iPhone Passion

The guys from biskero.org make a pretty strong point on the fact that “Apple launched not the iPhone but their MCNO” - where MCNO means “Mobile Content Network Operator”.
What does this mumbo-jumbo mean? Briefly:

* M: Apple provides the hardware, software and applications, iPhone, iTunes and Widgets. They brand the phone.
* C: music and video are provided by the media owners using iTunes.
* NO: Cingular in the US provides the wireless network.

So:
Apple provides the hardware - fully branded. Apple provides the software. Apple provides the content. Cingular provides the network. IMHO a closed solution, indeed, but after all this is what mobile companies did for ages.

Why should we care? That’s another thing to discuss on:
Because there are some interesting things that Steve Jobs wasn’t honest about. And David Pogue from NYTimes posted a list of questions from the iPhone curious, that make a lot of sense and get some very depressing answers. Among them:

Does it run programs from Palm, Symbian, Windows? –No.
Does it connect to iChat? –No.
Does it have games? –No.
Is it ambidextrous? –No.
Does it have GPS? –No.
Voice recognition? Voice dialing? Voice memos? –No, although this could change by June when the phone ships.
Does it get onto the HSDPA (3G) high-speed Internet network that Cingular has rolled out in a few cities? –No. But Steve Jobs said a later version of the iPhone will — once there’s enough HSDPA coverage in this country to justify it.
Does the Web browser support Flash or Java? –No.
Will it play music over Bluetooth? –Unknown.
Can you change the battery yourself? –No. You’ll have to send the phone in to Apple for battery replacement, just as with the iPods.
Can it open Word and Excel documents? –No. (Steve Jobs says it can open PDF files, though.)
Can you use it one-handed? –Yes, for some functions. But overall, it’s less convenient than on a phone with physical keys.
Can I make a call while driving a car? –Not as easily as on a regular cellphone with programmed speed-dial keys. (Besides–MUST you?)
Does the camera record video? –Not yet. Apple may add this feature by June.

The iPhone competitors - meaning the top-range smartphones - may not be as cool, but:
* there are smartphones out there that do pretty cool things as well.
* They allow you to listen to mp3s, browse the web, they even have Wifi&Bluetooth&GSM&Edge&touchscreen.
* Plus, they also have a MORE OPEN OS - Wndows Mobile, where independent vendors can sell their apps.

* they ALSO have interchangeable batteries - you can take a spare on you if you need.
* they sometimes have GPS
* they come CHEAPER

All in all, it’s not that bad to be a bit skeptic. After all, maybe Steve will be kind enough to listen to our complaints. And maybe make the iPhone a bit cheaper.