[Bruvva]

No it doesn't. Console asked why I thought it was shit, and I provided a (not entirely serious) answer. I just find it irritating that the media lap up apples' celebration of mediocrity.

[Console]

It just doesn't warrant the hype.

Unlike what product that has any form of advertising behind it?

It's pretty.

Yes, damn them for making a nice looking phone.

And apple fanbois irritate me so I kinda of take an "it's shit" approach as a default.

Because some (and it's probably a minority) of Apple's customers annoy you? Makes sense to me.

VGA video. Shit.

What's wrong with VGA?

Compass. Pointless Shit.

Perhaps, unless you need a compass. Even if it is, one arguably useless feature doesn't take anything away from the rest, it just doesn't add anything.

Tethering - Shit that's been possible on other phones for god knows how long.

Tethering is one of those few features on phones that I wouldn't mind having on mine.

Also, WHY is a company releasing a new phone deemed worthy of plastering all over the headlines?

Isn't that more of a problem with the news companies than with Apple?

[Ed Pummelon]

The only way that will change is if one of Apple's competitors gets better at manipulating the media than Apple is. They're all trying, and none have so far succeeded. I don't see that as a problem, in fact I'm quite happy to see the media used like that.

At the risk of repeating an earlier point, if people buy into the hype and buy something they don't really need as a result of that, that's their fault. Apple, Palm, RIM and everyone else have products to push and money to make, and as a consumer I'm quite happy to see them all trying to outdo each other. I think Apple's marketing strategy is smarter than the others at the moment, and that's fine. As long as the other's keep moving forward as well, we all win.

[Ed Pummelon]

By the way, my last post was replying to Bruvva. Lack of an edit button is a pain in the arse in here.

[Bruvva]

Sorry, you misunderstood - the "it's pretty" was me conceding it's good point. As for VGA, if you're going to say "OOH, WE HAZ VIDOEZ" then it might make sense to be able to compete with other phones that make the same claim and have better camera/video capability.

And anyway - you do realise I'm just messing about with all this crap don't you (see also Will Smith)? I'm beginning to think that people take me way too seriously. I blame my lack of smilies

[foot-loose]

I've posted this before but sod it:

I used to hate Apple. I hated how they were so expensive, how they made you use their programs and how they were all art school wanky.

I went into the O2 shop last year and had a play with the old iPhone - I was irritated by the fact I quite liked it. I went home. I went back a couple of days later and played with it again and liked it again so I decided that maybe I was wrong and shouldn't cut off my nose to spite my face.

I then started trying to come up with reasons to not want one - the cost was a good start. You were FORCED to use O2 - but then I was already on O2 and had no problem with them. The contract was cheaper than the one I was on at the time and what I was saving on a monthly basis actually added up to more than the £99 I had to pay upfront so technically it was maginally cheaper for me to move to the iPhone. It didn't support MMS so I checked how many MMS messages I had sent recently... turns out I had sent four in the past six months, I could cope without it. The phone I was getting was not released and there was no proper reviews on it so it was a bit of a gamble but I couldn't find anyone that moaned about the old phone and all they were doing was making it better.

When I went for it, I decided that worse case senario is I hate it and I can flog it on eBay and get something else. I thought I would probably use the features now and then but the novelty would wear off after a couple of weeks. Scroll forward a year and I use it nearly all the time (hardly ever as a phone) for the net, music and various apps. It's hardly an essential item, but I can't really remember what I did before it.

I have long been a believer that a phone is a very personal thing. What I want from a phone is not going to be the same as what my mum wants or someone who does a lot of emails or takes a lot of photos. I don't see how someone can say they have got the "best phone ever" considering the number of styles and brands available. Also, how can someone who has never used the iPhone have a negative opinion on it? That's like me saying that the Blackberry is shit but then saying i've only ever seen photos of it.

Last point - I keep a pretty close eye on forums talking about the iPhone and never have I heard anyone who has one complain about it. That on it's own must say something to the haters?




With regards to the new features, O2 are saying that MMS will come out of your text bundle with one MMS equalling four standard texts. They are charging for internet tethering with bundles - £14.68 for 3GB per month or £29.36 for 10GB per month. I was hoping I was going to get away with not paying extra for tethering.

http://shop.o2.co.uk/update/index.html

[Console]

you do realise I'm just messing about with all this crap don't you

Messing around, sure, but you do seem to have a certain conviction behind your words.

[Bruvva]

I'm very earnest in my messing around.

[JonnyYesno]

These discussions wouldn't arise if they called it something other than a phone. But Apple, like others, must avoid product convergance and so although there is clearly the ability to make a 10-in-1 device, they never will. Product redundancy will always be there as well as the weak overlaps with their other offerings.

[Yudster]

My antipathy towards Apple is less to do with the individual products (most of which, obviously, i haven't used) but more to do with negative personal experiences. On the few occasions that I have had Apple things they have gone wrong very quickly. This in and of itself wouldn't have been a problem, but in my experience their customer service has been totally unacceptable. I have lost count of the bits of conflicting and innaccurate advice I have been given by them, and more than once I have had to point out that what they are touting as their sales policy is contrary to relevant legislation (Apple's policies aren't really illegal, just the people who were dealing with them were lying, or stupid, or both).

Now, whilst I know this is an unusual set of experiences and isn't apparently completely typical of Apple, its enough to put me off - especially when there are excellent alternatives out there.

[foot-loose]

I've personally never had to deal with their customer services, but a few of my friends have. The impression I have been given is that my friends were not just pleased by the service but surprised by it - "your phones broken sir? No problem, here's a new one - we'll send that one off to somewhere abroad to get it fixed."

Having worked in customer services pretty much all my life, I have learned that one persons experience with a company can differ pretty massivly to someone elses based on the customers outlook / the agent they had to deal with / what the problem was.

I hate Orange cos they arsed me about, but I constantly hear good things about them. I am a fan of O2 cos I have always had any problems ironed out straight away, but I hear people moaning about them.

I don't know what you mean by "their sales policy is contrary to relevant legislation". What sales policy and what legislation?

[Zoot]

My antipathy towards Apple is less to do with the individual products (most of which, obviously, i haven't used) but more to do with negative personal experiences. On the few occasions that I have had Apple things they have gone wrong very quickly. This in and of itself wouldn't have been a problem, but in my experience their customer service has been totally unacceptable. I have lost count of the bits of conflicting and innaccurate advice I have been given by them, and more than once I have had to point out that what they are touting as their sales policy is contrary to relevant legislation (Apple's policies aren't really illegal, just the people who were dealing with them were lying, or stupid, or both).

Now, whilst I know this is an unusual set of experiences and isn't apparently completely typical of Apple, its enough to put me off - especially when there are excellent alternatives out there.

It's well known on here that I use Macs, both at work and personal. I love using them and given the choice I wouldn't change to a PC, even though nowadays any advantages of using graphic art packages on a mac over PC's are redundant. I think it's because I've been using them for years and have no reason or want to use anything different. However, I'm the only person in the company who works on a mac and according to our IT guys there's been 3 times as many problems with my machine then any other machine in the company. It may be the memory-gulping programs I use, or an incompatibility problem with the servers, we don't know.

[Yudster]

They (the staff, not the company) were misquoting the sale of goods act, relevant to a returns/refunds/replacement policy. It was the fool I was talking to who was lying (or just wrong) though, not Apple, I can't imagine that their policies are anything other than standard - but I have been unlucky enough to have met with idiots who have no idea what they are talking about.

[Ed Pummelon]

Was it in an Apple Store?

[foot-loose]

It's well known on here that I use Macs, both at work and personal. I love using them and given the choice I wouldn't change to a PC, even though nowadays any advantages of using graphic art packages on a mac over PC's are redundant. I think it's because I've been using them for years and have no reason or want to use anything different. However, I'm the only person in the company who works on a mac and according to our IT guys there's been 3 times as many problems with my machine then any other machine in the company. It may be the memory-gulping programs I use, or an incompatibility problem with the servers, we don't know.

It's cos of the all the porn.

They (the staff, not the company) were misquoting the sale of goods act, relevant to a returns/refunds/replacement policy. It was the fool I was talking to who was lying (or just wrong) though, not Apple, I can't imagine that their policies are anything other than standard - but I have been unlucky enough to have met with idiots who have no idea what they are talking about.

What happened?

[Zoot]

It's well known on here that I use Macs, both at work and personal. I love using them and given the choice I wouldn't change to a PC, even though nowadays any advantages of using graphic art packages on a mac over PC's are redundant. I think it's because I've been using them for years and have no reason or want to use anything different. However, I'm the only person in the company who works on a mac and according to our IT guys there's been 3 times as many problems with my machine then any other machine in the company. It may be the memory-gulping programs I use, or an incompatibility problem with the servers, we don't know.

It's cos of the all the porn.

There is absolutely no porn whatsoever on the hard drive of my computer.
I keep it on my USB stick.

[foot-loose]

iPorn.

I'm sure that gag has been done before.

[Yudster]

Was it in an Apple Store?

Initially it was over the phone - then yes, it was an Apple store.

Without taking half an hour to go into the details foot loose, basically I bought something, it broke, they sent it away, it came back three weeks later, it was still broken, they sent it away, it came back three weeks later, it worked for a day, then broke, and they tried to tell me that they didn't have any obligation to replace it. Which they did. Have an obligation I mean. They replaced it - it broke. I asked for a full refund and was told that I wasn't entitled to one - which under the Sale of Goods Act I was. I argued. I won, but only after going waaaaaaay above the head of the person in charge of that Apple Store. It all took a long long time and I won't be risking it again.

[foot-loose]

Meh. Women and technology don't mix.

[Munki Bhoy]

I'm bored with this announcement already. And I have an iPhone that I really like. But the new 3GS isn't all that impressive (better camera and apparently faster - but then I don't find the current one slow), I'm far more interested in getting the version 3 software.

But I think what's really annoying me is every time I've gone on twitter in the last 24 hours it's been full of O2's updates, each of them saying pretty much the same thing. It'll cost a bomb to upgrade to the 3GS. Fine, I won't. I get the picture, now shut up.

I'd unfollow them, but they're occasionally useful.

Anyway, wake me up next week when the software comes out. Until then... zzzzzzzzzzz......

[Yudster]

Meh. Women and technology don't mix.

I couldn't agree more!

[Andy B]

I agree with everything Footloose wrote in this thread so far.

I Shall be getting one because I've got the ogirinal iPhone, not the 3G one so for me the upgrade will be a little more substantial. (Plus I like the idea of having 32GB of music in my pocket which will actually work out at around 26-27GB cos of stupid marketing rules.....)

I rarely use my iPhone as an iPhone these days, like Foots I use the apps a lot to do things like check train times (I don't drive, trains are essential for me), play lots of games, watch films....oh and use the maps feature. The number of times I've been lost somewhere either on foot or in the car with the missus and had to rely on my phone to find out where I was and a better route to get the where I'm going is unbelieveable.....better than forking out £200 for a bloody Tom Tom...which I did just before I got the iPhone.

Anyhoo it's less of a phone for me and more of a comfort blanket except it's little and shiny and goes beep!

[jocky85]

That's pretty much my same reasoning for getting one aswell Andy. I'd use it for music/games/videos etc.

This is 1 of the reasons I'm considering an iPod Touch, as I'm pretty happy with my current phone contract

[Sunny So Cal]

Meh. Women and technology don't mix.

Ha. Piss off. I've been waiting to get one until they could do MMS and had video recording capabilities. Can't wait until my contract is up on October so I can finally get one. YES, I do use my calendar, alarm clock, MMS, and video recording on my current phone and felt that the iPhone lacking the aforementioned two was odd. I can't be arsed to go back and troll through what the debate in here was about.

[TIAL]

It'll never beat my phone...