On June 29th, Apple releases its latest consumer device, the iPhone. The hype machine for this product seems to be in full gear (in full disclosure, I'll admit to getting wrapped up in it some), hailing it as the dawn of next generation technology for consumers: touch screen computing.

Time Magazine seems to agree with this assessment, coupling the iPhone's launch with a product in development from Microsoft called "surface" computing.


After the huge wait for the next generation of gaming consoles, it appears camping will be in order for folks to obtain the new iPhone as well. (link)


Questions for Debate:
1) Is the iPhone really worth all the hype, or is it simply another device in the huge landscape of portable electronics?

2) Do you plan to buy one?

3) If we really are entering the age of touchscreen computing, besides Apple & Microsoft's efforts, what other uses could this technology have? Will the mouse become obsolete?

1) Is the iPhone really worth all the hype, or is it simply another device in the huge landscape of portable electronics?

As with all Apple products this one is very much over hyped.... it is a step towards the future but cost will probably prevent it from wide usage at least initally, many other devices will spring up doing the exact same thing with a much lower cost and then the technology will take off... Apple like sony with blue-ray dont seem to understand that cost is a major factor in adoption of new technologies...



2) Do you plan to buy one? pretty simple ... no apple == evil



3) If we really are entering the age of touchscreen computing, besides Apple & Microsoft's efforts, what other uses could this technology have? Will the mouse become obsolete?


the mouse is not dead yet but it's age is showing ... it will die just as the punchcard did, touch and manipulation are far more intitive and with the increased horsepower of current multiprocessor PCs that the mathmatical calcs needed for real "human interface devices" is not far off....

Well yes, sort of, kinda, a little... um maybe.

One one hand it's an Apple so it's instantly cool. It's an iPod, the best iPod ever. It's a computer, a really small, really cool computer.

On the other it's an Apple and it's first rev so you KNOW the second generation will be better by leaps and bounds. It's an Apple so it doesn't really play well with others (Blackberry, Exchange anyone?). It's an iPod with a bigger screen. It's a little computer.

No. I don't want to Beta test this product for Apple. I'll let the true Mac Fanboys do that. Also with no connection to Corporate email it's little more than a toy.

The mouse is already obsolete. One of the reasons Macs come with only one mouse button is they truly expect you to always have at least one hand on the keyboard which is optimal. Of course no one does that. The Blackberry (and Blackjack, Q, etc) has made the "input device" unnecessary and heavy Blackberry users tend to get back in the office learn their keyboard commands. Touch screens are also becoming ubiquitous - think ATM. So yes, largely the mouse is a thing of the past. the keyboard won't be far behind!

1) Is the iPhone really worth all the hype, or is it simply another device in the huge landscape of portable electronics?

The issue I have with mobile devices like this is you usually don’t find out how “user friendly” it is until you purchase one or spend some time with one that a friend or colleague has purchased. I purchased a Samsung Synch a few months ago and despise the navigation and menu system.

2) Do you plan to buy one?

Nope.

3) If we really are entering the age of touchscreen computing, besides Apple & Microsoft's efforts, what other uses could this technology have? Will the mouse become obsolete?

Kiosks rely on touchscreen technology and there are emerging markets for their use. But I don’t think the mouse is going away soon. From what I’ve seen so far, the pixel level control (for graphic artist, etc..) probably can’t be replace with touchscreen, the right mouse button functions along with the wheel are too convenient and I can’t envision how they can be replicated with touchscreen.

It doesn’t take long for the screen to get dirty or scratched, plus it’s much easier and cheaper to replace a mouse than an entire screen.

Most graphic artists don't use a mouse as it is far too imprecise. They use pen pads. Further the ability to "scroll" with a wheel is limited to up and down. Using a two finger combination on a touch pad (think laptop) allows all directions of scrolling. Use a large spread sheet or database to see how useful that is. Right clicking can be done several ways and most modern inputs (trackballs, 4, 5, 8, 10 button mice) do a lot more than just "right click" or menu select.

Those issues are easily addressed. As for dirty screens, that's not how touch screens work anyway so it's not a concern. Scratches also wouldn't really affect the performance of the unit but would be really annoying.

1) Is the iPhone really worth all the hype, or is it simply another device in the huge landscape of portable electronics?

I think it’s the coolest thing since sliced bread! The first time I saw the commercial for it, I felt like a kid saying “I want that!”. I think this device deserves the hype, as it is unlike any other one out there. As far as I’m concerned, it also has the added benefit of being an Apple product, which I believe are of superior quality anyway. How many devices out there let you multi-task (if that’s your thing)? The only negative thing I’ve seen is that Apple hasn’t mentioned whether it is Mac-compatible only.

2) Do you plan to buy one?

Even though I think it’s a very cool gadget, it’s not something I really need. If I had the disposable income (I read it’ll cost between $500 and $600), I might consider it. Or if somebody bought it for me.

3) If we really are entering the age of touchscreen computing, besides Apple & Microsoft's efforts, what other uses could this technology have? Will the mouse become obsolete?

I’m not much of a tech-geek, so I don’t really have a good answer for this, but everything in tech becomes obsolete at some point (hey, I’m old enough to remember the big ol’ 5” square floppy disks!). PC mice and mouse-driven applications bug the snot out of me. They are much more tiring (I guess I really should get the carpal tunnel surgery ) than using keyboard actions and shortcuts.

FYI, for those who think the touchscreen will get scratched, etc., the iPhone has a protective shield over the actual touch panel. And knowing Apple, I’m sure replacements will be available for those who do manage to destroy it.

1) Is the iPhone really worth all the hype, or is it simply another device in the huge landscape of portable electronics?

Worth all of the hype? There are very few things that are actually worth all the hype, so I'm inclined to say no.

But that doesn't mean that it is simply another device in the huge landscape of portable electronics, either. It does stand out (as many Apple products do.)

What makes it stand out from the crowd is implementation - as is common with an Apple product. Microsoft's version of surface control is anything but portable... unless you enjoy lugging a desk around with you. Apple has made the technology portable and usable in the environment best suited to such technology - the places where you don't want to lug around a keyboard... or a desk.

I've seen the keynote demo and read about other user's experiences with it... and it appears to work as advertised. I also know that Apple hasn't been sitting on its heels until the iPhone comes out... neither has AT&T, for that matter. AT&T has been building up their network capabilities to make sure its ready for the iPhone and Apple has been making improvements - like shifting to optical quality glass instead of plastic for the touchscreen and improved battery life (all before it has even been released.)

2) Do you plan to buy one?

I won't buy one right away. Primarily because I don't have the cash for one and secondarily because I don't have the cash to switch my cell carrier mid contract.

3) If we really are entering the age of touchscreen computing, besides Apple & Microsoft's efforts, what other uses could this technology have? Will the mouse become obsolete?

Kiosks are an obvious use... The arts and media would also benefit from this technology with "virtual" light tables. The mouse will eventually become obsolete even if it means it is just replaced by a touch-mousepad.

As far as price, a Palm Treo retails for $579... and has significantly fewer features. Yes, you can get these at a discount with a plan... but does that still make up for the missing features... wi-fi, Visual VM, 4GB (min) of high quality audio... very good quality video playback, Web Browsing like you see on your PC rather than a text version of the web.

It's not 3G yet, but 3G chips are seeing some trouble these days anyway.

1) Is the iPhone really worth all the hype, or is it simply another device in the huge landscape of portable electronics?
Simply another device. The software on that thing will have to be absolute outstanding to set it apart from the loads of similiar products out there. The hardware specs are very unimpressive.
Amongst other things I develop software for hand held devices, like pda's and mobile phones, and there are devices out there that are a lot more advanced than the iphone. The only thing that can set it apart is the software and the design, and I don't care much for the design.

In my opinion its all hype, but that has been a successful strategy for Apple in the past, and I am sure loads of people will buy this product too and be pleased about it, even though higher quality products exists.

2) Do you plan to buy one?
Nope. I work with advanced phones and pda's all day, but I have come to realize one thing. I really only need a phone that can make calls and send the casual sms. Am I gonna view video on a 3.5" screen? Why the hell would I want to do that?

3) If we really are entering the age of touchscreen computing, besides Apple & Microsoft's efforts, what other uses could this technology have? Will the mouse become obsolete?
Unless Apple has developed some new kind of revolutionizing touchscreen technology, we will not be entering that age in the foreseeable future. Touchscreens seems great and all, and they can indeed be very useful, but there a lot of problems with durability and precision of user input, even on rugged industrial devices costing 1000's of dollars. It's possible the mouse will become obsolete for some reason, but not because of touchscreens.

I anticipate Apple will have a lot of problems with the first versions, especially considering they don't have any alternative input options to fall back on, like a keyboard, should the touchscreen fail. Another problem is the lack of physical feedback offered by a touchscreen compared to actual keys. I could be wrong though, Apple may surprise again.

What other more advanced PDA's and mobile phones are out there? As far as software, it runs OS X and uses Visual Voicemail. What other PDA's or mobile phones have that feature?



Well, considering that this was what the hype was all about, I'd say this is what Apple is hoping it's done.

1) Is the iPhone really worth all the hype, or is it simply another device in the huge landscape of portable electronics?
Edited to add: I put this sentence in using my Nokia. Cool or what? ?
To me, it is simply another device. Three weeks ago I upgraded my mobile phone to a Nokia N95, which cost me a one-off payment of about $100 (not bad considering the retail price of the handset is around $1100 at the moment) on my current contract.

I can properly surf the web on it (and have made on post here on using it! though that won't be regular as it's very data-hungry and so quite expensive on my current contract compared to the WAP connectivity I've used before), it makes phone calls, it's got mobile versions of MS Office applications on it so I can open email attachments. It can also connect to the web via Wi-Fi. So far, so similar (and available in the UK right now, unlike the iPhone which isn't planned to launch here until at least Christmas).

It also has a GPS locator, so I can use it as a SatNav unit (a hand-held one which I can use on foot, at that) - beat that, iPhone!

It comes with (I think) 2GB memory as standard, with a MicroSD slot to allow expansion (currently I think the largest commercially available in the UK is now 2GB, but this time last year it was 1GB). That's not going to fit a whole record collection (unless it's very small), but it's equivalent to - what? - 30 or so CDs?

And, unlike the iPhone, I can make & receive video calls and it has a built-in 5 Megapixel camera with flash (the main reason I went for it, rather than a more MP3- or email- centred phone).

The most useless gizmo I've found on it by far is a built-in barcode reader. Presumably, along with the sat nav, they're aiming that at commercial sales forces, delivery fleets, or the like, which is quite sensible.

So, to my mind, the iPhone is just another phone. It's a pretty good phone, admittedly, but it won't suit everyone and it's not quite as cutting edge as the hype suggests. It certainly isn't the Swiss Army Knife of mobile handsets - there are lots of things it can't do that other phones do better.

The only thing really new about it is the touch-sensitive screen, and - call me a cynic - I'm not sure that a device that's going to primarily live in someones pockets, handbag or briefcase is such a good place to launch a new generation of touch sensitivity. I just have images that I'll be calling Australia every time I cough.

The the world at large, who have gone crazy for the iPod, it will sell like hot cakes and become another metropolitan must-have. Mind you, Steve jobs could launch almost anything with an i-prefix at the moment and people would go mad for it.

2) Do you plan to buy one?

If I were more of a muso, I dare say it would be tempting, if it were an upgrade option with my mobile phone provider and it was free (or cheap) on my existing contract.

Otherwise, no.

3) If we really are entering the age of touchscreen computing, besides Apple & Microsoft's efforts, what other uses could this technology have? Will the mouse become obsolete?

In a home environment, and in certain specialist business applications (maybe including design, and certainly in things like retail merchandising) touchscreen computing is a great advance. For more general office applications, I find that a single input device is the most efficient, and - as yet - the only really useful device for text input is the keyboard. So applications that let me use lots of keyboard shortcuts are my friends, while those which make me take my hands off the wheel (so to speak) to use a mouse, trackball, tablet, touchscreen or anything else are a pain in the back side.

Even a theoretical, Star-Trek-style voice activated computer with touch-sensitive graphical inputs wouldn't work terribly well in an office environment, because it would turn all offices into the noise equivalent of a call centre - you'd end up having to shout to make yourself heard.

1) Is the iPhone really worth all the hype, or is it simply another device in the huge landscape of portable electronics?

Of course, I haven't used an iPhone and probably never will, but I tend to think that, at this point, the iPhone has been more an an exercise in consumer gullibility than some sort of revolutionary product.

After just a few moments of study, I see clear problems with the iPhone. The main flaw I see is that it is a rectangle. The surface is flat, and there is no contour whatsoever. For anything more than a one-minute call involving an exchange of what-are-you-doings, this thing is going to be uncomfortable to use as a phone. Yeah, it has a snazzy-looking UI, but if it doesn't feel comfortable when being used at a phone, well... it needs to be comfortable to use as a phone.

The other main problem I see is that it has no buttons. Sure, the touchscreen has a "wow" factor to it, but how are you supposed to dial this thing without looking at it? Many, many people use their phones while driving, and without buttons those drivers will be even more reckless as they take their eyes off the road to dial their iPhone. If it had buttons, it could be dialed by feel. Instead, it offers no tactile response and requires visual attention that is probably better spent somewhere else.

2) Do you plan to buy one?

No, never. I'm not a slave to a cell phone. I'm not willing to trade convenience for quality in terms of a phone, or a music player, and I'm certainly not paying $600 for a device whose useful life is likely to be around two years. That's $25 per month just to own the thing, or a little over $.82 a day. Seems steep to me.

3) If we really are entering the age of touchscreen computing, besides Apple & Microsoft's efforts, what other uses could this technology have? Will the mouse become obsolete?

If we are really entering an age of touchscreen computing, it will only be for certain specific tasks. As has been mentioned, ATMs are the best example of this. The main problem with touchscreen computing, though, is that touchscreens are ergonomic disasters. In this age of litigation, I think many companies would recognize that touchscreen usage at a desktop computer, even under the best circumstances, is a liability.

Imagine if your current monitor was a touchscreen and required you to use that functionality with any regularity in order to use your computer. If you had to have your monitor right in front of you, like most of us prefer, you would need to have your wrist bent in an unnatural and uncomfortable position in order to touch it. Sure, it seems like it would be no big deal, but I suspect that any more than a few minute's use would show the faults of a vertical touchscreen.

So why not just put your monitor at an angle or even parallel to your desk? Well, then you have to stare downward all day to use your computer. You'll either have to lean forward to use it, or sit with your neck bent downward to see and use your screen. Either way, you're in for a stiff neck or a stiff back.

The mouse isn't going anywhere anytime soon, and if it is, it will not be touchscreens that replace it.



Mike

Ummm, OS X in itself is really not that usefull - only if it can run every OSX program that the Apple desktop pc's can.
Voicemail isn't as big in Europe I think, certainly not here in Denmark, so not really an appealing feature, but my company actually developed our own software that acts in a similar way as visual voicemail that can run on any windows mobile PDA. Maybe its more a more attractive feature in the US, ill give you that.

The devices I consider to be more advanced are really nothing more that the newest run of the mill PDA's. They have big touchscreens, full slide out keyboards, wifi, 3G, GPS, you name it, and they are made by firms with lots of experience in the mobile device business (as do Apple of course). I consider 3G, GPS and a fullsize keyboard to be a lot more important than OS X and visual voicemail.


Well, that remains to be seen. Considering I haven't heard anything about a revolution in touchscreen technology, apart from Samsung showing a touchscreen with tactile feedback (which the iphone is not using), I won't hold my breath.

1) Is the iPhone really worth all the hype, or is it simply another device in the huge landscape of portable electronics?

It's not possible for anything to be worth the hype the iPhone has been getting, positive and negative. Overall, it looks like the iPhone is a good step in a good direction. Some of it is revolutionary (surface interface now copied by MS), some of it evolutionary (integrated feature set, Unix), and some of it under par at its price point (4 or 8 GB with no memory slot? Lame!).

2) Do you plan to buy one?

No; at least not for personal use, but we're getting several to develop on, so I might have to commadeer one if I get hooked. I'm a big fan of convergence technologies, but with the state of modern cellphone networks, I like to keep phone functionality separate from everything else. I'd rather have a tiny phone that does nothing but voice calls, and a second, slightly larger gadget that does the rest: camera, MP3 player, TV, games, radio, WiFi internet, etc. I'd much rather have an iPhone without the phone, but with a bigger hard drive-- more like an Archos 504 with 160 GB of storage instead of the iPhone's measley 4 or 8. When 3G service reaches more of America, I might warm up to omnibus phones, but the iPhone doesn't even do 3G, so it seems to be in the jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none category, for now.

3) If we really are entering the age of touchscreen computing, besides Apple & Microsoft's efforts, what other uses could this technology have? Will the mouse become obsolete?

Small touch screens will probably make their way into dashboards, steering wheels, microwaves and other kitchen appliances, some high-end wristwatches, photo printers, intercom-type devices or videophones, vending machines, ATMs, gas pumps, self-serv checkouts, voting machines, etc. Wherever there's no space or time for concentrated touch-typing, but still a need to select multiple options, possibly in different languages or by image.

Different interfaces are good for different tasks. Touch and pen screens are destined to make inroads against mice and trackpads, but not replace them entirely. Tablet computing has taken off in a lot of fields, and sales of tablet PCs are rapidly gaining on mouse-only systems. For desktops, I prefer a Wacom Cintiq tablet to any mouse, but of course, they're not in the same price range, so it's probably not a fair comparison. When I've got a standard notebook on my lap, I prefer it's trackpad; when it's on a desk, I prefer a three-button mouse if I can't plug in the Cintiq. I prefer keyboard shortcuts to mousing through menus and clicking buttons.

Although I doubt anyone expects to use the iPhone for word processing, Apple seems to assume a large number of people won't mind regularly typing on a touch screen. I'm not sure that's a good assumption. As much as I love doing creative work on a tablet, I wouldn't want to do much typing without a real keyboard of some kind. The only text input interface that might give the keyboard a run for its money is speech recognition, and there's been no indication of any speech recognition on the iPhone. The iPhone is advertised to interface with Bluetooth keyboards, but Bluetooth drains battery power fast. Even with the better battery numbers Apple released this week, you can't replace the iPhone's battery when it runs out of juice. A third party will probably make a tiny clip-on push-button keyboard shortly after the iPhone hits the market, and it will probably sell very well. Ditto with clip-on battery supplements.

It's hard to say whether the iPhone will fly or flop, but I'm selling off my Apple stock, so I'm effectively betting my money on slightly disappointing sales, after which I'll probably buy again barring a major disaster. Bought at $20 and selling at $120+, so can't complain much, even if I'm wrong. (Disclaimer-- this is not a stock tip, but a disclosure-- I've been wrong about such things as often as I've been right).


I'm inclined to agree, to an extent. Windows CE/PocketPC is certainly not in the same league as Windows XP/Vista, and Apple's use of the OS X kernel and a few modified frameworks on the iPhone is probably not significantly different, considering Apple announced at WWDC that all third party apps must use its Safari Web browser rather than having full access to OS X. The idea that Safari might soon include Google Gears is an interesting conjecture, though; Google Gears could allow iPhone Safari apps to work offline. I'm not as pessimistic as other developers about using Safari as a platform-- with the right JavaScript API and URI protocols, it could provide plenty of power for the vast majority of third-party apps, along with a relatively low barrier to entry.

Two words for you Mike... Blue Tooth... two more words Voice Dial! Who talks on the phone anymore? You'd get face grease all over it! Ewww! (Yes I use my phones as actual phones sometimes too.)

My main beef with my Blackjack is that it does not have Voice Dial. My Razr is so smart I can say Dial Two One Two Five Five Five One Two One Two and it will dial it, to say nothing of saying Dial Home.

The iPhone is pretty sexy and I would bet there will be steep discounts with two year plans yadda yadda.

From what I understand, there will be no discount for purchasing with a plan. We'll see if this changes at the time it is released, but that was the last I heard.

I couldn't help but add this to the discussion: Best Features of the iPhone, by The Onion
Here's a few:

• Exclusive link to Google Street View so you can watch yourself using your iPhone at all times
• Takes Polaroids
• When moved from hand to ear, makes Lightsaber sound effects