iPhone vs. Laptop

im sure there are many ppl use their laptop to do things other than web and email. I have seen some youngsters working on their hw at starbucks.

ThanatosId said:

I'm sitting here in my local coffee shop surround by the clackity clack of keyboards attached to the sea of laptops...and I, discreatley click on my tiny iPhone. It is just occuring to me that I haven't left my house with my laptop since June 29th (when I was waiting in line). I know the laptops in here are, I'm sure, being used for business in some cases. I always used mine for email and surfing, so it has been so much easier to walk down without my heavy suitcase. I guess I'm just curious...how many laptops are gathering dust out there?

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I used to take my MBP to class everyday so that I could check my email and play around until the next class started. Now I just take my laptop only when I have to do a research paper or something of that sort. That said, my MBP isn't gathering dust. It's just staying at home more often. That way, I don't have to worry about keeping it in the car or if someone is going to steal it when nature calls when I'm at the library.

Obviously the iPhone will never replace the laptop but it is definitely a good substitute in several situations.

I was at a starbucks wating for something (I was an hour early. ) and bought a coffee and a muffin and just surfed (over edge) my newsgator feeds.

Fast. and have this little iphone laying flat on the table was as good (or better, (less weight) then an macbook.

When I finished I just put it in my front pocket and was ready to go to my meeting.



In some cases the iphone trounces a notebook.

plumbingandtech said:

In some cases the iphone trounces a notebook.

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Definitely, and that is one good example!

I ak finding myself using my laptop less and less. The iPhone does most of what I use my laptop for. In the future this will improve in the future as third party apps are released and the iPhone will become a true mobile computer. Perhaps even on Tuesdays event apple will announce a new pocket macintosh that is based off of the iphone os and the iPhone will get an indirect update.

I do on-site computer service; and the only thing that my MacBook Pro can do (job-wise) that my iPhone can't is to download files and put them on USB key or CD-RW to transfer to a borked customer machine. For just about every other conceivable use, the iPhone works fine. (Although I did run into one piece of obnoxiousness today. A hardware accessory manufacturer put their manual (PDF) inside a .zip on their website. I couldn't open it on the iPhone, because it won't download .zip files; even though it could have opened the PDF that was inside.)

the biggest problem with iphone vs. laptop is chatting.

Yes beejive works but it's clunky.

Give me integrated ichat or some app (not web based) chat and that'll go a long way to curbing my laptop useage.

i have never been the type of person to take a laptop to a coffee shop or whatevershop the kids go to these days. but having the iphone sure is handy now!

i was going to get one of those UMPCs but opted for the iphone when it came out. sure its not as powerful but it lets me get online and check my mail, which is all i really need.

oh but if apple came out with a tiny notebook, you can bet i will get one of those!

I found that I no longer want to take a laptop when I travel. Unless I know I need to work on documents, I leave the laptop behind everything else I can do on the iPhone.

Spent last weekend in South Beach and had my iPhone and MPB. I surfed the web, took some photos, emailed them to a friend, logged on and registered for a couple of sites, called some people, checked and replied to emails and looked up a mall address in google maps.

Had my laptop with me the whole weekend and never once opened it. It was amazing.

skubish said:

Unless I know I need to work on documents, I leave the laptop behind everything else I can do on the iPhone.

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Same here. My last 2 trips out of town I only took the iPhone. It was nice not lugging the laptop around.

I just spent the last week and half on vacation. I took both the iPhone and MacBook with me. I opened the MacBook once. I managed to do all my e-mail and web browsing on the iPhone. Not because I was trying to, but because I didn't want to pull the MacBook, charger, etc. out.

By the end of the trip, I forgot I even took the MacBook with me until I was unpacking the car.

My old (non-Apple) Laptop broke a while back and I've been wanting a Macbook. I'm thinking twice about that now that I have the phone. In fact, I'm pretty convinced I won't need one anymore, or at least have tons of time to wait before the perfect thing comes out.

Actually, if the iPhone could ever be linked to a display in the future.... boom.

Well, my MacBook Pro hasn't left the house since I got out of school for the summer anyway. But its really nice to be able to browse the web and check my email on the road with my iPhone. Although when I started going out without my laptop bag it did feel like I was always missing something.

After my MacBook sat idle for almost a month after buying my iPhone, I ended up selling it. At least 90% of my usage on the MacBook was strictly e-mail and web surfing anyway, and I can easily do that well enough on the iPhone now. Plus the iPhone obviously fits in my pocket and can go anywhere unlike any notebook. Nothing against the MacBook at all as it was great, but I just couldn't justify letting it sit around collecting dust like that, so it's now gone.

Same here, I havent used my laptop much since I got this phone. Its so easy, I take out my Iphone.
Catch wifi almost everywhere, from coffee shops to supermarkets.
Check out my email, a few websites quick and easy and Im out.

It depends on what you are doing but in general you can be nowhere near as productive on the phone, even with email. I love my iPhone but I do miss the office apps from my TyTN. For many, if not most of us, coming from smart phones and PDA phones the iPhone has a long way to go to get the same functionality. It is WAY easier to use but it needs an office suite, chat client, etc. etc. etc. before it can come close to replacing a laptop for most people for anything but entertainment purposes.



ash =o)

If im only going to be surfing the web for fun i would rather take my iphone rather than my macbook, especially if i know theres wifi at this location. But if im doing something a little more serious and if im going to be on the internet for a long time i might be more inclined to take my macbook.

The iPhone is great for reading new threads on a forum like this.
But I still use the laptop or desktop if I'm going to make a long reply.
Typing on the iPhone is a bit slow. It works, but I don't type long replys on it.

So the lappy and desktop will still be around.

It is fun to check stock quotes while I'm in a restaurant waiting for food.

Obviously, a laptop has a number of advantages over the iPhone, but in the iPhone's favor:

1. Size and weight. The iPhone is 4% of the mass and 6% of the weight of a MacBook. And more to the point, it fits in your pocket.

2. EDGE. Yes, that's right, EDGE may be slower than Wi-Fi, but it's available everywhere. If there's no Wi-Fi around for your laptop, you're out of luck.

3. Much faster and easier to pull out the iPhone for something quick. On a laptop, it's always a whole process.

4. Built in camera. Lacks features, but the quality is decent and you always have it handy.

5. It's a phone and your laptop isn't. Duh.

6. You can use it while standing up. Or walking.

I came back from a conference where I saw plenty of people with iPhones. Sure seemed like more fun than lugging around a 17" MBP