I'll start this off with an admission... I
don't dislike the iPhone. I've had the opportunity to use the iPhone of
a friend of mine who's an Apple fanatic and iPhone addict. It's not a
bad little device. It's also, without question, one of the better
smartphones out there and better than the smartphone I carry around (the
HTC Mogul). But what sucks about the iPhone is not so much the device
itself, but the limitations and shackles placed on it by Apple. My HTC
may not be as slick as the iPhone, but it doesn't have the limitations
the iPhone does.
To start with, I'm not an AT&T
Wireless customer and I have no desire to be. Locking the iPhone into an
exclusive arrangement with AT&T may have been necessary for Apple to
get the device to market, but it ensures that I won't be buying one. Say
what you will about Sprint, but I've been pleased with their reliability
and coverage (though I'll admit the signal at my house sucks). Even a
"jailbroken" iPhone won't work with Sprint (at least not as I understand
it).
In my opinion,
a cell phone (especially a smartphone) should have an easily-swapped
battery. Every cell phone I've ever owned had the option for a
simple battery swap. Since a smartphone has uses that extend beyond just
talking and web browsing, you're more likely to run the battery down on
a smartphone than a "normal" cell phone. While a pop-out battery
compartment might have marred the slick one piece back of the iPhone, I
consider it a design flaw that the battery can't be replaced in one
quickly and easily (without the need for tools).
Apple won't allow third-party developers to share programming
knowledge. As Slashdot reported on July 24, 2008, Apple's iPhone SDK
confidentiality agreement prevents developers from discussing the SDK or
exchanging ideas with others. This means developers can't help other
developers resolve iPhone programming issues, share good iPhone coding
practices, etc. It's unbelievable to me that Apple has placed such a
strong "gag order" on those who are supporting one of its products.
Worse,
the iPhone SDK prevents developers from doing many things that make
the device more powerful, more intuitive, and more "revolutionary" than
it started out. Developers can't touch the iTunes or iPod functionality.
They can't even access the music directory on the iPhone. Third-party
applications have to completely quit when exited, making true instant
messaging functionality impossible. Third-party applications can't
integrate with the OS itself, and can't significantly alter iPhone
functions. Apple limits application testing to 5 devices, making it
virtually impossible to conduct a good beta test. It's often joked that
Apple's paying customers are its beta testers, and this rule just
reinforces that image. As Gizmodo said, "the massive anticipation for
the Pwnage 2.0 tool, the vast universe of applications we're missing out
on -- not just pirated goodies, but honest-to-God mission-critical wares
-- shows the SDK clearly doesn't provide everything we need it to. And
it might never. But the black market app economy can and does fill the
void. Apple might seek to shut it down, but the iPhone's two-class app
economy may prove to be its greatest strength."
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