The anticipated Apple iPhone 3G was released this Monday. This new version of the iPhone can operate on 3G networks and includes GPS capabilities. Other than that, nothing is new with the device itself. Steve Jobs keynote speech also revelead the Apple AppStore and a group of apps built on the previously released iPhone SDK. This new iPhone software update will be available to all iPhone devices, and is not only restricted to the new generation iPhone 3Gs.
Although these new introductions seem exciting, fine, and dandy; I can’t help but feel cheated somehow. You see, except for the multitouch screen, the iPhone’s features pale in comparison to other contending phones. Nokia’s N95 and N96 come at the equivalent price of the current iPhones (the non 3G), and they yet include much better software and hardware capabilities. The iPhone 2 MegaPixel camera falls short compared to the Nokia’s 5 MegaPixel camera phones for the same price. Not to mention that the iPhone still can not capture videos, perform zooming, or offer flash photography .. all of which are standard on other contending phones for the same or even lesser price.
Another problem with the old iPhones was the immaturity of its software. The iPhone’s web browser, media player, and photo viewer are fine .. but other than that the phone’s software sucks. The calendar software is a joke, the software frequently crashes, and you can not even resend, edit, or draft SMS messages (all of which my very old mobile phone was mastering). However, i am optimistic that with the release of the SDK we will start seeing better software running on the iPhone. However, it is shocking that Apple thought it would be more fitting to include a scientific calculator in their software update before even fixing the SMS app!! Heck, the phone doesn’t even distinguish between dialed and received calls !!
The iPhone’s recent price drop also digruntles me. Don’t get me wrong, i am glad it is finally getting cheaper. But if you think about it, Apple added 3G and GPS communicators, and didn’t change the phone’s processor power. The material cost certainly did not get cheaper of the past few months, and still Apple was able to cut the price in half. I guess what i am trying to say is that not only was the original iPhone over priced, it was grossly over priced. As a person who spent a quarter of his college stipend to buy an iPhone, i feel cheated that practically the same phone was offered for half the price just a couple of months later! I understand that electronics get cheaper with time, but this is clearly just too much!
I was rather disappointed with these WWDC revelations. I guess this reminded me with “old Apple” behavior, where they would announce a small set of features that are subpar compared to the current state of alternatives, and brag about them. Come on Apple, please fix the SMS features in your phone, please give us a real camera that can truly stand its ground against Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Samsung, and fix the many annoying bugs and stupid limitations of the iPhone. How come i used to be able to upload any music file to my very old phone and turn it into my ringtone and i can not do that with the iPhone. I understand you want to charge people money .. but come on .. $2 for a ringtone ?!! this is too much. I know there are hacks to bypass some these limitations, but i choose to maintain the integrity of my phone, and i should not be punished because of that.
Certainly Apple is great at over-hyping products and creating market buzz. They can really take an ordinary item and market it successfully as the next best thing on earth. I honestly believe that if they choose to market monkey feces, they could make iFeces and that would be the next big hit world wide. I really wish i had this ability .. it would make me a millionaire 
. However, for now, i am disgruntled and i do feel cheated. And whatever chance there was of me making my next computer a Mac has just vanished. I guess i will stick in my free world.
