I saw the iPhone and said, "huh... No SDK, no SIM-swapping, limited ring-tone support, tiny storage due to lack of a hard drive, slow data network, expensive provider... No thanks." If the *next* iPhone is a little better (or if the current one is improved over time), I'll take another look and maybe even buy one.
I said something similar, but a different specific list. But, basically, "closed application ecosystem, no bluetooth keyboard support, tiny storage, bad provider, no thanks". And when the iPod Touch came out, more of the same. And my research lead me to the Nokia N800.
I currently tote around an 80GB iPod and a RAZR everywhere I go, and also a laptop to MOST of the places I go. If there was a single pocket-size gadget which could replace all three of these gadgets effectively 100 percent of the time, I would gladly shell out a fortune for it.
Basically, my dream phone is an OS X version of the Newton with Wi-Fi & GSM connectivity. Here's hoping the 2nd Generation iPhone is something more like that.
I don't need/expect 1 device to do all of it. I like the unix ideal: each (program/device) does one thing exceedingly well, and uses standard interfaces to interact with each other. What I don't want is to have to juggle all 3 devices (MP3 storage, PDA, cell phone). Luckily, bluetooth solves that problem.
In the unix command-line world, the standard interface is done via the pipe. Every program doesn't need to have a built-in "sort" option. You just do "program1 | sort". Similarly, they don't need to all have pagination programs, just "program1 | sort | more". And since it's a standard, well documented interface (STDIN/STDOUT), program1 doesn't need to know anything about the existence of sort or more. Similarly, sort doesn't need to know about the others, nor does more. In fact, I can drop in to that pipeline a replacement, if a better one comes along. Such as "program1 | sort | less". I can extend the functionality of any STDIN/STDOUT program without knowing anything about the internal workings of the other programs in the pipeline. I just need to know the exact format of the data it reads in, or spits out.
In the Nextstep/OSX world, this is done via Filters&Services (a tragically unsung part of the environment since Apple acquired the OS). Filters&Services is exactly the GUI analog to the unix pipeline.
In the mobile device world, it's done via bluetooth.
I don't need an 80GB mp3 player. I need any good solid MP3 player, and a device like the Seagate D.A.V.E. (bluetooth hard drive).
For me, the dream is:
1) a cellular/wimax/wwan and maybe wifi wireless gateway device that talks wifi and/or bluetooth to other tightly bound devices. It doesn't need to have ANY direct user interface at all, but a very basic phone interface is probably a good idea. Otherwise, it's just going to sit in my pocket/backpack/briefcase/etc. I will never touch it except to plug it in for recharging.
2) a wireless storage device, like the D.A.V.E., which will hold my music and/or documents, etc. If I can have 2 or 3 of them, I might have 1 for music, 1 for documents, 1 for my "home directory environment".
3) a user interface device. In my current view, a Nokia N800 with the following added to it:
a) a SIP phone client (coming soon, it's in beta)
b) a Bluetooth Handset client (ie. use the Nokia as the mic/speakers/dialer/caller-id display for the wireless gateway device; they make devices that do that for your car, so why not software for that on your PDA?)
c) more/better syncing options for syncing local contacts, bookmarks, calendar, and to do lists with your desktop and/or online services (like google apps, .mac, etc.).
d) there's some rumors the next gen will have a slide-out keyboard... I'm agnostic about it, as I see them as not very ergonomically sound... but a micro-laptop/tablet format, where the screen can twist to face away from the keyboard ... that I'd love.
In order for the iPhone or the "Newton 2" to fill this role, it would need all of that, plus those 3rd party apps (not because 3a-3d require it, but because that's already there on the Nokia, so I didn't need to list it).
As a long time Linux hater, and hater of X-Windows based GUI's, I'm very surprised at just how much I really love the N800 and the "hildon" UI. At this point, I don't care if the above user facing device is delivered by Apple or by Nokia as the next-gen of the N800. That's how much I like the N800. After 15 years thinking that Nextstep/OSX were lightyears ahead of any other UI on the planet ... I've found a Linux UI I can live with.
Now, with some finesse, Apple could in fact deliver all 3 of those devices next year:
a) Add bluetooth to the iPod classic, letting it export music to other Apple devices.
b) Allow the iPhone to be remote controlled, via bluetooth, by other Apple devices ... and allow other devices to route IP traffic through the iPhone (bluetooth DUN tethering, and/or bluetooth PAN).
c) Release the Newton 2 as an iPod-Touch with 3rd party app capability, more bluetooth support (DUN, SPP, HDI, and PAN), and the full suite of iPhone apps (with the bluetooth remote dialer/handset capabilities I outlined above, in place of the direct phone capability). Or, if the Newton 2 is going to be a bigger-than-iPhone device, still do this, but also expand the capabilities iPod-Touch to fill the same role. So, basically the iPod Touch becomes a "Newton 2 lite" (in terms of size, but not in terms of software). You can choose to have a PDA (expanded iPod Touch) or a note-pad side tablet (same capabilities in a larger screen size).
Then you leave the iPhone in your backpack/briefcase/purse/jacket-pocket, along with your iPod Classic .... and use your iPod Touch or Newton 2 to control all of it.
In that case, each device excels at a particular niche of the ecosystem:
1) iPod Classic for storage and basic solid music player. It's your mobile storage system.
2a) Newton 2 (small form factor) / iPod Touch (with extras I mention above) for superior UI (compared to the Classic) and app suite flexibility (compared to the iPhone); it's your PDA.
or
2b) Newton 2 (larger tablet form factor) for larger workspace capability
3) iPhone for communication with the world. It's your wireless network gateway.
Each can stand alone. #'s 2-3 all have wifi, web browser, iTunes music store. #1 is the same basic and useful iPod we're all used to, with gobs more storage than #'s 2-3. You can use #1 as the same iPod you've been using for years, only with 80-160 GB of storage. You can use #2 as a standalone PDA with add-on applications, and as a 8-16 GB music player. You can use #3 as a cell phone with a limited (non-expanding) suite of software, and as a 8-16GB music player.
But, together, connected to each other via bluetooth, they become something more. It becomes a flexible mobile application environment that has a good amount of storage, an expandable application suite, and a solid and stable WAN interface. Add a bluetooth keyboard and a stand for the #2, and you've got a micro-workstation, as well.
Unfortunately for Apple, Nokia has a head start. The N800 plus any bluetooth DUN enabled cell phone and a Seagate D.A.V.E. will pretty much give you the same thing. The only question is whether or not the N800 has support for D.A.V.E. (I don't know). But, at least the N800 lets me swap around the flash storage, in the mean time.
