Is There Life After iPhone?
Product Commentary. So far, the answer is yes. I don't need no stinkin' App Store. |
In mid-December, I bought a Nokia N96 cell phone from Amazon, and I'm simply in love. While there's no touchscreen and some usability deficiencies compared to iPhone 3G, the N96 is good enough where the mobile compares and otherwise beats the Apple smartphone.
I first bought iPhone 3G on day of sale, July 11, and briefly switched because of dropped calling problems. But I missed the mobile and returned to using it a couple months back. For me, iPhone 3G was a lifestyle choice, mainly because of the App Store as killer application. I wanted to be more connected. AP's Mobile News Network made news easily available. Other apps let me easily post to my Facebook, SmugMug photo gallery and Tumblr Weblog or tweet using Twitterrific. Apple made mobile e-mail super easy and convenient, so much that I could file away messages from iPhone 3G.
But another way, I felt more disconnected. I'm a journalist, a creative type. Apple's mobile made consuming content easy, but not really generating content. The iPhone's digital camera is OK, but lacks much. There's no video capability and audio recording is marginal, even using some of the better App Store applications. By comparison, the Nokia N96 packs a 5-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens and dual-LED flash; there is 640 x 480 video recording at 30fps and stereo audio.
I asked myself: Do you want to be a content consumer or content creator? The iPhone 3G was better suited for content consumption, while the N96 did a little of both—and from the reviews surprisingly well.
A month has passed since the switch. It's a good time to reflect on App Store withdrawal and whether I could realistically go on without iPhone. I'm quite satisfied taking more photos and starting to do more personal video blogging (in preparation for more for Apple Watch and Microsoft Watch). I couldn't really do either with iPhone 3G. Apple has great supporting services in place, but the hardware is deficient compared to the N96.
Some iPhone 3G-Nokia N96 comparisons:
- Both handsets have 16GB of memory, but N96 is expandable to 24GB with storage card.
- N96 telephony audio quality is superior, at least where I live. I used to get frequent complaints when using iPhone 3G. Not with the N96.
- Both phones have U.S. 3G, but iPhone supports global frequencies.
- The iPhone is locked to AT&T; the N96 is unlocked for use with SIM cards from most any carrier.
- Battery life is comparable, but N96 has swappable batteries.
The N96 is no cheap purchase—$624.99 from Amazon. The comparable iPhone is $299 from Apple or AT&T. Why pay more for N96? I didn't, not over the lifetime of the device. AT&T charges $30 a month for the iPhone data plan. So with the 24-month commitment, iPhone costs $1,019 without factoring the rip-off activation fee. N96 isn't a smartphone, because there's no QWERTY keyboard. So the data plan is half that for iPhone. That works out to $996.99 for the N96, figuring in data cost.
But that comparison doesn't work for me. Until Dec. 21, when I changed data plans, AT&T charged the iPhone rate for five months. To date, then, the iPhone 3G cost me $449. I could recover some of that cost by selling the phone or trading in with Nokia, which would pay $203.
I contemplated switching from iPhone for about a month before doing so. Early December's Nokia World, where the phone manufacturer announced the N97, tipped me over. Nokia is rapidly catching up with mobile services, starting with Nokia Mail and Ovi. The time had come.
The Sony VAIO VGN-Z590 laptop played into my N96 decision. On the Z590, I will be running Windows 7 as my primary operating system either until its release to manufacturing or Apple launches Snow Leopard, whichever comes first. Nokia's PC software is far superior to its lightweight Mac counterpart. There is no Ovi software for the Mac.
About two weeks after buying the N96, I discovered Nokia WidSets, which essentially are Mobile widgets. Nokia launched the service about two years earlier. While by no means App Store, Widsets provide just enough mobile widgets to meet my information consumption and interaction needs. After all, Apple may claim more than 500 million App Store downloads, but how many are really useful? Gizmodo has a colorful breakdown of the applications.
The iPhone 3G-to-Nokia N-series exodus is now a family affair. For about six weeks before Christmas, my daughter asked to swap out her iPhone 3G for an iPod Touch and regular cell phone. By regular, she meant with a keyboard, which isn't what she got. A few days before Christmas, Nokia started selling its N79 cell phone in the United States. The fashionable phone has strong girl appeal. I sold mine and my daughter's iPhones to a friend, just about covering the cost of the Nokia N79 and 16GB iPod Touch. If not for the sale, I wouldn't have made such a costly product trade.
Initially, my daughter reacted favorably to the N79, particularly for shooting videos. Like the N96, the mobile has a 5-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens and dual-LED flash; video capability is 640 by 480 at 30 fps. Unlike me, my daughter suffers from App Store withdrawal. She can't get the apps on the N79, and IMing and texting are tougher tasks than done with the iPhone 3G. She has switcher's regrets and is sorry for giving up the iPhone 3G. But she says things would have been different with a keyboard phone.
I wonder: Will I feel the same as my daughter in another month? Can I live without iPhone 3G, particularly the App Store? It's a question I ask everyday, because so many of my friends have iPhones. One buddy started trading penny stocks, because of iPhone's stock ticker. He had never invested before. So far, he is making money as a new investor in a bear market. Another friend runs a small business off his iPhone 3G, which he couldn't do if not for MobileMe and several key App Store applications. Among my closest friends, right now I'm one person not using an iPhone.
My conviction remains that App Store is leading candidate for, with iPhone 3G and iPod Touch, becoming the next major computing platform. Perhaps, if Apple puts a reasonable camera and video capabilities into a future iPhone, I'll be back. For right now, it's Nokia N96 and me, baby.
[Please send your tips or rumors to watchtips at live.com].
Comments (12)
Dude.
I'm feeling so sorry for you. Why are you ruining your life ??? Get an iPhone and shut up.
Geezzzz !!!!
Posted by iBlackdude | January 21, 2009 12:36 AM
I've never before been able to read a single article and tell the author was gay. Seriously, I would bet money Joe's a homosexual. And I have a MacBook Pro and an iPhone, so I know homo.
Posted by Jack | January 21, 2009 1:24 AM
As a small business owner I could not do without the extra revenue my business now makes because I can now take orders, organize staff etc with MobileMe perfectly syncing all data from any location with the office computer. Add to that productivity apps such as iSpredsheet, Tapforms, and MobileStudio and I can easily create invoices and text documents and email directly to clients from anywhere.
As to generating online content I use BlogPress, and the TypePad and Tumblr apps to post from the iPhone.
The camera is vastly expanded by apps. Panorama is trhe best panoramic software I have used on any point and shoot camera (and incidentally enables the creation via stitching of photographs up to 4 or 5 MP in size. The apps such as Ezimba, Photolab, Photogene, etc allow editing facilities far superior to any on any other phone or camera. Better still the sketching and drawing apps such as Sketches make for hand drawn creativity on photos (or just artistic sketching - especially good with a stylus)
I find it curious that the article concentrates on an area where the iPhone is actually strong but apparently Mr Wilcox is unfamiliar with the many ways the app store and keyboard make generating online content a creatively productive activity on the iPhone whereas he mentions only a couple of the things where the iPhone is actually deficient compared to the Nokia. Video and better optics are important but if the Nokia flash is only LED then I wouldn't crow too much about that (perhaps he should have looked at a Sony Ericsson with a Xenon flash to see what good flash on a phone is really like).
The more significant limitation on the iPhone is the lack of a universal clipboard meaning copy and paste between apps is not possible and only the better apps have it internally. That makes serious content generation more difficult than it need be. The lack of MMS doesn't seem to bother Americans so much, but is a big deal outside the US.
On the other hand I would have thought that a keyboard is an essential for serious content generation, and things like SMS and email are briliantly easy on the iPhone keyboard compared to any SE or Nokia phone I have ever used.
Posted by Tony Johansen | January 21, 2009 1:33 AM
There will always be people who are dissatisfied with some of the (missing) features on the iPhone. But, and as you suggest, it's the app store that will ultimately make the difference.
Developers are making a fortune through the app store during a time of economic downturn. That has to count for something.
Posted by SkateNY | January 21, 2009 2:45 AM
He just needed to get an article typed up before his deadline. His job is probably on the line and he knows that controversy sells.
That, and he's probably gay.
Posted by ProNatchez | January 21, 2009 9:09 AM
Wow,
As a journalist I would have thought you would have wanted a phone with a qwerty keyboard in case you wanted to, you know, write something while you were out and about. N96 looks like a good combo of phone, camera, and media player but not much of a "computer" style device like iPhone.
Posted by Alan | January 21, 2009 10:31 AM
If a good camera is so important, get a real camera! Example: truly shirt-pocket sized, the Panasonic Lumix FX-35 carries a Leica-designed 25 - 100 mm(equivalent) zoom lens, 10 megapixel resolution, as much storage as you want on SD cards, and does 720p HD video. This from Amazon for around $235 shipped with an 8GB card.
Combine that with the iPhone, and the Nokia value fizzles like a wet firecracker.
Posted by Ed Arnold | January 22, 2009 5:04 PM
If a good camera is so important, get a real camera! Example: truly shirt-pocket sized, the Panasonic Lumix FX-35 carries a Leica-designed 25 - 100 mm(equivalent) zoom lens, 10 megapixel resolution, as much storage as you want on SD cards, and does 720p HD video. This from Amazon for around $235 shipped with an 8GB card.
Combine that with the iPhone, and the Nokia value fizzles like a wet firecracker.
Posted by Ed Arnold | January 22, 2009 5:05 PM
wasup with these lame iphone lovers. first off not being able to take video with any phone priced above $200 is ridiculous not to mention no picture mail capability SUPER lame. Plus the "if u wanted a camera u shoulda bought just a camera" excuse is way overused. If people wanted JUST digital cameras they wouldnt put cameras in phones to begin with. Whens the last time something crazy happened and you just happened to have your digital camera with you. Youll almost ALWAYS have your phone with you no matter what which is why probably more than 75% maybe more of youtube is made of cell phone video. Remember VT? what was their main source of information for that incident...A CELL PHONE VIDEO TAKEN BY A STUDENT thats right. The app store is cool but the majority of the stuff on there is garbage. N96 has GPS picture mail video LOUD stereo speakers its all about multi tasking people. I am extremely late on this but i just switched from an iphone 16gb to a nokia n96 and it is better. not HOLY JESUS better but definetly better.
Posted by John | March 6, 2009 3:19 AM
wasup with these lame iphone lovers. first off not being able to take video with any phone priced above $200 is ridiculous not to mention no picture mail capability SUPER lame. Plus the "if u wanted a camera u shoulda bought just a camera" excuse is way overused. If people wanted JUST digital cameras they wouldnt put cameras in phones to begin with. Whens the last time something crazy happened and you just happened to have your digital camera with you. Youll almost ALWAYS have your phone with you no matter what which is why probably more than 75% maybe more of youtube is made of cell phone video. Remember VT? what was their main source of information for that incident...A CELL PHONE VIDEO TAKEN BY A STUDENT thats right. The app store is cool but the majority of the stuff on there is garbage. N96 has GPS picture mail video LOUD stereo speakers its all about multi tasking people. I am extremely late on this but i just switched from an iphone 16gb to a nokia n96 and it is better. not HOLY JESUS better but definetly better.
Posted by John King | March 6, 2009 3:23 AM
Why can't anyone else come out with a user interface that is even half as good as the iPhone? It's been several years now and even the new models like Samsung's Omnia are horrible. My only complaint with iPhone is the terrible 3G data service. More often than not it resorts back to Edge.
Posted by Matt | March 12, 2009 2:16 PM
Why is everyone getting so worked up? maybe he just wanted to be able to 'copy and paste'? :P
iphone is a fad located nearly entirely in north America. For every apple phone sold last year, Nokia sold 6 smart phones and 40 normal phones...
Gotta be a reason for it hey?
"but its got that killer apps store with 25,000 apps"
Nokia's symbian has over 100,000 applications writen for it currently - And now that Ovi is being integrated into phones, where do you think developers will go to make money?
10 million phones per year
60-450 million phones per year depending on s40 integration...
Its simple supply and demand.
Posted by luke | March 19, 2009 8:10 PM