The Voice

iPhone: Worth the publicity?

Pros and cons with Apple's new smartphone

Sarah Espinoza

Issue date: 7/2/07 Section: Science & Technology

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Media Credit: Courtesy of Apple Inc.

Apple's iPhone sold over 500,000 on its opening weekend.

The iPhone, Apple's revolutionary smartphone, was introduced by Steve Jobs with ties to the AT&T phone service. The iPhone has generated the most hype of any smartphone, but does it meet customers' expectations? Here are some pros and cons to help you decide:

Pros

Apple claims the iPhone contains a 3.5 inch liquid crystal display (320×480 pixels at 160 ppi) multi-touch system which allows users to zoom in and out of their email by "pinching" and "unpinching" usually done with the thumb and pointer finger. "You can glide through albums with Cover Flow, flip through photos and email them with a touch, or zoom in and out on a section of a web page..." Has a software keyboard or on screen keyboard that is also touch sensitive. "The keyboard is predictive, so it prevents and corrects mistakes, making it easier and more efficient to use than the small plastic keyboards on many smartphones." (Apple.com)

Three different sensors: An accelerometer that measures acceleration and gives the phone knowledge of when it’s tilted horizontally or vertically. A proximity sensor that saves battery power by shutting off the display and touchscreen when the phone is near the face. An ambient light sensor that adjusts the display brightness and also saves battery power. (mobiletechnews.com)

Contains an 802.11g Wi-Fi radio which works like radio waves in a walkie-talkie. The frequencies of a Wi-Fi network, however, are higher than frequencies of radio waves in a walkie-talkie allowing the iPhone's signal to carry more data. The data in a 802.11g version can travel very fast because it uses a "more efficient coding technique" called orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) (Howstuffworks.com)

Internet using the OS X operating system. Apple claims that one can have access to "rich HTML email, full-featured web browsing, and applications such as Safari, calendar, text messaging, Address Book, Weather, Stocks, Maps, Notes, and YouTube. iPhone is also fully multi-tasking, so you can read a web page while downloading your email in the background." (Apple.com)

Widescreen iPod built right into the phone. Besides music, the user can also enjoy audiobooks, videos, TV shows, and movies. It syncs content from the iTunes library to a Mac or PC. (Apple.com)

Cons

Must be touched by a material resembling skin, so a gloved hand will not work. (nytimes.com)

The non-removable rechargeable battery will need to be replaced by the manufacturer for a fee once it's depleted. (nytimes.com)

Apple claims that the "iPhone will automatically switch between EDGE service and Wi-Fi as you move between wireless networks to provide the fastest data connection possible." But according to Wall Street Journal's Walter S. Mossberg who tried the iPhone for two weeks in various places, said that AT&T’s EDGE service is actually quite slow. (wsj.com)