On Friday, July 11 2008, at 8:00am, the iPhone 3G will be upon us.
Those with disposable vacation days have started to line up already:
(Photo courtesy of Engadget)
As the first person in line at the Auckland, New Zealand Vodaphone store, this lucky bastard will be the first person in the world to own an iPhone:
(Photo courtesy of Gizmodo)
So comes the question at hand: will the Geek in Heels, the self-professed Apple lover and gadget freak, be lining up as well come this Friday?
The answer is no.
I confess I would have broken my Verizon contract and jumped ship if the 2nd generation iPhone seduced me enough.
But it didn’t.
Tempted? Just a smidge.
Seduced? Eh. David Hasselhoff doing his “Hooked on a Feeling” routine is more seducing:
Allow me to explain why.
1. There isn’t enough of a change from the original iPhone and the iPhone 3G to warrant a switch.
The main difference between the two is that the 2nd gen has 3G and GPS. True, we must take into account that the original iPhone was (and is) one of the best cell phones on the market. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?
However I, and many other Apple fanboys, were expecting more from the 2nd gen iPhone. Improved security. True push capabilities (the iPhone 3G’s version of push is more of a workaround). A flamethrower. Just give us one more thing to set it apart from other handsets.
My current phone, the LG Voyager, already has 3G and GPS. It talks to me when it gives me directions. Give me something new, and I’ll switch.
2. The hardware design is worse than the original iPhone.
I don’t care if plastic gives better reception than brushed aluminum – the brushed aluminum looked better. And the difference in reception is minimal anyway.
And the curves…oh the curves! I honestly don’t like the design of the MacBook Air for this same reason. I like a more boxy, industrial look to my gadgets. Curves tend to make gadgets look like toys.
3. No physical keyboard.
Okay, so this was my main gripe with the original iPhone. Call me old-fashioned, but I need a physical keyboard. I need to feel the clickitty-click under my fingers.
My Voyager has a touchscreen too, but I hardly use it. I prefer the flip-out keyboard.
In this case, the added bulk would be worth it.
4. The iPhone 3G is not less expensive than the original iPhone; in fact, it’s more expensive.
Read this article from the Consumerist that proves it. And the fact that Apple and AT&T are only advertising the lower initial cost pisses me off.
5. The iPhone is still locked with only AT&T and this time, you have to activate the phone in-store.
I know they’re only doing this to protect their own interests, but c’mon.
Will the next version of the iPhone meet my expectations? I hope so, but I doubt it. Will any phone ever meet all my expectations? Yes, when we are able to customize our handsets to the T. Which, in other words, means no.
