PS3 or iPhone?

[aidanpendragon]

I think it's funny that the price points are the same. I also think it's funny that, as resistant as I am to paying $600 for a game console/Blu-ray player, that seems infinitely more reasonable than $600 for a phone. I mean, it's a f*cking phone for $600 plus a 2-year contract (plus, not included in cost, right?). OK, it's got the kitchen sink in there, but I can't see this having iPod-scale mass-market appeal. In many ways, this is the cell phone version of the PS3, not of the Wii (small, white, cute, simple, fairly cheap). Has Nintendo out-Appled Apple?

Please, no flames on "Steve's a visionary, you're wrong because Apple didn't give you want you want, etc." Just trying to make a game-related price comparison.

[apfhex]

I know what you mean. I'd be more likely to drop $600 on the iPhone than on a PS3. Maybe that's because the former could actually be a useful productive addition to your life (in addition to being really super cool), whereas the PS3 is just for games (I don't care about all the other functions Sony tries to push on you, it's only useful for games).

Of course it's also that we're used to phones (though, usually unlocked ones NOT TIED TO A NETWORK) costing upwards of $600, and game consoles costing $300 or less.

[padré]

FISRT IPHONE, ps3 can wait

no i'm seriouce, the ps3 (exept for the xbox 360 wich i allreay got) was the things for wish i was saving money, but it can wait cause this iphone is so damn hot baby... to bad i'm in europe... :( :p

[Chone]

I think it's funny that the price points are the same. I also think it's funny that, as resistant as I am to paying $600 for a game console/Blu-ray player, that seems infinitely more reasonable than $600 for a phone. I mean, it's a f*cking phone for $600 plus a 2-year contract (plus, not included in cost, right?). OK, it's got the kitchen sink in there, but I can't see this having iPod-scale mass-market appeal. In many ways, this is the cell phone version of the PS3, not of the Wii (small, white, cute, simple, fairly cheap). Has Nintendo out-Appled Apple?

Please, no flames on "Steve's a visionary, you're wrong because Apple didn't give you want you want, etc." Just trying to make a game-related price comparison.

If there is one thing Apple has never been known for is prices :rolleyes: , apart from price, the iPhone is very Apple-ish, the Wii isn't that Apple, just because its white and small doesn't mean its Apple-ish.

I just had to comment on that, I found your Nintendo out-Appled apple comment because the Wii is cheap (because the rest of the iPhone SCREAMS Apple) very weird indeed, I've never bought an Apple product and really thought "bargain" to myself, well except maybe with my Mac Pro which is really well priced. I'd really like to see you elaborate on your PS3=iPhone not Wii comparison.

Hmm as for the $600 for a console vs $600 for a phone comment, well if money was an issue to you you really wouldn't be worrying about expensive cutting-edge phones and $600 next gen consoles, I wouldn't buy an iPhone if I was going to be worried about money, I'd buy a PS3 and a free phone (the kind you get with contracts), if I could only pick one, I'd pick a PS3, there is nothing the iPhone can do that is revolutionary or life changing or anything, sure its extremely cool and wicked in implementation but I can still call people and send SMS with just about any other phone in the market :rolleyes:

[barr08]

iPhone hands down. How hot is this thing?!

[happy.buddha]

Why not buy the PS3 now and play until the phone is actually available and sell the PS3 around the time that it is available to purchase...have fun now and get the new phone later.

[MacRumorUser]

as much as I think the iphone is sexy its damn costly + 2 years tied to a contract. eek. (that's what $800 + more)

4/8gb ? A video ipod with 8gb ? No way near enough space for me.

movies, audio, photos, but 8gb ? in 2 years that space is going to seem even more tight.



I think I'll wait till at least Rev.2



But really PS3 or iPhone ? Doesnt really come to the equation. You cant make phone calls on the ps3 or carry it around like a pda. But then you cant watch HD movies and Games on a iPhone. So its a non starter of a question. What do you want ? A console or a Phone.

[JackAxe]

I paid $600 for my Sony Clié when it came out. My PPC was $400. This iPone is no different, as in its price fits its level of tech.

Most peeps comare Apple and Nintendo, "not" because of styling, but because of their business practices and innovations. Of course Nintendo will only release tech that's affordable at that time, where as Apple takes the Sony route, and will release tech, even if it's beyond what some peeps consider a fair value.

For what the iPhone offers and can do, there is "no" equal. This thing costs only $150 more than a Zune and it's light-years ahead on features. No phone on the planet can run desktop level applications, not even my Nokia, so for what Apple has introduce here, sure it does your basic features like SMS, but it also goes way beyond something that simple.

<]=)

I'll be waiting for rev 2 also. I need an unlocked version, I'm not going to touch Cingular.

8 gigs is really tight. I hope they offer a future memory port.

<]=)

[ricgnzlzcr]

The phone really is amazing. I have always wanted to have an mp3 and a phone in one device. I know many companies have mp3 capabilities but none have been able to replace my ipod. Too bad the iphone is only on cingular and costs so much. I would have paid $300 for something a little less high tech. I love the features but can't afford them just yet. Maybe in the future I can pick one up. For now, I have to stay with my ipod shuffle and this crap verizon phone. If the ps3 were performing better, I'd pick it in this situation only because of service provider and because I have a high definition television.

[darkwing]

Unlimited data with the EDGE network on Cingular (or UTMS where available) is going to run you about $40-50 depending on what kind of deal you get ON TOP of voice service/text messages. I looked into that cingular pda phone and decided to wait to see if Apple came out with something neat. I like the iPhone, but $600 for only 8 gigs and Cingular's crazy data rates doesn't thrill me. If they offered more of a rebate than that I might be excited.

Still, I just might go for it anyway. It's a pretty nice looking device, and 8 gigs is enough to hold several movies.

I think the screen is going to get super oily when holding it against your head as a phone though. :(

[raggedjimmi]

Phone is brilliant but not worth that much (IMO). I doubt I'll be able to pick this up for an 8gb Nano price + extra. It's likely to be a fortune here and I won't bother with it myself. Certainly the kind of phone I'd like though.

Though... Phones do cost quite a bit, but when you consider they're always around. Always on. Always being used to some degree then the price justifies itself a little. I only play games for an hour a day at most, an hour a day on a 430 quid machine? No ta. People just think they should cost less as they're all around us. Like cars too I suppose.

[phungy]

Save your money and don't buy either.

Wait until the bugs and kinks are corrected.

[gloss]

16-32gb of internal drive space and I'm on it like white on rice.

I'm waiting otherwise.

[Coded-Dude]

32GB flash should be more widely available this year.
It should end up in this alleged "rev 2"

[aidanpendragon]

I just had to comment on that, I found your Nintendo out-Appled apple comment because the Wii is cheap (because the rest of the iPhone SCREAMS Apple) very weird indeed, I've never bought an Apple product and really thought "bargain" to myself, well except maybe with my Mac Pro which is really well priced. I'd really like to see you elaborate on your PS3=iPhone not Wii comparison.

Just a thought in that both the Wii and the iPod have great mass-market appeal, as well as the same (in absolute dollar terms) price point - a point which is conducive to moving tons of them off the shelves.

The PS3=iPhone comparison started with price point, but may also go deeper: both have top-of-the-line hardware and are feature-rich, almost too feature rich. The iPod does 1-2 things (music, then movies) very well and cleanly. The iPhone seems to seek to do many things, maybe almost too many things. What I and perhaps others expected from an "iPhone" was a sleek, sexy, intuitive phone, not a BlackBerrying, Google-mapping, iPhoto-taking-and-manipulating, widget-using Swiss Army Gadget (TM).

One casualty of this feature creep is the iPod video functionality that Steve touted: great widescreen, but only 8 GB? Another is the aesthetics: slim, sure, but still has the "hold-a-slab-up-to-your-head" phone design that I think makes BlackBerry users look so silly.

On price: nothing from Apple will ever be cheap, and I didn't mean to imply otherwise. But again, the price in absolute terms will be a barrier to greater adoption. I, probably like the mass market, am looking for a phone primarily, with Apple chic, for a $100 premium on the competition. Not the Wonder Gizmo for $600, plus 2-year gouging contract!

as much as I think the iphone is sexy its damn costly + 2 years tied to a contract. eek. (that's what $800 + more)

4/8gb ? A video ipod with 8gb ? No way near enough space for me.

movies, audio, photos, but 8gb ? in 2 years that space is going to seem even more tight.

I think I'll wait till at least Rev.2

But really PS3 or iPhone ? Doesnt really come to the equation. You cant make phone calls on the ps3 or carry it around like a pda. But then you cant watch HD movies and Games on a iPhone. So its a non starter of a question. What do you want ? A console or a Phone.

Agree with all of this. Didn't mean to imply a PS3-or-iPhone purchasing choice (apples & oranges), just that if I (and others) feel like "$600, yikes!" towards a console/mini-computer, that feeling is trebly so towards a $600 phone. Nintendo has out-Appled the new Apple Inc.'s mass-market iPod approach. Ironically, despite the name change, the iPhone reeks of old-school Apple Computer: a hideously-cool-but-overpriced gadget. Steve is in the press saying "we hope to capture 1% of the market with this." Sounds very much like the old Apple attitude, not the new one, of iPods and Mac Pros that are price-competitive with comparable PCs.

[zap2]

I'd buy an iPhone, but there in 2 very different markets

[lamerlizer]

yea they are in two very different market. but i would rather go for the iPhone! it looks so dam cool! :eek: :D

[Torajima]

I probably won't buy either any time soon, but I'd choose the iPhone. Why? I'd use it every day.

My PS2 mostly collected dust... I've played maybe 6 or 7 games on it. So I can't justify wasting $600 on the PS3.

I might buy the Wii once the price falls... but only because it would be great fun at parties.

[sikkinixx]

I already have a PS3 and I havea contract with a PCS (Telus) provider for my phone so I can't use the iPhone :( Plus it is too much $$$ and the battery life is kinda lame. I know it is good for what it does BUT, if you watch a few hours of video on it, you can't use it as a phone since the battery will be dead... so you will have to ration your use of it so you have enough juice to make/recieve a call...no thanks.

[2nyRiggz]

I know this topic was coming and to tell you the truth I think the iphone is WAY too expensive...although its very very sexy and I really want one. There is no way I'm leaving verizon/t-mo.

..it hurt my heart when he said the 8gig for 599:eek: ..WTF!



Bless

[BRUUUCE]

i have a 360 and getting a wii soon.... so no to the PS3

im on verizon and i bet just like verizon, the date package is ridiculous and adds atleast 50 dollars on top of your bill. a smart phone without a data package sucks.

even if the above weren't true, i would wait. as an american consumer, it's hard to wait, but you have to. hopefully rev2 will have longer battery life and larger storage, by then, my contract will be up and i just might switch to cingular a year from now. i don't mind dropping that much money, i just want a little more when spending it.

[GFLPraxis]

iPhone. Unfortunately for me...I can't afford to switch to Cingular.

I know this topic was coming and to tell you the truth I think the iphone is WAY too expensive...although its very very sexy and I really want one. There is no way I'm leaving verizon/t-mo.

..it hurt my heart when he said the 8gig for 599:eek: ..WTF!



Bless

Hardware-wise, I don't think so. The hardware is certainly worth the price...but the price point is very, very high :( Just like the PS3.

Still...unlike the PS3, Apple has the software to back it up.

But I'm not leaving T-Mobile, I already have a plan, I'd be paying hundreds of dollars more by buying another plan.

[pcypert]

If you can "leave the country" cell phone companies have to let you out of your contract. Something about if you're going somewhere and they can't offer service and you're not going to a competitor....at least that's the way it worked for us when we came to Thailand.

I think it's pretty neat. It's almost a mini for crying out loud but can go wherever. The only thing for me is there are so many new features that could prove buggy that I'd want to wait. Plus my Nokia e61 is sweet for the time being, is unlocked, plays Doom, plays Mp3's, etc and was only around 300ish US. The price isn't so, so high considering what people pay for those crappy HP palm phones in the US. I've seen some up over 1K.

I want it for the business aspect. I can show people slideshows on a slick screen out on the sidewalk if I want to. Play a nice slideshow with music over a headset to someone I meet on the street and book a 5K wedding package on the spot....worth 600 bucks to me ;)

Paul

[Gimzotoy]

Unlimited data with the EDGE network on Cingular (or UTMS where available) is going to run you about $40-50 depending on what kind of deal you get ON TOP of voice service/text messages.

I've heard this a couple times. I don't know if some markets they hose people in or what, but the 3 cities I've had mine in unlimited data + 500 txt msgs per month is $19.99 on top of voice. You're supposed to pay more to tether to a PDA or laptop, but if you're doing your data usage on the phone itself (this includes all smartphones), it's supposed to be $19.99, at least in the markets I've been in.

Is this a number that people are just guessing, or do they vary prices by that much per your region?

[siurpeeman]

i wasn't surprised when i heard of ps3 prices, but i wasn't sold either. no way was i going to shell out so much for a game console. today, after learning of the iphone's price, i'm so going to buy one.

[dextertangocci]

DEFINITELY the iPhone;)

You Americans are so lucky that you can have it by June:(

[phungy]

DEFINITELY the iPhone;)

You Americans are so lucky that you can have it by June:(

You mean, you Americans who use Cingular/are going to switch to Cingular are so lucky that they can have it by June.

I won't be switching just to use the iPhone.

[Tarkovsky]

The iPhone is inherently more useful than a PS3. Sending emails whilst on the phone that's incredible! Internet on mobiles beforehand has been slowly crappy and pretty much pointless. Its not really a media player, its a PDA, so 8 gig is fine, it keeps you entertained, but the point is productivity and communication.

[2nyRiggz]

^:confused: ...how did you come to that?
Is it more useful to you because it sounds like you know how useful it is for everyone.



Bless

[MacRumorUser]

The iPhone is inherently more useful than a PS3. Sending emails whilst on the phone that's incredible! Internet on mobiles beforehand has been slowly crappy and pretty much pointless. Its not really a media player, its a PDA, so 8 gig is fine, it keeps you entertained, but the point is productivity and communication.

? As 2nyRigz pointed out why ? It depends on the individual.

1 . I dont need to send emails when I'm out, if I need to phone I make a call nothing more. But that's ok because even though I'm paying for an expensive 3G network I cant partake in any of those fancy Video calls because theres no camera on the front of it anyway. :o

2. Internet on mobiles before didnt require you to be in a wifi hotspot. Our if your infrastructure is like Ireland, 3G networking is very poor and still very slow. At the moment it costs €50 per month for a data 3G card from Vodafone ($70 per month) and then there is the Call plan on top of that. Making the Phone monthly line rental cost at least €70 ($100). On top of €600 for the phone. Nice.....

3. Its not really a media player you say? Oh did someone not tell Steve Jobs that then. I guess he was too busy showing all the itunes and video on the device to realise it wasnt a media player :rolleyes:

I guess that slides about it being a replacement for 3 devices, phone, pda & ipod was complete rubbish then eh ?

4. It's a PDA, without all the handy PDA features like notebook, word, excel compatability. But it does have a couple of poxy widgits, so that's really useful then to the average PDA business user :o At least at a meeting they'll be able to entertain their clients with a photo slideshow. :rolleyes:


There's no doubting the beauty and elegance of the device on the surface, but beauty is only skin deep and looking further into the market that this device is meant to replace - it comes out short on a lot of important factors.

[cubist]

Both of them are about double what they should cost, and have a lot of initial problems. To me, the most serious deficiency of the iPhone is the lack of programming information, but that's because I'm a programmer.

Wait for both of them to drop into the $300 range. They will.

[sikkinixx]

The iPhone is inherently more useful than a PS3. Sending emails whilst on the phone that's incredible! Internet on mobiles beforehand has been slowly crappy and pretty much pointless. Its not really a media player, its a PDA, so 8 gig is fine, it keeps you entertained, but the point is productivity and communication.

why do people always need something useful? is everyone such a work-a-holic that they need to have productivity on their mind 24/7? god. :rolleyes:

[Haoshiro]

? As 2nyRigz pointed out why ? It depends on the individual.

1 . I dont need to send emails when I'm out, if I need to phone I make a call nothing more. But that's ok because even though I'm paying for an expensive 3G network I cant partake in any of those fancy Video calls because theres no camera on the front of it anyway. :o

2. Internet on mobiles before didnt require you to be in a wifi hotspot. Our if your infrastructure is like Ireland, 3G networking is very poor and still very slow. At the moment it costs €50 per month for a data 3G card from Vodafone ($70 per month) and then there is the Call plan on top of that. Making the Phone monthly line rental cost at least €70 ($100). On top of €600 for the phone. Nice.....

3. Its not really a media player you say? Oh did someone not tell Steve Jobs that then. I guess he was too busy showing all the itunes and video on the device to realise it wasnt a media player :rolleyes:

I guess that slides about it being a replacement for 3 devices, phone, pda & ipod was complete rubbish then eh ?

4. It's a PDA, without all the handy PDA features like notebook, word, excel compatability. But it does have a couple of poxy widgits, so that's really useful then to the average PDA business user :o At least at a meeting they'll be able to entertain their clients with a photo slideshow. :rolleyes:


There's no doubting the beauty and elegance of the device on the surface, but beauty is only skin deep and looking further into the market that this device is meant to replace - it comes out short on a lot of important factors.

It's likely true Internet on this device will be more useful in the USA, where most cities have an abundance of WiFi hotspots and where EDGE and 3G services are not only more readily available but also better performing due to much higher demand. That is probably with the exception of Japan, which appears to have the highest cell phone usage of any country (at least concerning population adoption ratios).

Personally I do still see this device as a replacement for PDAs. Most people I know who frequently use a PDA use it for Contacts, Calendar, and Notes. Word and Excel are nice, but not something I see used much - likely because compatibility between versions of these applications (and thus older PDAs) has been quite poor.

As a Personal Data Assistant the iPhone seems to offer what the majority of people use, with the added benefit of true internet and e-mail access. This will be especially big for business professionals that are almost always within a WiFi hotspot anyway.

I also noticed that the UI for the iPhone seems to have been specifically laid out to accomodate 16 apps/icons on screen. No doubt it also supports scrolling, but even at 16 that leaves 5 open slots. Personally I see Apple offering additional productivity solutions such as spreadsheets and word processing in the future, perhaps even by release. These might be free or they might be purchasable addons, who knows. We could even see games (Sudoku seems like a perfect fit for the device). Google Spreadsheets is an option for people needing spreadsheet access as well.

All in all I think it should work just fine as an iPod/Phone/Camera/PDA for the vast majority of people. I would definitely have like to see a MicroSD slot on the device, and larger sized hdd. But what they packed in is great, and the best looking (and functioning) PMP I've seen as well.

I think I'll still wait for the 2nd generation before putting money into it, I have a 2yr contract with my cell phone provider anyway. But with a full blown OS on the device, Apple really has room to add even more to the device in terms of software. It's an impressive device, but if you want to play Blu-ray movies and SCI games, the PS3 is still the best choice.

I noticed how the multi-browser interface is just like the PS3 it seems... the advantage the iPhone would have for me is the mac syncing and that it also functions as an iPod, so I can play my purchased music (iTunes) on the device. Something I can't really do on 360 nor PS3.

[Haoshiro]

Both of them are about double what they should cost, and have a lot of initial problems. To me, the most serious deficiency of the iPhone is the lack of programming information, but that's because I'm a programmer.

Wait for both of them to drop into the $300 range. They will.

I'd love to think that, but iPods haven't really dropped in price that much so I'm not convinced they will any time within the next few years, at least.

Also, it's OS X... chances are that's your developer information right there. Core Animation suggests it's Leopard-based, at that.

[Grimace]

how much do you game?
how much do you use a phone/iPod?

the iPhone is more expensive long term b/c you have a contract (especially with the data plan!) - but if it's something you will use every day -- and LOVE! -- I say go for that.

The PS3 games haven't fully harnessed the power of the system yet anyway.

[aidanpendragon]

Both of them are about double what they should cost, and have a lot of initial problems. To me, the most serious deficiency of the iPhone is the lack of programming information, but that's because I'm a programmer.

Wait for both of them to drop into the $300 range. They will.

How much were the first iPods? $399 for 4 GB or something like that? This will be a much better product by v3.0, like some have said here.

[MacRumorUser]

I guess I agree with you Haoshiro, no point me blaming the iphone for lack of infastrcuture as that's my governments fault (our telecomunications is still state owned).

What I would like is all those media & pda style features + wifi, but maybe without the phone part, and a proper 80gb ipod HDD, and this released as the 6th gen ipod. I'd snap one of those up at €599 in an instant.

I paid that for a 60gb Ipod Photo when they launched here. :)

[Haoshiro]

I guess I agree with you Haoshiro, no point me blaming the iphone for lack of infastrcuture as that's my governments fault (our telecomunications is still state owned).

What I would like is all those media & pda style features + wifi, but maybe without the phone part, and a proper 80gb ipod HDD, and this released as the 6th gen ipod. I'd snap one of those up at €599 in an instant.

I paid that for a 60gb Ipod Photo when they launched here. :)

Sounds to me like you could just buy the phone then, and not use the phone functionality. :D Granted it's a smaller size, but do people really need that.

I have a good 12GB of music, but being realistic I probably don't listen to half of it on a frequent basis. Sure it'd be nice to have my entire library on a device, but even 4GB worth of music ends up being a very lengthy library.

A single device like this is exactly what I've wanted for some time. I'd rather not carry around 2 or 3 devices one I could use one. Add some more apps onto this and you are getting an iPod+Smartphone+PDA for the price of just an iPod+Smartphone and a huge benefit in convenience. Just being able to use the same headset for answering calls and an auto-pause for music is a huge boost in convenience.

I'm not only excited about this device, but even more so at the future of the device over the next few years.

I just hope by the time the next release is out they either support other networks or Cingular becomes a better option where I am.

[MacRumorUser]

Sounds to me like you could just buy the phone then, and not use the phone functionality. :D Granted it's a smaller size, but do people really need that.


I dont want to be locked into a contract for 24 months for a phone I will barely touch. I'd rather pay the same €599 for an ipod like this than €599 + €1500 on 24 months worth of contract.

[Haoshiro]

I dont want to be locked into a contract for 24 months for a phone I will barely touch. I'd rather pay the same €599 for an ipod like this than €599 + €1500 on 24 months worth of contract.

I'm sure there will be ways to procure the device without a contract. ;)

[MacRumorUser]

Yeah but pimping myself out on the docks to russian sailors in the vain hope that they'll able to precure me one on the russian black market, has landed me in a lot of hot water before :D

[Haoshiro]

Yeah but pimping myself out on the docks to russian sailors in the vain hope that they'll able to precure me one on the russian black market, has landed me in a lot of hot water before :D

At least you could say you tried, though. :D

[2nyRiggz]

Yeah but pimping myself out on the docks to russian sailors in the vain hope that they'll able to precure me one on the russian black market, has landed me in a lot of hot water before :D

Ewww....try Italian sailors next time:)



Bless

[MacRumorUser]

Ewww....try Italian sailors next time:)


Been there, done that. All I got for my effort was a bowl-full of RAGU :D and some salty meat balls.. :eek: