Intelligent post. I agree.
Is it a joke? iPhone limitation? Are you joking? What can you do with a crap Nokia you can't do in iPhone or Android?
Artificial limitation? iPhone has very few limitation only due Apple want consumer experience to max and i agree with them. I do most of my work on my iPhone, it changed completely my work. Before with a crappy phone like a Nokia it was impossible.
Why should this be a joke - its my personal preference.
I didn't mention Android, I mentioned 'iPhone', so I'm not going to reference Android ( and I'm not interested in Android anyway ).
Firstly, iPhone SDK keeps you at arms length which limits the potential software, I'll give you two examples: You cannot utilize Bluetooth fully - for example, Bluetooth data transfer - i.e., files and syncing ( iSync ). Wireless syncing is far more convenient than wired. If I want to transfer a large file, I'll use wired.
I have utilities on my Nokia that due to the SDK, cannot be reproduced on the iPhone. I use these a lot - for example, scheduling of profiles.
Nokia also comes with OVI Maps.. which is great - as a replacement SatNav - voice guided too.. free including map updates. Maps are stored on the phone... cell phone coverage isn't 100%, a consideration if your app is pulling maps remotely.
Also, I tether my computer quite a lot - so I get the option of using WIFI ( or for long periods, a USB cable which uses less power ), also tether iPod quite a lot too.
Bluephone Elite is / was a great application for OSX - which works great for Symbian.. Due to iPhone limitations ( artifical ), BE cannot provide all functionality.
I don't like the Apple walled garden - if you do , great but I don't. Personal preference.
I also multitask a lot - which is unrestricted multi-tasking ( unlike iPhone's limited version ) which doesn't degrade the battery life very much at all ( application dependant of course - if your running an app that uses GPS in the background the battery life will degrade faster )
Anyway, this is just some of the reasons, not all why my chosen smartphone platform is Symbian rather than iPhone.
QuickOffice was free - so I can edit documents on the go, which I do occasionally ( also available for iPhone ).
People dismiss Symbian but its due to lack of understanding - it is very efficient - including its power management and a very mature smartphone OS. An unfortunate side of Symbian it has been - up until recently - a bitch to develop for. However, its getting far easier due to QT and better development tools.