iPhone vs rest

Late into the midnight, a heated exchange was on between 2 friends, debating over how 'useful' is iphone compared to other phones that boast of better performance. I chipped in my 2 cents as well. As the debate - part I got over, I thought of blogging about it.

As far as the technology is concerned, except for the UI, there is nothing groundbreaking about it. Not to say that UI doesnt matter. Infact it is the single most significant reason behind iphone selling like hot cakes. One other important reason behind the not-so-unjustified hype is the way its strengths have been projected. It tends to focus more on "how easily" you can do things. The primary focus seems to be on 'cool looks'. But lets dig a bit deeper into it. People mostly use iphone when they are mobile - to check routes, find restaurants nearby, listen to songs, etc (ok - once in a while you might use some applications but *mostly* one uses it when mobile). If I am mobile/traveling, I am either driving or spending time at airports. Other than ipod/phone/email/sms, 2 things that I would really love to have at such times is gps and a document editor. Unfortunately, the first version of iphone lacked both. And the second version still lacks the document editor. Thats why iphone is not a phone that would be too helpful on a business trip. Maybe the makers didnt aim to make it that way. Fair enough. But groundbreaking? Not really. To add to that, the internet speed in the first version is unsatisfactory. It is just the first version, you might argue. True. But groundbreaking?

But I should give the credit where it is due. The features in iphone are so easy on eyes and cool to use that people can NEVER use an iphone just for phone/sms/email. Maybe other phones never tried to make the user experience as good, thats why they ended up as gadgets primarily meant for phone/sms/email. No blackberry user can look up yelp or facebook on it without feeling annoyed. But the UI in iphone is so sleek that one wont really miss a laptop or a computer.

I am just being honest. I have nothing against Steve Jobs. Infact he is one of my idols. His one speech at the 2005 Stanford commencement has deeply inspired me more than any speech I have ever heard. In a nutshell, iphone is a like a 19 yr old confused superhot blonde. She will entice you, will blow you away by her hot bod, will make everyone chase her. You might have all the fun once you get her but if you *really* need her during an emergency, she might flake out. :)