but apple CAN make a device that includes many of what you are poo pooing above. and why not? it seems just like a couple years ago people thought, why have a phone not attached to a cord on your wall? what purpose would it serve to have it with me all the time. if i need to call someone, i have these things called quarters i can plop into a "payphone" and call anyone i want. well, guess where we are now. technology marches on. the iphone is great as it is, but hey, it can always be better. why are you so focused on having a stagnant phone that won't in the future include things it doesn't now. just because you see no use for an additional feature doesn't mean the other 5 million owners/users won't.
You misunderstand me...im not "poo pooing" on apple or any company that will/can create a device that meets or comes close to meeting/having all that users desire. Im tired of all the whiners, whining about the same stuff over and over and over and over. Get over it, when Apple or any other company determines that it is important enough, then they will incorporate it, IF it will be of value to the majority and the company. Whining about it missing each and every time a new thread comes out is SOOOOO STUPID! Technology is good and it will get better with time and patience. Allow the company's to develope, test and incorporate it correctly, not throw it all into a big kettle and come out with a piece of crap(Treo). Trust me my friend....out of the 5 million users you state above...I am not the only one that feels this way. Apple will incorporate and update continously, just have patience and look forward to the next update and meanwhile, enjoy what is currently offered. Why do you think current cell users average buying a new cell phone every year? Could it be because they are bored with it? It has no new "apps"? It is no longer cool? Or some other reason...With the iPhone you no longer need to do that because of the software base. New updates will actually save you money and still create interest for longer periods of time thus allowing you to keep the same phone longer. Just think about it.
GPS: amazing to be able to geocache with my iphone. or get directions if i'm lost in the dark and it is harder to see street signs. or not to have to pay for a thousand dollar upgrade in my car for it. or not to have to buy a map if i'm driving through a state and i want to make a side trip.
GPS is amazing...I have served with the U.S. Army for 24 years and grew up using a map and compass in the infantry. During Desert Storm, the Army was the first to incorporate GPS and was a life savior due to no terrain features and very difficult navigation with maps. GPS was then developed for civilian use and is now incorporated into "almost" every new vehicle purchase, again, its a great product and does what it is intended to do while driving in your examples above. If you have an older car then one can purchase Tom Tom or the like for very little money now days and have a far more accurate and reliable device. For a cell phone to have GPS IMHO is redicoulous and just not needed...it reduces the battery life, requires additional hardware, with this is the probability of increase in software/hardware issues. The current Google Maps is awesome and gives me step by step by step directions and has not been wrong yet. The only thing google maps does not do is tell you your location (which if true, will be remedied here with the next update) and it does not talk...so what. It works and with it, I have never been lost, taken a wrong turn or had a problem with it. Its already there.
Voice Dial: why not make that easier for people. my stupid ass razr does, i'm sure the iphone can . . .
Voice record: i can't personally think of some reason i would need that. doesn't mean others wouldn't . . ..
Here I agree with you...voice dial would be a needed immediate improvement because of the safety factor involved with people driving and trying to type/lookup. Too many accidents because of phones/laptops and people trying to use them when they should be focused on driving. Voice Recorder is just not needed in my opinion...others may use it for dictation, but the "majority" could care less about it.
Flash: many websites have flash on them (for better or worse) that aren't ads or spam. would be nice to view those as well. perhaps on a 3G enabled phone (hint: in the future) so page loading time wouldn't lag as much. also perhaps have the ability to turn flash capability on and off if you don't want it.
For the future, I can agree with you. In this country, for the majority, 3G is still in its infancy and just being brought to the public. If flash were to be activated at this time, then people would really start screamin, cryin and whinin because of the slow loads and then then they would all be cryin for WiMax and 3G would be "Edge" of today. In this aspect...no one will ever be happy and I dread the years of heartache and bellyachin about this subject. Suffice it to say...the iPhone is NOT a laptop/computer and thus should be used and looked at in the aspect of a tool to do a quick internet "whatever" and move on, not the end all to all internet work/activity.
Video: yeah, video quality would suck on a big screen, but it would be neat to have a video of my kids on my phone that i could show other people instead of lugging out a laptop i had to dump video onto that i had to take from a digital camcorder. isn't that the purpose of the camera on the iphone anyway? who actually downloads the picture to their computer for fullscreen viewing? same for video - good enough for camera, barely palatable if you want to store it on your computer, but for anything else buy an actual camera or video camera.
camera flash: yeah, i agree that would be a waste to add to the iphone. that's one thing that would actually bulk it up and bog it down. but how about a better light meter and white balance sensor?
I do have video of my kids on my iPhone...I used my Sony camcorder and converted the video and put it on my iPhone...great quality...30 fps and its as long as I want. Obviously alot of people take pictures with their phones and then scream bloody murder and post up all the forums when they get wiped out because "they DIDNT store it on their computer" I say again that the camera on any phone is for that "Kodak Moment" and that any other time I use my Cyber Shot for the quality and then email those to whom I want to show. We agree on the flash....Software update would fix the ability to correct lighting/contrast and will probably come in time.
MMS/iChat: common, that would be freakin awesome to be able to ichat on the phone. it is a communication device afterall- let us use ichat like we do on our computers. if you are so hot and bothered people want more communications functionality on a mobile communication device, i'm sure you are just as mad that apple has a communication program on their desktop computers meant for desktop things. or do you get upset when they upgrade Pages or iLife - desktop applications meant for desktop computers. ichat definitely makes sense for the iphone.?
Here, I draw the line...iChat/instant messaging is just totally stupid for a phone. My major concern and reasoning here is the straight up safety factor. Its bad enough that users text while driving and with that at least it slows down the use a little so that some attention is paid to driving, but you open up instant IM you got problems, because people will use it on a continous basis while driving and end up killing some innocent family just returning from Christmas Vacation and all of their new toys are laying all over the road because you wanted to chit chat by typing instead of calling (iPHONE) and talking to the other end. This is so common sense and even SMS should be somehow limited. This is a PHONE after all, use it as such and save the IM for the laptop when and where its safe. People are so afraid to "Talk" to each other anymore because it demands social skills and the ability to communicate. Typing is so easy to avoid the Social aspect and looses all emotion in its use...for example look at how many get offended in these forums because emotion and intent can not be displayed with a keyboard. Again, don't get me wrong...I use IM all the time in gaming and when I am on my laptop, where I cannot hurt anyone. It is a great tool and I use it daily, but feel that it would be a great danger to society and would increase the lack of social communication in our younger generations.
MMS is just plain outdated and over-rated. If you want to send a picture....email it, that is what the system was designed for. I have never in my 40+ years sent an MMS and never had the need or desire to. I use email which when IMAP'd properly works perfectly on my iPhone. I mean gee whiz, how much easier can it be then taking a picture and right there on the picture is the option to send it via email...gimme a break, MMS is old news and that is why Apple left it behind.
again, common, man, the iphone is great but could be better. it's just technologic evolution. apple strives to make devices that will make people's lives easier. all the above would. the technology is there, the know-how is there. it's just up to apple to decide they want to do it and how to get it done. many people laughed when apple crammed an entire computer into the original bondi blue imac. now where are we?! there's nothing wrong with people wanting more and better. after all, it is what apple has set out to do in the past and will continue to do with everything they create - including the iphone.
I appreciate your good natured comments and the opportunity to debate with you. You have some great input and at least a common sense approach to reality. I agree with you that the iPhone could be better and eventually it will be alot better...but, It will never be perfect for every user and that is my purpose behind my "rant". Those that post the same sob story thread after thread after thread is just wore out...all right we get it, got it and its recorded for the millionth time, lets let it go and move on. When Apple feels something needs to be added...then they will add it if they feel it will benefit both the user and the company. If they feel it is just going to clog up or degrade the device then it will probably never come to pass. The world needs a little patience and understanding and sooner or later all good things will come to those that have patience, otherwise users are just going to continue to be unhappy and we get to read their same old sob stories everytime a new thread is started. If it is not on the iPhone and a user feels it is needed for "his" use, then don't blame Apple or the iPhone...just buy the device that meets those needs. Each company makes a device based on their assumption of the market, needs and use behaviors of its customers so let them do their business...obviously Apple is doing right by the majority...look at the stock, sales records and demands. More great things are coming to the iPhone, both cool and functional...Just be patient.
Again, thanks for the chat and have a Super New Year!
