A study published by USA Today shows that out of 200 iPhone users polled, 90% were “extremely” or “very” satisfied with their device. Take any these consumer surveys with a grain of salt and a shot of whiskey, the numbers and methodology used is always suspect. But if this percentage scales accurately to a larger demographic, this is an unprecedented number for customer satisfaction in a mobile device.
Apple’s marketing PR man Greg Joswiak gave this soundbite…
Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of worldwide marketing for the iPod and iPhone, said positive word-of-mouth reaction is “critically important” to any product, as it was with the iPod. “We’re getting even greater reaction to the iPhone,” he says.
I have to give the utmost credit to Apple for pulling off this product launch in an unparalleled way. They executed brilliantly and succeeded in creating a first generation product that “gets it right” out of the box.
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My good buddy Matt Miller from ZDNet has been fondling an iPhone for the past two weeks (his wife is starting to worry), extensively testing its features and functionality. He writes on his blog that after much deliberation he has decided to return his device and go back to a Smartphone.
Why is this news? Well for starters, Matt and I both view the iPhone from the same vantage point - as Smartphone users. We’re old school mobile experts who grew up in the PDA era, which later evolved into Smartphones, and actively experiment with all the latest in mobile technology. And his tastes and impressions often mirror my own in many ways. Sadly we see eye to eye on this subject as well.
iPhone is a first generation product that feels, at times, more like a prototype than a finished product. Like an unbaked pie that promises so much goodness, but yet needs more time to bake.
Unlike Matt, I won’t be returning my iPhone. But I won’t be throwing away my Smartphones either. Not yet anyway. Well, not quite. My PalmOS-based Treo is going in the trash where it belongs. I’ve had my fill of that dying platform.
You can read the some of Matt’s impressions @ Blogs.Zdnet.com/mobile-gadgeteer
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It didn’t take long for hackers to break through the iPhone’s glossy exterior and into its inner bowels, gaining root access. What troubles me is how easily and quickly it was done. So far hackers have managed to uncover the iPhone’s root password for the device, which is “Alpine”, as well as the mobile user account password - “Dottie”. And DVD Jon found a way to unlock the damn thing so we can use it as an iPod sans AT&T service.
Needless to say, in all this merriment, security analysts aren’t laughing.
“Once hackers are able to dissect the firmware, they can come up will all kinds of avenues to get to the iPhone’s kernel,” Paul Henry, vice president of technology evangelism for Secure Computing, told MacNewsWorld.
Yeah, and you know what that means…soon the scaremongering will begin and security firms will be lining up to sell us copies of Norton Anti-Virus for our iPhones.
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Every once in a while our overpaid representatives on Capital Hill actually do have a clue, when pockets are lined with the right amount of ahem generous contributions. A Congressional hearing on Wireless Innovation and Consumer Protection, two things our Legislature knows nothing about, debated the topic of exclusivity deals between carriers and handset makers.
Democrats led the charge outlining the evils of these seedy agreements that undermine competition and erect walled gardens around carrier’s subscriber base.
Massachusetts Rep. Ed Markey quoted a popular song by the Eagles, when describing the five year exclusive contract between Apple and AT&T.
“The problem with the iPhone is that the iPhone with AT&T is kind of like a ‘Hotel California’ service. You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.”
Hah! Eddy, you may not be my Congressman but you got my vote. The real comedy from this hearing came when lawmakers addressed the forum while waving their iPhones around in a threatening manor. That’s the kind of pork barrel spending I can appreciate. sigh
Sadly very little came out of this debate as no bill or formal proposal has been put forth (yet) to create legislation. But I’ll bet you a shiny new quarter that if iPhone really does spark a large migration of Verizon and Sprint subscribers to AT&T, they will eagerly embrace congress’s efforts in order to unlock AT&T’s stranglehold on the iPhone. And so would Apple. In fact I wouldn’t be surprised if contributions from Cupertino are behind this chatter. After all, Apple more than anyone stands to benefit from exclusivity breakup.
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Posted on Monday, Jul 2, 2007 by Mike Overbo
File Under:Bluetooth, Featured, Reviews; Tags: activation, Apple, AT&T, battery, design, Editorial, hype, iPhone, keyboard, News, omgnoappz, plan
So, after twelve hours of waiting in line, it didn’t take me long to take the iPhone out and start playing around with it. I didn’t get the zip and seal treatment that some folks got at AT&T stores, but then again, the MOA was trying to zip people through as efficiently as possible. Here are my impressions, there will be a full review later with video and pictures.
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It looks like David Pogue (of the NY Times) and Steven Levy (of Newsweek) have finished their respective reviews. The gist of it is this: all the hype? They say it’s more or less well-deserved.
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According to a blurb posted on Apple’s Retail site, Apple stores will close at 2 PM local time and reopen at 6 PM local time. Here’s the relevant blurb:
Apple retail stores will be closed on June 29 from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. to get ready for the premiere of iPhone. We’ll open the doors again at 6:00 p.m., when you can be one of the first to see, try, and buy the iPhone. Be sure to arrive early — iPhone is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
New York Post (that’s POST, not TIMES) columnist Glenn Fleishman doesn’t like the iPhone. In fact he hates it. And he hates you for even thinking of buying one. His column isn’t what I would categorize as a product review. In fact it sounds more like he has some grudge against Apple. The guy only spent a brief moment looking at the device and from that he writes a review? The New York Post must have low review standards.
The iPhone crams so many different features into its slightly bulky form that it can only excel at one, and compromise on the rest. After spending some time, albeit briefly, with the iPhone, it’s clear to me that Internet and e-mail are the parts that suffered.
Perhaps he didn’t get a free iPhone? Seriously, Glenn…why the hate?
ReadThanks to Pete for the tip
NDAs will lift at the chimes of midnight, according to Business 2.0 who claims that we can expect a deluge of first iPhone reviews from Walt Mossbert (WSJ), David Pogue (NYT), and the usual suspects of A-list journalists who were issued review units by Apple.
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Tech curmudgeon John C. Dvorak (inventor of the pot belly stove, Lava lamps, and incessant whining) says he’s had enough of all this iPhone hype. His prescription to the problem is for all of us to shut and move on with our lives, tend to our compost piles, pick flowers, that sort of thing.
I know at least two guys who are big fans of this unseen phone. It is all they talk about no matter what the topic of conversation. Both have glassy eyes and stare straight ahead.
You talk football and the conversation switches to the iPhone. You talk baseball and the conversation switches to the iPhone. TV, movies, stock market, community theater—it all switches to the iPhone. “Yes, what about them Raiders? Many players will buy the iPhone, I bet. Yes. I think so. They will. They will have to, I think.”
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