Is it worth getting an iPhone if you're NOT going to use the iPod feature?

Neutral Gamer · Feb 2, 2008

I was in an Apple store yesterday and my friend and I were having a good little fiddle round with the iPhone. I have to admit, despite the size being bigger than I'd like, the interface was pretty cool and the animations surprisingly smooth. I also enjoyed using many of the applications and I'm sure I'd get used to the on screen keyboard.

However, the main reason I've never been interested in an iPhone before is because I have a Napster subscription (best thing since sliced bread in my opinion - FAR cheaper than purchasing over the long term) and so with the exception of the CD's I already own, I'd never use the iPhone for its iPod feature.

I already have a Napster compatible MP3 player so I can still listen to music on the move. But what I want to know is if I'm not gonna be using the iPhone for music am I missing out massively; isn't that the main reason for people buying iPhones in the first place? Now that o2 have improved their talk plans here in the UK, I'm getting tempted, but is it worth getting if I won't be using it to its fullest?

Cheers

snapper07 · Feb 2, 2008

i would say for me the main use of the i phone is as a phone also the text ical, safari maps etc for me the music is great but a bonus to the phone rather than the main reason its there!

so to answer your question YES

tjcampbell · Feb 2, 2008

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU like Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/420.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.0 Mobile/4A93 Safari/419.3)

yeah. The interface, email and the web capabilities make it worthwhile for sure. The ipod is a bonus and an awesome one at that. Furthermore I beleive you will find yourself using the iPod feature for podcasts. They rock and are will naturally update with each sync.

Neutral Gamer · Feb 2, 2008

snapper07 said:
i would say for me the main use of the i phone is as a phone also the text ical, safari maps etc for me the music is great but a bonus to the phone rather than the main reason its there!

so to answer your question YES

Yeah, I like the idea of the iPhone basically being a PDA with a phone built in and being able to synchronise with many of the programs built into Mac OS - it makes it seem like a natural, portable extension to a Mac. It'd be nice to know how developing for it compares to developing a Mac OS application when the SDK is released. If it's very similar then that could really tip the scales in favour of it.

tjcampbell said:
yeah. The interface, email and the web capabilities make it worthwhile for sure. The ipod is a bonus and an awesome one at that. Furthermore I beleive you will find yourself using the iPod feature for podcasts. They rock and are will naturally update with each sync.

Yes you're right, I completely forgot about the podcast feature. My friend has an iPod and synchronises with free podcasts all the time; I could definitely make use of that feature. I'm sure I could convert some of my DVD's as well so I could watch them on the move. How hard is that to do and how much video could I fit?

Also, one thing I've always wanted to know. How come when someone posts from an iPhone on MacRumors it adds that "wirelessly posted ..." message to the start?

Nice, now I just need some more recommendations so I can psyhcologically persuade myself to spend the cash ...

apachie2k · Feb 2, 2008

people buy sports cars and never "race", people buy "over the top computers" that will never be used to their fullest potential. What you have to ask yourself is paying that price, and the monthly fee's worth what you are going to use it for...

s8film40 · Feb 2, 2008

The iPod is probably the least used feature on my iPhone, I rarely use it. If you want to you can also use seeqpod for music that might be better for you as you are not limited to what you have stored on your phone. I usually keep a few movies or television shows on it in case I am somewhere and have nothing to do.

numediaman · Feb 2, 2008

s8film40 said:
The iPod is probably the least used feature on my iPhone, I rarely use it. If you want to you can also use seeqpod for music that might be better for you as you are not limited to what you have stored on your phone. I usually keep a few movies or television shows on it in case I am somewhere and have nothing to do.

Totally agree. To date, I have never listened to music on my iPhone, though I synced some music shortly after activating it.

But . . . I like that it is also an iPod. My very nice iPod is now in the hands of my ten year old -- who has never used it, by the way.

I find the iPhone almost perfect -- which is quite an accomplishment. Now if all you guys would just open your wifi networks for free I'd be in heaven!

MacsAttack · Feb 2, 2008

In order of usage, my iPhone...

1. Is used to check my personal e-mail as the company network blocks access to other mail services.
2. Web browsing for personal use during breaks.
3. Weather

4. Calendar.
5. Google Maps - set up bookmarks for travel and figuring routes - and it is all there in my pocket when I need it. GPS not required - I know where I am

6. Even works as a phone!
7. And I can even send SMS messages (think I've sent about 30 in two months)
8. Oh... and it is an iPod as well. I've got a few audio books and pod casts loaded for some light entertainment when traveling. Got some music too - but I think I probably listened to that only when testing the thing.

MacsAttack · Feb 2, 2008

Neutral Gamer said:
I'm sure I could convert some of my DVD's as well so I could watch them on the move. How hard is that to do and how much video could I fit?

Well... reputedly there is an application called Handbreak that does this very well. If I were ever to use such software I could possibly get about 10MB a minute at iPhone-native resolution. Perhaps.

Certainly that is the kind of file size I get with encoded TV programs from my EyeTV setup. A 42 minute episode of Heros squishes down to around 423MB

nickspohn · Feb 2, 2008

Duh...it's the iPhone.

Now, if this was "Is it worth getting the iPod Touch if you're NOT going to use the iPod feature?" I could see some issues

Neutral Gamer · Feb 2, 2008

Thanks everyone for your replies. It does indeed seem perfectly plausible to use the iPhone without having to use or signficantly use the iPod function. The fact that the iPhone has so many other features clearly helps!

MacsAttack said:
In order of usage, my iPhone...

<snip>
3. Weather
</snip>

You need to check the weather for Scotland? Why don't you just write down: "Rain. Wind. Cold. Repeat 365/366 days a year." Problem solved.

nickspohn said:
Duh...it's the iPhone.

Now, if this was "Is it worth getting the iPod Touch if you're NOT going to use the iPod feature?" I could see some issues

Now that's a very interesting point because isn't the iPod Touch supposed to be more or less EXACTLY the same as the iPhone with the exception of the phone function of course? Considering how much cheaper the iPod Touch is (no phone contract) I therefore ask you: "Is it worth getting the iPod Touch if you're NOT going to use the iPod feature?"

one1 · Feb 2, 2008

No it is not the same and there are several things missing... like a SPEAKER to even play the music or podcast. Having to put headphones on every time you want to hear anything is annoying. This also means no alarm, no "DING" every time you get an email, no vibration feature so no vibration either. How does it alert you that you have a new email?....... it doesn't.

No external volume switch to control the volume since it has no speaker in the first place so you have to double tap the home button to get to the volume to change it, and to tap out of it so you can continue on.

This directly points to no MIC so no voice recording or note taking options.

NO CAMERA, eeek. I miss that second most of my old iPhone, but the interface also supported mainframes such as screenshot and preview which are much harder to make screenshots work on the touch properly. You have to change a plist code, create folders in the backframe of the system... BLAH.

I miss my iPhone............., I'm typing on my Touch.

nickspohn · Feb 2, 2008

He basically summed it up.

I would get an iPhone over an iPod Touch any day. Even if you didn't use the phone features much, it has a camera, speaker, etc.

I love being able to get Weather, Mail, or go on the Internet ANYWHERE i go. Regardless if i use the iPod feature or not. When i'm on the go, out in public, in the car, doing work, chances are i won't be listening to music and working unless it was a light task and didn't need much concentration.

Defiantly get an iPhone.

Neutral Gamer · Feb 2, 2008

nickspohn said:
I love being able to get Weather, Mail, or go on the Internet ANYWHERE i go.

Yeah, that definitely would be useful, sure as hell am getting tempted now ...

One question though, does anyone have insurance for their iPhone and if so how much do you pay? Would hate to break / lose / have it stolen. Also is AppleCare required / available like on the Macs?

nickspohn · Feb 2, 2008

Neutral Gamer said:
Yeah, that definitely would be useful, sure as hell am getting tempted now ...

One question though, does anyone have insurance for their iPhone and if so how much do you pay? Would hate to break / lose / have it stolen. Also is AppleCare required / available like on the Macs?

You can get Insurance on your iPhone through your homeowners insurance. I never bothered to get it though, but it isn't much. Should be around $20 a year give or take $10.
And yes, AppleCare is available, but not required. The iPhone also comes with a 1 year standard warranty. Say if something happens like it won't turn on out of the blue, sound won't come out of the speaker, they will replace it. Usually they are very lenient on it, but sometimes you get jerks that work for Apple.

If you think you will lose your iPhone or run over it with your car, get insurance.

If you want your iPhone protected for 2 years instead of 1, buy AppleCare for $69
http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APP...wo/StoreReentry.wo?productLearnMore=MB135LL/A

If you think you'll take good care of your iPhone, you shouldn't worry about it.

one1 · Feb 2, 2008

Let's stick to hardware when discussing the differences, as far as software goes my Touch is ten times more modded than my iPhone was....... proving no difference in software capabilities.

....and here is my Touch controlling my MacBook wirelessly through VNC. I did this from 45 miles away yesterday and grinned the whole time.

nickspohn · Feb 2, 2008

But you can do the same with the iPhone.......

Neutral Gamer · Feb 2, 2008

one1 said:
as far as software goes my Touch is ten times more modded than my iPhone was....

Wow, that's a lot of apps. Just makes me wish Apple saw sense and gave Leopard support for multiple pages / Spaces for Dashboard Widgets ...

DaffyDuck · Feb 2, 2008

Neutral Gamer said:
Wow, that's a lot of apps. Just makes me wish Apple saw sense and gave Leopard support for multiple pages / Spaces for Dashboard Widgets ...

Umm, the Springboard compares more with the desktop than Dashboard. Leopard has that covered with Expose and Spaces.

MacsAttack · Feb 2, 2008

Neutral Gamer said:
You need to check the weather for Scotland? Why don't you just write down: "Rain. Wind. Cold. Repeat 365/366 days a year." Problem solved.

I've been doing a lot of traveling - so it is nice to have some idea of what to expect when I get to Bristol, or Birmingham, or Luton, or Glastonbury, or Elsmere Port, or Street, or Milton Keynes, or...

Just as important, it is useful to have some idea what the weather is like in Glasgow. Helps to know if I should be making alternate arrangements because the weather looks like it is going to mess things up. Again. I was stuck in south of London the other year just before Christmas when fog shut the country down. I ended up driving the hire car all the way back to Glasgow on the same day EVERYONE was driving. As a result I'm kind of twitchy about keeping an eye on the weather so I can get contingency plans in place if it looks like things are headed south (sometimes literally).

MacsAttack · Feb 2, 2008

nickspohn said:
HI love being able to get Weather, Mail, or go on the Internet ANYWHERE i go.

It is a mobile information device... that is also an iPod and a Phone

While a Touch can do lots of what the iPhone can, that ANYWHERE bit is just soooooo useful.

gotzero · Feb 2, 2008

I do not use the ipod function of mine. I keep my newest podcast in there for the hell of it.

I am waiting for the SDK to really unlock the power of this thing... I have been reluctant to jailbreak my primary phone...

I switched from a personal blackberry because of interface, browsing, and size.

The e-mail lags behind the blackberry, everything else is a TKO for the iphone.

one1 · Feb 2, 2008

"It's a PHONE, It's a Revolutionary Internet Device, It's a Widescreen iPod, it's...................."

deannnnn · Feb 2, 2008

lol, To be completely honest, i use the iPod feature of my iPhone less than anything else. I bought the thing for safari (and bragging rights of course

)

JML42691 · Feb 2, 2008

The fact that it has a completely functioning web-browser is one reason why you should still get it even if you aren't going to use the iPod part.

Is it worth getting an iPhone if you're NOT going to use the iPod feature?

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