with literally thousands of established Treo software titles of all sorts.
Additionally, although Mossberg calls the iPhone’s new multi-touch interface “effective, practical and fun” he nonetheless repeatedly points to more than a few limitations including the inability to cut, copy or paste text – a pretty basic and often used function available as standard on the Treo.
Multimedia
There’s no doubt that Apple is the king of digital media having defined the digital music market with its original iPod+iTunes and later also digital video. It is now set to do so again since the iPhone includes a built-in iPod with 4 or 8GB of storage as well as a photo program to display individual pictures and slideshows.
Even with the very good Pocket Tunes (music), CorePlayer (video) and SplashPhoto applications installed on my Treo it’s evident that the iPhone provides a superior experience and much better integrated solution when it comes to multimedia playback – the huge 3.5 inch display is also a bonus in this area.
Storage
Multiple gigabytes of internal storage was appealing to me a few years ago when SD memory cards maxed out at 512MB and cost over $100 but with the current availability of 8GB SD cards for about $50 each (I use four) I am more than happy with the memory expansion capabilities that the Treo provides. In contrast, the iPhone’s 4 or 8GB of internal storage is not bad at all but it does not provide the same level of flexibility as SD.
Battery
Ten days ago Apple released new information pointing out that its original claim of 5 hours talk time was actually low and it now projects the iPhone to have 8 hours instead as well as 6 hours internet use, 7 hours video playback and a full 24 hours audio playback. For its part the Treo averages 4 to 5 hours of talk time.
However, although the above iPhone claims are certainly very good it suffers from the fact that it does not benefit from a removable battery which means that when the phone is dead there’s nothing that you can do unless you’re next to a power outlet. In contrast, with the availability of standard and extended batteries the Treo can keep going for as long as you like.
Hardware
As was to be expected from Apple the iPhone delivers a gorgeous slick industrial design that clearly touches you with its beauty and elegance. It’s ultra-thin (11.6mm vs. 21mm for Treo), offers a large high resolution display covered in glass that offers solid scratch protection as well as a side mute switch like the one that Palm famously introduced first on the Treo. Additionally, it also includes built-in WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0 and a 2 megapixel camera.
In comparision, this is the area that Palm has stumbled on and suffered from most in the past year having made only modest product design improvements or innovations since the release of the Treo 650/700. I personally love my Treo 680 but few people will stop to tell me how beautiful it is… Having said this, the iPhone can also afford to be better looking since at $599 (8GB model) it is significantly more expensive than a Treo.
Conclusion
Above all the one thing that the iPhone has in buckets that I would certainly like the Treo to regain is its undeniable “coolness” factor – the fact is that the Treo is still great but it has without a doubt lost some of its edge through lack of product design, software innovation and poor marketing which all need to be urgently addressed.
Additionally, I would specifically like developers of Treo multimedia software such as Pocket Tunes, CorePlayer and SplashPhoto to get their act together to be able to deliver solutions to match the superior music, movie and photo playback capabilities of the iPhone. I would also like to see Palm taking the lead in setting a clear software and multimedia strategy working closely with these developers to ensure the best results.
Will I get an iPhone to test? Of course. Will I switch from my Treo and use the iPhone daily or will it end up like my old iPod gathering dust in a drawer? I think that I’ll be keeping my Treo for some time to come but not without yearning to see innovations like those the iPhone delivers in future Treo models. Having said this, if Apple were to release an iPhone with a full keyboard I think that my decision would be considerably more difficult.
Top 5 iPhone Wins
- Ultra Hip & Cool
- Amazing Multimedia
- Stunning User Interface + Look & Feel
- Best-of-Breed Web Browser
- Gorgeous Product Design
Top 5 Treo Wins
- Usability: Quick & Easy
- Dozens of Personal + Corporate Software/Email Solutions
- Terrific Keyboard + Dedicated Hardware Buttons
- Thousands of Applications Available (from games to GPS)
- Price
Treonauts are always part of a revolution… 
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» Palm Treo versus Apple iPhone from Treo Today
Andrew over at Treonauts chimes in with his opinion of the new Apple iPhone. I share his disappointment in Palms lack of response to the iPhone, despite having an entire six month notice. Incidently, this is one of the rare times that Appl... [Read More]
Tracked on Jul 2, 2007 10:56:51 PM
Comments
@It's.. one day when you grow up, learn to spell and get a life you'll look back and realise what an idiot you've been. Until then, the rest of us will bear that burden.
Matthew,
Thanks for the info. That's how you take care of your employees-even if they have to pay their own monthly fees, that's still a great deal.
Apple (Full-Time) Employees...
Whoever is going to sell their iPhone for below retail price (with 17,000+ employees, i'm sure someone will), Let me know...
Andrew,
I am dissappointed in Treonauts comments filter, allowing punks to post crap several times like the genius above just did. But since you are letting things go through...
It's all "small":
Ok, we're all sorry for your pro-ball days as an alter boy yourself, this site is not for your recruitment purposes.
As for GPS - Andrew, consider reviewing "Where Am I?". Many people seem to complain Google Maps for Palm does not support GPS. Unless Google wake up, "Where Am I?" is the working solution.
Hey "It's all over"...it's all annoying. But I scrolled right past your million posts. It was funny though. Andrew has been a great blogger...I read his posts almost everyday. He could do a blog other than an update about an accessory now and then, though. Treonauts is cool, too. I think I'm an iPhone fanboy now. I played with the display model at an AT&T store yesterday. I fell in love! I had been reading about the Treo 650 for the past three years, and got one 2&1/2 years ago. I knew it was everything I wanted just by reading about it. And when I got it in early February 2005, it was!...I LOVED it. I've been reading about the iPhone since January 2007, and I didn't think it was going to be everything I wanted the "newest Treo" to be. After playing with it yesterday, I found out that it is! My only two complaints are major: the virtual keyboard almost sucks big time. I couldn't figure out how to avoid the predictive text. And the sucky EDGE is still slow, even though Suckular (Cingular/AT&T) maxed out it's EDGE download speed on iDay (June 29th, 2007, a huge gadget history day) just for the iPhone debut... my Treo 650 is now getting about 170 kbps in the northern Chicago suburbs (www.dslreports.com/mspeed) when before it was getting about 70 kbps. I didn't buy the Treo 680 because the current OS doesn't support simultaneous voice/data, so I was waiting (or was waiting) for a Linux based Treo supposedly due in 2008, which would support HSDPA (fast internet on a cell phone). But I realized that I don't need/want (wait...take the want outta there; I do want fast internet on my cell phone)the fastest internet connection on my cell phone. So, for now the iPhone does win my affection. I will get all of my major internet necessities from my home computer with a cable modem getting 1500 kbps. The iPhone wins my choice over the Treo with it's very nice UI (the user interface is great for pics and vids, and the internet using the Safari application is way better than Blazer, Xino, or Opera Mini). Viewing pics and vids is what I use my Treo most for (aside from talking), and the iPhone does those better...period. I didn't think I would like the lack of an actual "button" QWERTY keyboard (the first five letters of my/your home pc's keyboard, making the keyboard on the Treo a "real" keyboard), but I can see myself getting accustomed to the iPhone's virtual keyboard, which is not easy to get used to in the early stages.
The iPhone is the new TREO!...plus a very cool UI...minus the actual keyboard and a fast internet connection, plus a great UI and ease-of-use for an above-average computer user. If Palm/Access (whatever they are called now) puts out a Treo with a competitive UI, and an actual keyboard like the one they currently employ, well then...I may stay a Treonaut.
P.S. - I really want the fast internet like the whole world has, except of course for the U.S.
Andrew,
Overall, I have to commend you on a more balanced and objective analysis than I would have otherwise expected here, given your and this site's consistently pervasive pro-Treo/Palm bias.
But I can't believe you'd categorize "Usability" as a win for the Treo rather than the iPhone. The iPhone has a _far_ more intuitive and elegant UI than the Treo ever dreamed of. There's just no comparison.
So that gives the iPhone 6 "Wins", and Treo 4...
...except that your #2 and #4 "Wins" for the Treo are _exactly_the_same_thing_ - applications.
So that gives iPhone 6 "Wins" versus a mere 3 for Treo - a 2-to-1 edge.
And that's from the Treo-biased Treonauts.
Eek!
Get off your ass, Palm!
John - eye candy iPhone UI is nice, that true. But as soon as you use to it, you realise that the iPhone lacks basic features even Treo has. Palm Inc. did not deserved, but it my oppinion it wasn't killed by the iPhone premiere. It they'd only start doing something better than Foleo...
You Treo fanboys sound like blacksmiths when they saw their first Model T. All of these initial iPhone shortcomings will be history soon. Open your eyes, it's the iPod all over again.
If your livelihood depends on the Treo, I suggest you look into a new line of work soon.
I've been a treo user since the beginning. first Palm OS and then WM5 (nope, i'm not interested in the buggy and stone age Palm OS.) Just got a iphone. the big drag: EDGE internet access. that's it, otherwise it kills. that's the one big problem with the iphone.
also the keyboard isn't great...
cheers, JL
I think all smartphone makers, including Palm, Moto, HTC, Nokia etc.. are waiting patiently (nervously) to see what the true impact of the iPhone will be when the hype settles down.
The main impact in my opinion will be positive. I believe that the iPhone will introduce this platform to more consumers as opposed to just business users. It will ultimately persuade both the telcos and device makers to make more smartphone type devices.
On the negative side, it is showing the telcos that they don't have to rely on subsidies to sell a device. This will mean higher prices to us with less crippled features on the phone if the manufacturers gain more control.
As for the device itself, Apple has made it difficult to even use aftermarket headphones with a recessed jack. The charger has a chip to only allow Apple approved chargers. No aftermarket batteries (sealed unit). This also limits the availabilty of a SIM swap. Total control.
I wanted to say goodbye. I have enjoyed your blog, store and emails for the last year or so.
I bought an iPhone Friday. I am completely blown away. I thought the Treo was a great phone - but now I can actually use email, surf the web, etc. on my phone! Instead of the nightmare I had setting up each email account on my Treo, I simply selected each account I wanted to bring over to the iPhone in iTunes and it works perfectly.
I picked up my Treo yesterday after using the iPhone for 2 days and it felt like I had gone back 10 years.
I was expecting Apple would produce a great device - but my expectations have been greatly exceeded.
So long...
I will not be purchasing a first generation iPhone. I think it's a fantastic device, but I'm not the target market. I need tethering and task management, plus I prefer to have separate calendars / categories. None of these are available on the iPhone. I'm confident that Apple will get with it and make these things available down the road, but they haven't yet. In the mean time I hope Palm gets their act together with Linux-based Palm OS Treos that are slimmer and lighter than the current models. I have used Palm devices for a long long time and I really want them not to completely fold.
What's the difference between a Linux based Treo and the one we have now? Sorry, I'm not totally familiar with it.
Treo's last quarter *record* sell-through: 750.000 units
iPhone's first weekend sales estimate: 525.000 units
Jep.
I've been a "Palm guy" since the Palm Pro. My 650 is my second Treo. I won't buy another Treo because of lack of WiFi. I can at least use the 650 with the Enfora Wifi sled.
Unless PalmOne makes some significant advances, this is my last Palm/Treo. I say this with sadness because I am a power-user, and have invested considerable time and money into software and configuration to make my Treo the "do-all" machine of my dreams.
But time marches on, and to me the iPhone is clearly a better device. Yes, there are drawbacks. While I was originally drawn to Palm by the way-cool handwriting recognition, I've come to love the Treo keyboard. iPhone of course has no physical keyboard. Ironically, the next-gen Treo is rumored to lack even the touch-screen.
What I wish the Treo could do, the iPhone can. It is as simple as that. Yes there is going to be an applications gap while the device matures. Yes, it is gonna be pricy. We've learned to expect this from all Apple. On the other hand, try comparing Apple customer service to PalmOne's customer service. Yeah, I know. Most of you are saying to yourself "What? PalmOne HAS customer service?"
If PalmOne could show me something even remotely tantalizing, I would stay. I want to stay. But I'm afraid my love affair with the Treo is fast coming to an end.
Dear PalmOne;
Please prove me wrong.
Sincerely, Paul
I have had my 650 treo for some time now, and I have loved it. I went into the Apple store yesterday and tested the I-phone and I was very impressed. PalmOne is in the serious trouble, the experience of the I-phone was amazing. The keyboard was a little tough at the beginning but I was started to get good at it after 5minutes. I have an i-pod too, w/ i-tunes and I think that the real advantage of the iphone is that it is also an ipod, and that it is much thinner. My treo is way to clunky. I've read these reviews and there is no comparison, the treo might be a little easier to work at first but once you get used to the iphone it is just as easy. It also has a built in dictionary to correct grammer errors. (probably use it in this post, writing fast).
In conclusion the design of the treo is becoming a dinosaur and that needs to be addressed REAl fast. I'll be waiting a while for the price and the bugs to work out of the I-phone, but I will definitely be switching soon unless Palm pulls a rabbit out of its hat. But I have all my music on itunes so that is a problem. Palm will never be able to use itunes songs like the iphone (i don't think). For this reason the synergy is great for Apple.
One bad thing I have heard though is the lack of copy and paste on the iphone, i use that a lot. So i guess Treo has that working in its favor for now.
Thats my 2 cents,
Kevin
After handling an iPhone at my local Cingular retailer, I can see why it is so seductive to the target audience for which it is intended. Certainly, I hope that some of the iPhone's UI innovations find their way into the Palm products. And for sure, I have been frustrated in the past with configuration issues, periodic crashes, etc.
But...
I have a pretty stable device now, after some tweaking and some elimination of some third party apps that I didn't really need. And the things I do on a daily basis, the iPhone simply cannot do. Those things include:
Push email from a BES server
PDF viewing
Synchronization with Project, and Office apps
Open IM client
External keyboard
GPS connectivity
Ability to record calls
Ability to function as an external USB drive
Fax capability
VPN connectivity to enterprise networks
File manager capable of viewing hierarchical storage
Read e-books
Read several versions of the Bible
Play all major forms of audio files, incl. WMA
Play all major forms of video files, incl. DivX AVI
Remote access into Windows and VNC
Telnet access using SSH
View videos from Slingplayer
Online radio and video
Robust backups and restores from external SD card
OTA sync with bank accounts
Blogging and photo-blogging tools
Voice activated menus and phone dialing
CAD tools
You will notice that these things are both work-related enterprise apps and play-related multimedia apps. The beauty of the Treo, for me, is that it accomplishes both. I believe the iPhone is marketed to those that desire the latter. For those people, the iPhone is a godsend. For me, it is in need of a few more iterations before I will even consider a change.
Dave - How much did you spend on all that extra third-party app? Just curious. Seems like you took a blank piece of paper (Treo) and just added programs you wanted. Sounds like an expensive investment.
Later on Palm. Love my new iPhone. It doesn't lock up and need to be rebooted several times a day like my Verizon Treo 700p.
Good riddens Palm.
For what it is worth:
I have always loved Palm products, but I do admit that I have recently traded my Treo 680 for a Blackberry Curve. Why? Simple ... faster, more functionality, thinner, lighter, no battery issues, no lock-ups, etc. I will certainly purchase an iPhone eventually unless Palm is able to offer a smartphone that is seriously competitive. Do I think that will happen? Unfortunately no, but one can always hope. I don't think Palm is dead but they have a lot of catchinh up to do.
What can Palm do to compete with the iPhone?
1. Realize what they are competing against. The iPhone is a consumer device. It is not business oriented. Due to the selection of AT&T as the carrier, it is a metropolitan area tool more than a rural one. It has, and will continue to have the best UI of any phone, period. Many will try to best the iPhone UI and fail - this is not Palm's strength. And the iPhone is a software-intensive device with no real 3rd party apps yet.
2. Realize who is buying *and keeping* iPhones: consumers and gadgeteers. Palm will never compete successfully in the consumer market against Apple, or even Motorola. Palm *can* compete in the gadgeteer marketplace because they have an open system, friendly to 3rd party developers of both hardware and software. And they have a natural strength in business users.
3. Play on the strengths of the Palm carriers. Verizon, Sprint, et al are now locked out of the iPhone market for five more years. They are now Palm's natural allies, if the relationships are nurtured properly. Verizon is widely reported to have a better network.
4. Provide more in the hardware. Build in real GPS, not network-dependent location services. Build a better MP3 playback with higher quality, and bundle audiophile-quality headphones with it. Build an accessory to view Palm-based video on a regular hotel TV with RCA jacks. Think outside the box on connectivity - that will be an iPhone weakness for anything which demands more than Bluetooth bandwidth.
5. Provide more connectivity options. The iPhone is a closed system, relying on another closed system (iTunes) for much of its software. The record companies are looking to break Apple's near-monopoly. There's an opportunity there, in conjunction with other cell manufacturers and possibly the cellular carriers.
There are probably some other natural allies - Microsoft and PC makers seem likely. Apple will enjoy a tremendous advantage with people migrating from an iPod, and trying to compete with that mindset will fail. But competing on music quality and content, if the record companies do pull their backlist from iTunes, is possible. How about a McIntosh (high-end audio) or Bang&Olufsen version of the Treo?
Oh that gorgeous high-resolution widescreen. It invites you to touch it - which is just as well, given that's how you interact with the iPhone.
I loved my Palm Pilot III and IBM 505, and when I bought the Treo 650 I had it all; phone, PDA, and then some. During all the iPhone intro I was an anti-iPhone - Treo-fanboy.
When I picked up an iPhone I loved the form factor and it is smaller than I thought it would be; just right. The UI really sold me, but I went back about four times as I thought about how I used the Treo and how I'd do the same things on the iPhone. Ultimately I had to have it.
I now (slide) type faster on the iPhone than I could after 2 1/2 years with the Treo; it does work. I can't stop playing with it; kind of like the first week with the Treo (but a bit more fun).
I miss the very handy and oft used search on the Treo, and cut/copy/paste function, the useful Palm calculator, and favorite Kalc that I added. Sorry to see Palm slipping into the rearview mirror, but the $170 (minus ten for shipping) I got for the Treo on eBay took the sting out. Cheers, George
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