Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

johngardiner

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 13, 2008
137
0
Hey guys, so have been reading a ton of the boards since I got my 16gb black iPhone last friday and have been interested in some of the things I've found.

Firstly, and perhaps the most strange, is how many threads I'm seeing on the poor build quality and feel of the new iPhone. I had the old iPhone from approx. November 2007 until last Monday so have been able to compare the two. I find the new one to feel really nice in my hand, despite the glossy back. It has a very solid weight to me that I much prefer over the Blackberry Pearl and I love the new curved edges (I find it interesting that is in fact thicker than the old iPhone because it feels thinner in my hand because of the new edges).

In regards to the poor reception and battery life I can imagine why some people would be upset, with the 3G the battery certainly drains faster and with regular use I find I have to recharge it every night. The reception does seem lower and I'm wondering if that is because the 3G requires a stronger signal for it's increased data speed? So maybe that's why it's showing as lower? It's never gone out of reception for me and I'm no expert so maybe someone more intelligent in this area can fill me in.

Lastly the 2.0 firmware. Though I think it's a huge step interms of where Apple and the phone industry in general is going, obviously there are some kinks and bugs to be worked out, which knowing Apple they should have worked out fairly soon. It in no way has hindered my use of the phone, but I've had to restart it a couple times (just like I have any other phone). I really thing the App Store is going to guide the direction of the mobile market for years to come. When you consider the amount of money developers can make daily, and that people have access to the store at all times and at very fast speeds I can see it revolutionizing the mobile market and digital distribution (if it hasn't already).

Forums are very intruiging things to me, especially for new products. Generally it seems to be about 50/50 between people that are on the boards simply to complain, and those that are there to tell them to shutup. This is exceptionally true with Apple products. Possibly due to the extremely high standards Apple has set for their products, or possibly because it's just human nature. Whatever the case it's always neat to watch with an open mind. Since signing up about 2.5 months ago the Macrumors forums, and it's members have been extremely welcoming, and any question I've had have always been answered intelligently and with class. Hopefully this continues with the new iPhone because when you look at it, it truely is a remarkable product, though like any other it has flaws. Let's be thankful we have such a great community to share our experiences with!
 
Yes, the forums will calm down in time. It has been hurting my head lately visiting the site. I have been trying to refrain from posting. :cool:
 
If you look fruther back on these forums, to about June-July 2007, you'll find there are a huge number of threads concerning:

- Build quality (ZOMG the plastic bit and the metal part aren't perfectly flush!!! ZOMG gap between chrome and glass!)

- Screen quality (ZOMG my screen has dots!!!!!)

- RF quality (ZOMG reception!)

- Battery life (ZOMG TOO SHORT!!! How can I extend?!?!)

Along with open letters to Steve Jobs, petitions to Apple, and I think on another board someone was proposing a class action lawsuit.

Sound familiar?

Yet the iPhone continues to fly out the door. Just like it did last year. And after the initial furor the complaints subsided, even though little changed with the hardware.

Actually, if you look at ANY thread on ANY category on these forums, you'll find similar patterns when a new product comes out. It's maddeningly predictable.

One would THINK that if Apple truly sold dreck that was in such shoddy shape, they'd be done by now. And I'm not saying that Apple is perfect. Far from it. But it does make me wonder how much of it is valid, and how much of it is imagined or the byproduct of Apple perfection obsession/fetishism.

In any case, I'm willing to bet the number of iPhones sans defects are orders of magnitude greater than the ones that are truly defective. It also doesn't help that many here are paying less for a more advanced piece of hardware, yet will not accept a quality compromise.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.