I've had those for years, starting with the first Samsung Palm Pilot PDA phone. One of the biggest problems with them is no buttons to dial your cell phone while you are driving. (Yes, I know, the nanny government is making that against the law, but give me a break, I know where the buttons are by feel, I don't need to look to dial if I got some buttons.) The other problem is that they are usually difficult to see in direct sunlight.
I've decided to wait out the iPhone craze, so I've been following all the various "Reasons Not To Get An iPhone" articles. And also keeping an eye out for new [Mini PCs and Micro PCs).
First my reasons to not get an iphone
Here's the list I came up with from a few reviews I read. Many more items below when I got into the different reviews.
- I've already got too long of a contract with Sprint, with two phone lines and a USB EVDO modem
- I don't want to switch to AT&T and be on the hook for two years with them
- I already have a PPC-6700 Windows Smartphone
- I rarely use the PDA features of my smart phone, since I do carry at least two laptops (and sometimes three) almost everywhere.
- I've also got the "Mits - Mobile Intelligent Terminal" Sprint Samsun Portable Digital Quad Band Phone SCH-i830 for GSM use when I travel. Does the iPhone take a simcard from any carrier? Oh, that's right, it's locked to AT&T, so of course it doesn't.
- I've already got smart phones with wifi, although I don't remember which ones since I would just pull out a laptop to surf any available wifi.
- I've already got a Sprint USB modem to give me the phone as modem feature that the iPod doesn't provide
- I usually carry a 10 megapixel Canon G5 camera, with optical zoom, and flash, that the iPod doesn't provide. I'm not too amused by toy 1 or 2 megapixel cameras unless the camera is almost the size of a pack of gum.
- If I find the time to do some mobile programming, I want to do it with Windows .NET compact framework to leverage all the years I've spent writing for .NET. (I tried learning Palm to program the palm pilot smart phone, and it was too laborious.]
- Can't read PDF files on the iPhone
- I already have a backpack pouch full of various MP3 & MP4 players, including the Samsung with the really cool hifi speakers built in.
- Sealed battery, no hicapacity battery add-ons
- I already bought an Apple product, the Quicktake 100 Digital Camera that could take all of 12 pictures. Oh wait, that was last century, maybe I need to buy a token Apple product this century. Oh yeah, I did end up with an iPod somehow, it was on a clearance sale, but at least that takes care of this century too.
- I want to save my money for one of the new Mini PCs and Micro PCs, although an HP TX1000 has handled enough day to day programming tasks from my trusty Libretto U105 (with a newly replaced keyboard, which still does all my email, and that I have 5 batteries for a combined life of 18 hours!), that I can't figure out why I need a third machine....
- iPhone doesn't play on-hold music for my callers
- iPhone won't run any of the scads of cell phone applications I've already bought from Handango (and that I rarely run on my current phone).
What They Said About Why You Should Not Buy An iPhone - Summary
- Screen keypad doesn't work with gloves
- High price for phone (no price break in return for the two year contract)
- High price of AT&T contract ($2000 over two years for 450 mins a month)
- Not possible to use the phone with any other carriers
- No sim cards other than AT&T work in the phone
- AT&T charging $175 termination fee
- No one knows how much data transfer is allowed with the AT&T plan
- iPod features don't work without AT&T activation
- No 3G support
- No phone as modem
- No chat client
- No other instant messaging client (only text messaging)
- No zoom in the camera
- No flash in the camera
- No slingbox client
- Not enough storage space
- No word document editing
- no excel spreadsheet editing
- No Windows media player
- No built in todo list
- No built in memos
- No built in games
- No built in voice recording
- No voice dialing
- No stylus input for text
- No slideout keyboard
- No video output to TV
- No over the air appointments
- No over the air software updates (wait, maybe this is an advantage!)
- Can't connect a blue tooth keyboard
- No bluetooth wireless connection to laptop
- Can't sync with corporate email systems
- Battery life
- No VoIP
- Third party apps will only be allowed within the Safari browser
- Media can only be transfered from computer, not over wifi or cellular
- Safari (Crapfari) instead of Firefox or IE
- Safari browser bugs lose pages
- Safari web browsing is painfully slow, page must be entirely loaded to scroll or zoom
- Can't run flash programs
- No java
- iTunes lock-in (what about buying from Sony music?)
- Screen visibility in the sunlight
- Screen smudges from greasy fingers
- Scratches too easy
- No GPS
- Editing photo contacts crashes the phone
- Google maps with traffic information crashes when scrolling
- iPod crashes after resyncing
- Proximity sensor has bugs that cause the screen to flash
- Caps lock doesn't lock
- Calculator buttons are messed up when used during a phone call
- No self replacement of used battery
- No aftermarket higher capacity batteries
- Touch screen may not work in rain or mist
The Details about What They Said About Reasons Not To Buy An iPhone
I typed in my google query, reasons not to buy an iphone" and found over 3,000,000 results! Over 3 million reasons not to buy an iPhone? Wow! Amazing what a missing quotation mark can do....
- 11 reasons not to buy an iPhone
- Reasons
- High price
- No sim cards other than AT&T wireless
- Virtual keyboard doesn't work with gloves
- No memos
- No voice recording
- No games
- No capacity for video output to a TV (like an iPod, but no other cell phone has this either)
- No over the air appointments
- No over the air software updates
- No IM, only text messaging
- No IM
- No flash or zoom in the camera
- Also mentions
- 13 Reasons Not To Buy An iPhone
- Harry McCracken's List Harry quit PC World when his anti-Apple piece was censored
- Lack of 3G
- Inability to act as a modem for a laptop (Ed. note: That is getting more common, the newer sprint phones are locking this down)
- No built in chat client
- No slingbox client
- Lack of adequate storage space
- Inability to edit office documents
- No built in todo list
- Contract requirements with AT&T
- No tactile feedback from screen virtual keys
- Ed. Note - Sounds like he ought to have a laptop instead....
- McCraken prefered the AT&T 8525.
- Gina Hughes, The Techie Diva, refuses to get an iPhone
- Comparable 3G phones (Treo 750) only cost $199 with two year contracts.
- 80GB ipods cost the same as this 8GB iPhone
- AT&T can't explain about switching carriers
- Apple website says that iPod features don't work without AT&T activation!
- Never get a first generation gadget!
- Not worth the long lines!
- Can't sync with corporate email systems
- Brett Arends 5 reasons not to buy an iphone - "Apple is the only publicly traded religion"
- Reasons
- AT&T required for phone calls - No VoIP, no 3G
- According to the Wall Street Journal, Steve jobs doesn't think VoIP is a breakthrough technology, but maybe someone will make VoIP run in the browser.
- $2000 cost over 2 years, minimum charge $59.99 per month
- No network choice
- Only third party apps allowed will have to work in the Safari browser
- So much for using any kind of open-platform development
- Downloads can only happen from your computer, not over cellular or over wifi!
- But it's tethered to an old-fashioned business model that is afraid of freedom.
- Fox News Ten Reasons Not To Buy an iPhone
- iPhone blather, and iPhone hype
- too expensive
- Tiny storage
- Ed. note: This is hilarious. The article says "Come off it, Steve. The minimum data storage for the $499 iPhone should have been 500 GB at the very least, with the top of the line model having at least 800 GB or preferably 1 terabyte." Imagine a Maxtor MyBook tethered to the back of your phone!
- Stlylish and Stupid
- Stuck with AT&T
- Edge and Not 3G
- Two year contract and $175 termination fee
- No keyboard
- Crapfari Instead of Firefox
 |
Yep, this entire column was nothing more than a self-serving ruse at giving myself the best chance possible to snag an iPhone on opening day.
Yes ... I must have one ... and I will have one! No matter who or what gets in my way! Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssss ... .the precioooooooous will be ouuuuuuursssssssssss! |
 | Editor's Note
I happily missed iDay already..... |
- 100 reasons not to buy an iPhone
- Who knows how much data you get with the $59.99 plan
- No flash
- No java
- No iChat
- iTunes Lock-in
- No keyboard
- Screen may be hard to see in the daylight
- No office
- No real applications
- Smudges from greasy fingers
- Gets scratched too easy when carried in a pocket with coins and keys
- No games
- No song sharing
- Don't like shiny
- No mirror
- No yahoo maps
- I already have a phone
- I already have an ipod
- Sealed battery
- Too big
- Already have t-mobile
| Editors note
He gave up at 34 reasons! I win! |
- 5 reasons not to buy an iPhone
- iPhone has been dubbed the "Jesus phone". iPhone is no where near as pefect
- Reasons - 68 software bugs found by Applehound!
- Safari loses pages easily
- Painfully slow web browsing
- iPhone v1.0 Bug List
- 5 reasons not to buy an iphone
- 10 reasons not to buy an iphone
- Battery life is max 8 hours as a phone, probably less when other features are in use
- Slow AT&T
- Difficult to type
- No corporate email
- non removeable batteries
- High price
- Few applications
- Not tested
- May be hard to get at the start (that didn't pan out, the iPhone scalpers lost big time on trying to buy iPhones to resell)
- Need to switch to AT&T
- Swivel Preview of Reasons not to buy an iphone
| Reasons to not purchase iPhone |
Percentage |
| Won't change carrier |
30 |
| Need more info on product |
23 |
| Current contract runs longer |
21 |
| Don't think carrier is reliable |
8 |
| Not enough features |
2 |
| Other |
19 |
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