7 Bad Things About the iPhone They Don’t Want You to Know 6/27/2007 - 13,162 views, 15 Comments
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Here is the hands-on Apple iPhone review that they don’t want you to see: it’s the 7 bad things about the iPhone that they don’t want you to know. Thanks to our exclusive interview with Shawn King, of the Your Mac Life Show in our exclusive all iPhone scoop edition of our online show Three Things You Should Know, who spent time up close and personal with the iPhone a week before its release, and to some digging on our part, we bring you the 7 things about the iPhone that you’ll never see in an Apple ad, because they don’t want you to know about it. 1. The iPhone browsing and other Internet experience when not using wifi (i.e. when using the native AT&T data connection) is slow as molasses. This is because it uses only AT&T’s Edge connection, and not the faster 3G data connection. The reason for this is that there is not yet a 3G chipset which won’t cause such a significant battery drain on the iPhone that you’d have maybe an hour of battery life at a time. (Source: The all iPhone scoop edition of Three Things You Should Know) P.S. To make things worse, the iPhone is set up so that it will not ever default to the mobile version of a web site, so not only is it excrutiatingly slow, but it insists on loading the full site, not the mobile-lite version. 2. The iPod function will not work if the iPhone is not activated and being serviced by AT&T! That means that, yes, if you buy an iPhone, the iPod function will not work until you activate it with AT&T. And, if you buy the phone and activate it, and then decide to quit using AT&T’s service, and take the iPhone offline, you will no longer be able to use its iPod function. It becomes a $600 paperweight. (Source: The all iPhone scoop edition of Three Things You Should Know and AT&T representative) 3. To activate the iPhone you must connect it through iTunes, either after you take it home or, at some Apple stores, through a special system they will have set up. The very act of connecting the iPhone to activate it automatically extends your AT&T contract by two years - each time the iPhone is reconnected and reactivated! To quote the AT&T representative, “If you take it activate it, and then deactivate it and give it to your sister, and she hooks it up to her computer and activates it, that’s another automatic two year contract,” (or extension of your already-existing AT&T contract). And if you deactivate the iPhone, and then months later decide to reactivate it yourself..yep..you have just extended your contract by two year again! [Note that the AT&T rep said the latter was “likely”, and wasn’t 100% certain about the last scenario because “we won’t even have the final information ourselves about that until Friday, but it’s a safe bet.”] (Source: AT&T representative) 4. It’s true that there is a slot for a SIM card in the iPhone. It’s also true that your current AT&T SIM card won’t work with it. Or vice versa. This means that unlike nearly every other set of SIM-based phones within the same network (such as AT&T or T-Mobile), you cannot swap your SIM card back and forth between two or more phones. If the iPhone is going to be your phone, it’s going to be your only phone. Because if you want to use another phone on the AT&T network, you will have to have AT&T deactivate the iPhone, and you will have to get a new SIM for that other phone. Want to switch back to the iPhone? You’ll have to reverse the process. (Source: AT&T representative) 5. The data plan for the iPhone is a different data plan then AT&T’s current Medianet package. This is, according to the AT&T rep, because the iPhone needs to access the virtual voice mail, and that makes it an entirely different data plan. This is one of the reasons that your iPhone SIM card will not work with any other AT&T phone, or vice versa (see above). (Source: AT&T representative) 6. Getting used to the virtual keyboard is not nearly so easy as Apple would have you believe. In fact, it is rather difficult and has a fairly steep learning curve. You will learn it, but it may take a few days, and you have to, and we quote, “trust the phone.” (Source: The all iPhone scoop edition of Three Things You Should Know) 7. In all of the iPhone commercials, marketing material, and videos, ever see them talk up the camera? No? Here’s why: it sucks. (Source: The all iPhone scoop edition of Three Things You Should Know) So there you have it. Amid all the hype - all the accolades and glowing reviews - this is what they aren’t telling you. Still going to stand in line for hours to get an iPhone? Not us. Not yet.
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Thanks guys keeping us infomrmed. It helps so much to know that these multinational companies try to control your life.
Comment by arjun — 7/1/2007 @ 5:28 pm
Will I wait in line…no.But it sounds more like your hating on the device than informing people. Come on now..”sucks”..clearly you have an issue with not being able to obtain one for yourself for whatever reason. Be it out of your financial reach, your current carrier is something other than AT&T or what have you. Loosen up buddy. Stop hating, and save some money.
Comment by Arjun's Master — 7/2/2007 @ 12:54 pm
I think it is odd that this post comes out before the iphone’s release. I would love to see your take on it now. The EDGE is much much faster than it previously was…so number one is ruled out. Had you ever used the iphone’s camera? No, in fact, it is the best phone camera I have seen.
AS for trusting the c omputer. I will admit that it was odd. But when they say trust the phone, it’s true! I was painlessly trying to type perfect on it and getting discouraged. Finally I got frustrated and typed as fast as I possibly could. No mistakes. The iphone is much smarter than we are all giving it credit for.
Comment by Adam — 7/5/2007 @ 6:09 am
Your complaint #4 is not true. Please visit the CNET site and see the video where they take out the iPhone SIM and use it in a different phone.
Comment by mark — 7/13/2007 @ 2:37 pm
I have the iPhone and I love it! I’ve had the blackberry and palm750- the iPhone is better by far!!!! Keyboard is super easy to use ! The camera is more than I expected and the Internet is faster than the clown on this site makes it out to be. Both my parents and grandparents bought iPhones after playing with mine. AND there was no wait to get them. I’ve never been an apple fan until now. I would highly recomend it to everyone who can afford it!
Comment by ryan — 7/21/2007 @ 10:29 am
obviously you probably envy the iphone or @which you don’t have one.
As introduced in [1] when you buy the iphone at a local cingular[AT&T] retail store they walk you through the whole phone and tell you just about everything they can tell you &all the questions you have. You also mention the mobile version, why would you want that? I say it is best to actually hav the actual internet right in your pocket! &about the edge data connection, it is faster than you think. Cingular[AT&T] dosen’t use the 56kGPRS on this iPhone but the Edge network, and yes to bad its not the 3G network, but its faster than you think it is. &in[3]if your not familiar w/ this phone it actually has a mobile back up so it recognizes your phone whenever plugged in and you do not have to repeat the 2yr contract over&over as well as you disconnect the iphone from its network you basically cancel out your whole data plan and such. If you wish to reactivate your iphone it would start a new plan not extend your plan. &when you activate an iphone they register at the store followed by activating your iphone through itunes at your home and from there you can choose either a new plan or add on the iphone to a current plan. its simple as that. In[4] there is actually a SIM in the phone its a 3G SIM card which helps and perform a faster function. Although you can switch your iphone SIM to another phone but you cannot switch a standard cell phone SIM into the iPhone because your SIM has the properties of the iPhone and the other SIM dose not. So if you think on going to a thrill ride that uses water and don’t want to mess up the iphone you can simply switch your SIM if intended. In[5] yes it uses another data plan but most is set to unlimited data and yes it has the virtual voicemail, i think it’s setting a new standard, because why wait for 3messages until you want to hear the 4th message you want to hear? and it has the option of calling the voicemail center or simply using the virtual voicemail so it has both the functions. In[6] the keyboard can be tricky for a while but you would get the hang of it and also has the auto spell check, so if it recognizes what your trying to spell it would change it to the appropiate spelling. &[7] clearly “sucks” isn’t the right word to describe the camera, the camera is actually one the best cameras on a mobile phone ever. I’m also guessing your under another network that don’t support the iphone, since your summary has Quote on Quote “(sometimes called the Cingular iPhone or the AT&T iPhone - there is no Verizon iPhone Verizon users, for you - so sorry!)”
— Anywho people have ther point of view of different things in the world, there are those who like and those who hate.
I believe this phone is one the greatest phones out there. Apple is setting a great standard for the mobile networks around! The iphone is the next generation thing.
Im 17 yrs old
&& $600 is really not a bad price for a phone like this.
I thank my parents for getting me this phone and they sure made me happy! [:
iPhone is awesome thats for sure!
& i think any other teenager or adults or whoever can afford it would be happy! [:
And if you are trying to promote some defects about the phone try using one yourself. And actually finding something.
Here’s one thing though, you cannot send photos through multimedia it has to be done through viaE-mail.
But besides that its an awesome phone!
Comment by anonymous_ken — 7/22/2007 @ 6:09 pm
My fiance has an Iphone and was one of the many that HAD TO HAVE IT. It has a lot of great features that you wish to have on a phone. of course it has downfalls. The phone is ok but you can zoom in or out. There is no flash for the camera. You cant send a pic to another phone without having to go to a web page to get the picture. This would be a down fall.
The connection is slow but yeah what do you expect. Technology will get better as we hope the iphone will.
Forever faithful to my loving fiance
Melanie
Comment by Melanie — 7/22/2007 @ 6:38 pm
1. No easy way to deactivate edge to avoid outrageous overseas roaming data charges (very lame)
2. can’t receive multimedia messages in a normal way. So far I haven’t been able to see a single image from my nephew, though I have tried going to the damnable website and putting in the ridiculous passcode. Totally asinine.
Otherwise, I like my phone. Really.
Comment by Tracy — 8/15/2007 @ 11:22 am
When it comes out in Europe all these problems won’t be there because we’ll be allowed to use a SIM card in it. Would that make it a great phone!!!
Comment by Nader — 8/29/2007 @ 9:44 am
My boss gifted me with an 8 gig Iphone. I already had a contract with ATT, using a Blackberry 8700 on an unlimited data plan. I switched my contact over to the Iphone, which extended my contract another two years as stated above. My understanding was that I had 30 days to change my mind. I did change my mind within that time, but I’m still stuck with the contract. When I deactivated the Iphone, they had me switch the SIM card from the Iphone to the Blackberry. I found this odd, because I didn’t have to do it when I activated the Iphone. Without the SIM card, most of the Iphone still works, albeit with limitations. I don’t have the phone, obviously, but I do have access to email, web browser, stocks, weather, maps and all internet functions in any WiFi area. The Ipod DOES work…BUT..is only limited to stuff that I put in while it was active. Without the SIM card, Itunes won’t recognize the thing. So….why not just put the SIM card back in? I removed it from the Blackberry, put it back in the Iphone and surprise, surprise.. the Iphone is fully active again, with phone, EDGE network service, full Itune access, software updating and everything. And it’s my cheaper Blackberry Unlimited data service plan too - 35 bucks a month (no phone plan, so phone is 40 cents a minute…but I hardly ever use the phone) instead of 60 bucks a month. The Iphone is a really neat gadget, but it just doesn’t work for me the way the Blackberry does. The Iphone keyboard is a PITA, but the browser is really neat. Setting up email is easy, but retrieval options are too limited and slow. Setting up email on Blackberry is a pain, but the ‘push’ technology is great. I do a lot of texting, so the BB keyboard beats the Iphone hands down. The BB phone can’t hold a candle to the Iphone - and the Iphone handles contact info better. Too bad I don’t use that much…
In short, the Iphone is a great piece of hardware that has some bugs that can be worked out and I’m sure will be in later models. Like the non-user replaceable battery or the headphone jack that only takes SOME Ipod headphones and requires an adapter for 99 percent of the headphones on the market. I was thinking of going to the ATT store and getting another SIM card so I wouldn’t have to swap cards all the time, but now I’m afraid it’ll add more years to my contract. So…I’ll use the thing around the house and the office and switch the card every month or so to update the software or load music. I hate using Itunes, so I don’t see myself using the Ipod much anyway…my other mp3 players are all drop and drag simple and much, much smaller.
So..my iPhone is just a toy. My Blackberry is a tool.
Comment by Mike — 9/1/2007 @ 6:31 pm
its gay
Comment by maria — 11/13/2007 @ 10:04 am
im really interested in the iphone i ave gt 1
Comment by katy — 11/26/2007 @ 6:30 am
i would like to say im gay
Comment by katy ball — 11/26/2007 @ 6:34 am
The iphone is simply a cool little toy. Certainly not a practical phone. Just try answering a call with one hand. This slipery little device is one of the worst phones I have ever used.
Comment by Joe — 12/25/2007 @ 7:31 am
this is bogus i love my iphone if you are living in 2008 u need a phone like this every phone has its problem not one person on this page can say they ever had a perfect phone my phone is perfect for me and my business if you don’t buy the iphone the haters have fooled you its truly the best phone ever and if you want to be up to date and living in the now buy it you will see it is the best purchase you will ever have i love my ipod i can youtube i can email and listen to music at the same time you can watch dvds it has a incredible battery i love it get it
Comment by julius — 1/5/2008 @ 12:49 pm