Not quite the smartphone

www.dsng.net/2007/01/iphone-isnt-full-smartphone-yet.html

'The iPhone isn't going to address the main bugbears of power users - quick data entry, ability to read/edit Office documents, replaceable battery for battery life. Thus far, it looks like a phone maybe for the work culture of Silicon Valley. And that, I suppose, is the crux of the matter at the moment...it's a high-end phone for those who want the high end in mobile multimedia and web browsing, which isn't quite the same as a high-end phone for power warriors.

'And there's no implied criticism in that. Apple's been great at creating new high ends (the iPod blew away what we knew about MP3 players), and new categories to market to that you didn't know existed, and frankly the design leaves one cooing.'

Unanswered questions

http://nttup.wordpress.com/2007/01/10/iphone-the-jack-of-all-trades/

'All the features do seem interesting, but I need to try it out. And, with a large touch screen, there are 2 enemies that needs to be addressed. Smudges and scratches...Wonder what Apple is doing about that.

'And no mention about battery management! I don't want to watch videos on that until my battery is flat, and realise that both my iPod and my phone are flat...

'There is still some time and Apple can, and probably will, change some specs. While it is truely a cool device, no one can tell, untill we have it in our own hands.'

Pressuring competitors

www.pocketfactory.com/2007/01/11/why-is-this-man-smiling/

'On a serious note, it remains to be seen just how 'right' Apple may have gotten it. But Apple's vision of mobile software certainly forces the triumvirate of telephony (RIM, Palm, and Nokia) to rethink product strategies and begin taking software development more seriously. That is especially true of Palm whose orphaned Operating System, the beleaguered PalmOS Garnet, has languished.

'This is your wake up call, boys! Pick up the phone before the market hangs up on you.'

Locking users in

www.theiphoneblog.com/2007/ 01/14/iphone-shackles-users-to-apples-walled-garden/

'As 'iPhone euphoria' slowly wears off, replaced with sobering reality, some of iPhone's less shiny aspects are beginning to come into view. Wilmington North Carolina's StarNews pointed out the unfairness of Apple's FairPlay digital rights management (DRM) technology which locks users into Apple's walled garden by limiting playback of songs purchased through the iTunes Store only on Apple authorised hardware.

'Since Apple doesn't license FairPlay to any other vendor, that means you can only listen to these legally purchased tracks on an iPod, or iPhone in this case.'

Future possibilities

http://decayonnet.blogspot.com/2007/01/iphone-shuffle-life-is-random.html

'...as I ponder more about the future of iPhone, I was wondering...Could Apple also release an iPhone shuffle too? Is it possible? Before iPod shuffle, we all thought it's not possible that any MP3 makers would be able to market a MP3 player without screen. But Apple did what everyone thought is impossible...

'Imagine...An iPhone that calls your friend on random!!!'