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Showed my iPhone to my friend that works for Microsoft.

S

seattle

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 15, 2007
494
2
Last weekend I showed my friend my iPhone (1st Gen iPhone) and let him use it for a while. He had just picked up a Windows mobile phone a couple days before and he sat and compared the two phones. His phone was the Verizon Wireless XV6900 I believe.

Here are a couple direct quotes made by him.

"I think the iPhone has a better user interface then my Windows Mobile phone"

"The windows mobile interface is just terrible"
 
seattle said:
Yeah I know it was just funny to hear it from a Microsoft guy.
Click to expand...
:D Nice one.
I am surprise though that he didn't pick on the weak points they usually do.. like camera pixel, Video, MMS, SMS forward ..etc. But still, it's good to hear that.
 
A coworker and I were struggling with a Microsoft Project issue at work one day. Later that afternoon, he was talking with his brother who is an engineer at Microsoft and he told him about our issues. His brother said, "Holy crap! You guys actually use that junk?! We stopped using that ages ago!"

I think your experience illustrates a key problem with WM: the various teams there don't talk to each other and they don't look to see ifthere might be a more elegant way to interact with their products. Whenever I was using my WM phone, I was frequently wondering if anyone had actually dome a usability study with it.
 
did he also say how he likes how the iPhone can't tether, can't mms, can't record video, not have expandable memory, and not have a replaceable battery?
 
Usability study

bluenoise said:
A coworker and I were struggling with a Microsoft Project issue at work one day. Later that afternoon, he was talking with his brother who is an engineer at Microsoft and he told him about our issues. His brother said, "Holy crap! You guys actually use that junk?! We stopped using that ages ago!"

I think your experience illustrates a key problem with WM: the various teams there don't talk to each other and they don't look to see ifthere might be a more elegant way to interact with their products. Whenever I was using my WM phone, I was frequently wondering if anyone had actually dome a usability study with it.
Click to expand...

Much as I'd love not to be able to say this:( but sometimes usability <> usefulness.

I really want to buy an iPhone - my heart says go get it: it's gorgeous, the UI is fantastic, the AppStore looks like being the bee's knees and it's a true all-in-one device but my head says not yet: no cut'n'paste, no editing of Office doucments, no Adobe Flash, crippled Bluetooth stack (no synching address book with my car!!!), no MMS (not a biggie), no landscape keyboard for SMS, and (apparently) early model build quality and reception issues.

None of the downers are apparent in my 18-month old WM6 HTC Tytn II and it's UI is acceptable (not great, acceptable).

I'm going to let the dust settle and Apple release 2.01 to fix some of the issues which affect me, but hopefully sooner rather than later the iPhone's usefulness will catch up with my personal requirements.
 
My uncle is a product manager at Microsoft. I'm still waiting for him to finally come down so I can show him my iPhone. I'm sure he's already played around with one by now, though.
 
cjbryce said:
Much as I'd love not to be able to say this:( but sometimes usability <> usefulness.
Click to expand...


I think usability is ALWAYS number 1. The rest doesn't matter if it is not reasonably usable, and that is a standard many mobile devices have failed to meet for many years.
 
i had a windows mobile device before the iphone, i hated it. the interface was ugly and the software was slow...

Also, you may giggle, every time you open up an application on windows mobile it stays running in the back ground even if you close it slowing up your phone. when you want to quit the program you have to use task manager.
 
God I hate windows mobile.. I dont think anybody buy them at all.. All exchange users use BES...
 
it's only usable by the fact it's got no features on it!! i hate fanboys!
I had a iPhone 1st Gen and loved the UI but it only works because it's such a basic and backwards device. Get a iPod Touch and a real phone :)

I have my N95 8GB running as a 3G WIFI Access Point so can even use my iPod Touch when i'm out and about on faster speeds than the Iphone 3G :-D
 
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garybUK said:
it's only usable by the fact it's got no features on it!! i hate fanboys!
I had a iPhone 1st Gen and loved the UI but it only works because it's such a basic and backwards device. Get a iPod Touch and a real phone :)

I have my N95 8GB running as a 3G WIFI Access Point so can even use my iPod Touch when i'm out and about on faster speeds than the Iphone 3G :-D
Click to expand...

That seems like a step back, carrying two devices.
 
My sister has a smartphone with Windows Mobile on it, and honestly, it truly does not compare to the iPhone.

The biggest thing I think that sets the iPhone apart (and theres many) is the ability to use Safari like a normal browser. It's amazing to be able to just double tap and zoom in and zoom out.
 
Apple is always being watched by Microsoft. All they do now is
try and copy Apple products. But by the time they do it, Apple is 5 years
ahead again lol.

The Zune is still the funniest (and most pathetic) thing I've ever seen.
 
Advance The Man said:
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That seems like a step back, carrying two devices.
Click to expand...

Not as big step as no copy/paste, no mms, no real bluetooth, no flash, no tethering, no front facing camera ... need i go on ? :)
 
garybUK said:
Not as big step as no copy/paste, no mms, no real bluetooth, no flash, no tethering, no front facing camera ... need i go on ? :)
Click to expand...
No, you actually you need not. I'd say it's due to the fact those features are absolutely useless to a large percentage of us, and we couldn't care less if we never receive those features for years to come.

MMS? I don't text pictures. Bluetooth? I'm seventeen. Flash? Fair point, but on perhaps 1% of sites, and none I frequently browse. Front-facing camera? I care, why?

Need you go on? Nope.
 
The other day I was having lunch with Bill Gates.

My Iphone 3G rang and I had a short conversation.

Bill seemed curious about the phone and asked to see it. Afte playing with it for about 10 minutes he declared that he had to have one.

I told him it was a 10-20 day wait at AT&T, but suggested that being who he is, I'd bet Steve Jobs would get him one a lot earlier if he called. Bill wouldn't hear of it. He scratched his forehead and asked me what I'd take for mine. Not wanting to give mine up, I threw out a ridiculous figure--$3000. To my suprise old Bill pulled the cash out right there!
 
garybUK said:
I have my N95 8GB running as a 3G WIFI Access Point so can even use my iPod Touch when i'm out and about on faster speeds than the Iphone 3G :-D
Click to expand...

You obviously have no appreciation for simplification. Why dont you go the full mile? I can see the need for a wifi antenna on your head, a dslr and hd video camera around your neck, a full sized keyboard thrown over your shoulder, stereo headphones, vr glasses, and a garmin in your pocket. I guess you better get a really long extension cord also.
 
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