Korean Job Discussion Forums

[pkang0202]

So, its been about 2 years since the iPhone has been unveiled.

What are your thoughts?

Here are a couple old threads to look back to:

http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=91319&highlight=iphone

http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=120763&highlight=iphone


As for my own personal opinion, I think 2 years ago the iPhone was revolutionary. Nowadays, not so much. You are getting a lot of "clones" out there. I'm not sure if you can call them clones anymore. The Motorala StarTAC flip phone "revolutionized" cell phones, but I wouldn't call my Moto KRZR a StarTAC clone.

There is no way Apple can pack features into the iPhone like LG has into the new LG Chocolate. It would drive up the price of the iPhone so that only the "enthusiasts" would buy it. I believe Apple had to keep the specs of the iPhone modest to keep it in a price range that the average consumer can afford.

Are we going to see a 5megapixel camera on the next iPhone? Probably not. Are you going to see expandable micro SD slots? I seriously doubt it.

That is Apple's biggest weakness. Other cell phone companies (NOKIA, LG, SAMSUNG, Sony-Ericson, etc...) have the advantage of being flexible. They can release a multiple new handsets every month, improving on the one before it. So what if it doesn't have Apple's OS on it? Just make an OS that behaves similarly. Apple's Snow Leopard, and Microsoft Windows 7 doesn't do anything new that hasn't been done on Linux before.

Which brings me to the AppStore. The Apps on the iPhone is what keeps Apple ahead of the pack. Apple realized that good software trumps better technology. The AppStore is the iPhone's greatest strength, and it is why other companies can pump out all the touchscreen, advanced cell phone they want. Without the Apps, its just fancy hardware.


Now we are starting to run into problems with the AppStore and iPhone. Which iPhone are you going to make the Apps for? What happens when an iPhone 2.0 launches? How long is the Appstore going to provide Apps for Gen1 iPhones?

Is Apple just going to assume that everyone is going to upgrade their iPhones after 1-2 years anyways?


Another issue is Apple's policy on Apps.

Take a look at some apps available to Jailbroken iPhones that are NOT on Appstore:

http://www.iphoneuserguide.com/apple/2009/02/07/iphone3g/top-10-essential-cydia-apps/


Anyways, these are my on opinions about the iPhone. What are yours?

[FistFace]

Does the LG Chocolate have free wifi? Someone asked you that question in one of your other obsessive pro-chocolate threads (I'm glad you like it), but you didn't answer "yes" or "no."

By the way, I didn't see a single one of those jailbroken programs that I found compelling. Got any examples of more interesting jailbroken apps?

[pkang0202]

[FistFace]

That's very easy to do. You can restrict the machine to only access wifi through a proxy, for example.

It wouldn't surprise me, either. A few years back you could load your own .mp3's onto cards and into many of the phones. They then decided that phones were beginning to cannibalize their mp3 player sales, so they changed the phone internals. One quarter they went from being able to play your own mp3 files to still advertising that their phones played mp3's, but only if they were mp3's wrapped in a special codec container and downloaded through sites like melon.

It was all bull to make more money.

If you look closely at that chocolate ad, it shows wifi along with a "/" and some kind of 3G network or something (can't remember what). I'll be this is cleverly crafted to make you think you can get free wifi until you actually buy it and see you only get their pricey wifi over satellite or something.

[Slaps]

6 Reasons to jailbreak your iPhone, from Wired magazine.



http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/?p=22073

[swigs]

The added risk of stability issues is usually not worth it to jailbreak. Also you can get lost SMS's and other data inaccuracies through jailbreaking your phone, along with greater instability.

Alot of techies have been getting their underwear in a wad over the Apple App approval store procedure. But I would say 95% of it is just hype unwarranted. For example, what other phone platform has over 50,000 apps for it? With those types of numbers of course there will be a few apps that get rejected. And the complaints of Google Voice is mostly ridiculous, while a cool app, it's only useful if you have two or more lines, which most people don't. Plus Google is making a webapp, so that's not a reason to jailbreak anyway.

Overall I would say the iPhone is still easily two or three years ahead of the competition, if not more. The iPhone as you said, has the best software. Sure other companies will try and copy it, but few will succeed. Apple is one of the best software/hardware companies in the world, and I don't see any other company being able to beat that combination anytime soon. Not even in the 5 year range.

I'll probably pick up the iPhone when I'm back in America. But the question is whether or not to wait until next June/July for the 4G, or just pick up the 3Gs. With the iPhone I am able to deposit checks into my bank account, and tons of other practical uses.

To me, why buy an imitator, when you can have the real deal. Plus the integration with other Apple products is pretty seamless, like being able to control iTunes or my mac with my iTouch. And since it's over wifi I can control the media from anywhere in the networks reach.

Sure other phones companies will try and entice buyers with trivial hardware specs, but Apple has always been about how the software optimizes the software, not just what software you have. With out the right software the hardware is meaningless. Honestly I'll never own another LG or Samsung phone again in my life, as all of the phones I've had from them break at the slightest touch and have had programing and electrical issues. Like you said, these companies release a model every month instead of focusing on the products they already have and improving the hardware with software.