[miffed]

After two months of iPhone ownership , I have to say I am absolutely blown away with this !
I treated it like a baby for two weeks or so , then the honeymoon wore off a little , and I started putting it in my pockets with other phones / keys / coins etc - basically treating it like a phone -
It has had couple of small drops too

Anyway - on close inspection , I have two TINY scratches , barely visible to the human eye on the Apple logo on the back (you have to look really closely - my wife can't even see them at all ! ) - other than that , the thing looks as good as it did the day I bought it !

God knows what they have done to the screen , but it seems simply unscratchable - it is like new - not a mark of any description on it

The Chrome band around the outside is unmarked too - Now , my e90 of similar age has a similar chrome band around the keypad / screen - and it has picked up hundreds of tiny scratches , despite being used a lot less than the iPhone , and I think it has probably been looked after better, as I never got past the 'honeymoon' period with it , and it stays at home most of the time now - Having said that , chrome on Nokia handsets always does have a "cheap" feel to it , and while it looks great coming out of the box , it actually brings the quality of a phone's looks down when it gets tatty after a few months IMO
So for me the iPhone is proving revolutionary in terms of durability (que every other manufacturer in the world to say "We could have done that ! - and show us their copycat options ! ) :D

[Ben]

It's certainly quite an achievement given that the handset is essentially a large piece of glass!

Still, it's expensive enough when you factor in the contract. Quite right too that it should stand up to normal usage without becoming tatty.

[miffed]

It's certainly quite an achievement given that the handset is essentially a large piece of glass!

Still, it's expensive enough when you factor in the contract. Quite right too that it should stand up to normal usage without becoming tatty.

Oh , definately !

But I must admit , when I originally saw the iPhone i thought Yep, lovely ... but that thing is not going to be practical , it'll be covered in marks/scratches within a week and the first time you knock it the screen will break - this is not the case though

[gorilla]

ipod, mac mini what comes next? :-)

Well, I have to say my N95 takes a beating every day. It's gets dropped frequently and the screen gets bashed, but yet it is fine. The slider is a tad 'wobbly' but I think it was just as wobbly when new.

The memory slot door is used every day and is still as strong as ever. I remember the trouble I had with the one on the 6680.

The iphone, as Ben says, should be good built of sterner things. Good to see that you're still happy.

A work experience kid said to me the other day that he really, really, really wants one. That made my mind up ;-) Chavtastic. [Says he with an N95!]

[Hands0n]

See the iPhone Crash Test here http://youtube.com/watch?v=czCCavcnNd8 conducted by PC World. It is not pleasant viewing, so those of a weak disposition should not click the link.

For sure, Apple went all out with the iPhone to make it durable. The glass screen is already legendary for being scratch proof, not resistant! Compared to the weak chrome plating of the iPod and iPod Touch which scratches just by looking at it, the iPhone's brushed metal back is very resistant.

Just to "take issue" with the cost thing that comes up regularly. The iPhone is no more expensive than a SIM-free handset, although it isn't SIM-free of course. It can easily be unlocked though so that isn't an issue. The £35pcm for 18 months is cited as adding to the cost of the phone. But I think that is a mischevious argument seeing as the phone needs a contract anyway, and why not one for £35 which includes all you can eat data and inclusive The Cloud access. Personally I do not count the contract rental against the phone itself.

The beastie is still keeping me well amused and in contact. I recently registered on The Cloud and it was a good experience.

[Ben]

Mhm, despite The Cloud (which, lets face it, barely makes up for the fact that the device isn't 3G and all-you-can-eat data over GPRS is a pretty empty gesture), I think it's fair to say that £35/mo for 18 months should get one hell of a lot more than 200 minutes and texts. So attributing some of the contract cost to the handset is fair IMHO. That's not to say there isn't value in there - I suppose, as with all things, it's what you do with it that counts.

[gorilla]

round and round we go :D

It's a premium product on a weak tariff.

[miffed]

Can someone give me an example then ?

200 texts & 200 mins
Unlimited data via network (unlimited , none of this 1-3GB nonsense)
Unlimited Hotspot use

For less than £35 PM -

Tell you what , as I am feeling generous , I'll accept a 3GB limit on the data

There must be LOADS , surely ? :rolleyes:

EDIT - Ah , Just seen 3GSU's post about T-mobile including hotspots in W&W - so maybe it is possible now !

[Ben]

Ok, straight to the Three website.

500 mins, 500 texts, free N95 with 90 video calling minutes, free voicemail and 300 extra 3-3 minutes. Add Internet Max. £32/mo :)

It's 1GB/mo I think, but I'm happy with the fact that it wipes the floor with the iPhone deal. There's no point trying to argue that tariff is good value, it really isn't for the vast majority of the UK population :D

[miffed]

I agree it isn't 'exceptional' Value - But I don't think it is hugely out of line with the rest of the market , which is the impression that some people give if you look around the net - I think you only have to look at Vodafone and Orange to see worse crimes against pricing, with a blatant refusal to even OFFER reasonable amounts of data at any price !

[getti]

I think the problem with the iPhone plans is not the data you get because that is good, but more down to the small amount of minutes and texts you get .

[gorilla]

Forget the data aspect of the tariff and you only have 200mins and 200 sms. Do you get MMS included?

How widespread is EDGE? Are you near a cloud hotspot?

I suppose the real issue is having to stump up for a simlocked handset. At least when you buy sim free you can use it on any network. £279 is more than most people would consider paying for a handset as well. Priced at £99 and more people might consider it. As it stands the iphone will only appeal to those who can afford it.

[Ben]

There is no MMS on the iPhone, FYI.

I still find that little fact alone incredibly hard to digest.

Fingers crossed for v2 announced at the keynote? :D

[Hands0n]

I suppose the real issue is having to stump up for a simlocked handset. At least when you buy sim free you can use it on any network. £279 is more than most people would consider paying for a handset as well. Priced at £99 and more people might consider it. As it stands the iphone will only appeal to those who can afford it.

Ah but just wait a cotton pickin ..... The iPhone is, after all, an 8GB iPod [touch] with a phone tacked on to the back. People are paying large amounts for iPods alone. So the £269 for an iPhone is not exactly ground-breaking in Apple pricing terms. In fact, I would say that it is entirely moderate, for Apple.

So lets think about this. An iPod Touch 8GB is £199. So for an additional £70 you are getting a pretty reasonable and stylish phone too. It can be unlocked easier than just about any other handset on the market too, for those so inclined. Together, as a converged device, the iPhone represents something of a marvel of not only technology but economics too.

As to affordability of the iPhone - the same argument can be laid at the foot of the iPod itself. It is eye-wateringly expensive in comparison to many MP3 players. But as any iPod owner will tell you, it is cream of the crop - especially when combined with iTunes on either the Mac or Windows.

Now the O2 mins/text/data/Cloud tariff of £35 is not exactly awe-inspiring for the mins/text but the data aspects not only suit the iPhone well, but are pretty good value too. The only two things that I [personally] feel are badly missing are indeed the 3G and MMS. The latter could be added with a software update by Apple, if they chose to do so.

But that aside, it is [I think] somewhat specious to attribute the £630 cost of the 18-month tariff to the cost of the iPhone as so many of its detractors do.

Back on topic :D The iPhone's build quality and robustness are not matched, as far as I can find, by any other manufacturer (special ruggedised units notwithstanding).

[gorilla]

Just to completely trash this thread totally: :eek:


‘”Do you know why this industry keeps failing to understand what consumers want?”, a mobile phone company executive asked me recently. ”Because none of us in the business pays our own phone bills.” The same could be said for many of the journalists who review the latest handsets – so I tried an experiment. I bought Apple’s iPhone, for a hefty £269, and spent the last four weeks playing with it – and paying for it – at home, and abroad.

From the dot.life blog (http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/technology/2008/01/the_iphone_great_at_home_lousy.html) on the bbc.

Interesting to read the user submitted comments at the end of the article. Will this iphone debate ever end? :D

[Hands0n]

Will this iphone debate ever end? :D

Nope! Not a chance. There is too much at stake. Like, people can make money writing crappy reviews that ignore the difference between device and network (gizzajob, I can do that).

Then there are the religious zealots - Mac, Windows, Linux, they're all there. To some Apple can do no right, and they'll give you all of the good reasons why that is. The same goes for Windows. Each of these technologies has gathered a faithful following who would die rather than concede that the other might just have a point.

The iPhone is a legend in its own short time - but we are only looking at the first iteration of the device. As such, and recognising that it is the first go, Apple have done an astonishing job. Other manufacturers, even the mighty Nokia, rush to produce competing devices, and might even do a far better job. One would hope so for companies that have been in the business since day one. But wait, that is not always quite so. LG, Samsung and HTC all have touchscreen phones out now - some with 3G and the full complement of phone/handset apps that we Europeans love so much. Way ahead of the Apple iPhone. But you don't find every tech publication twittering on about them endlessly.

No, the iPhone has touchpoints on so many levels that it is hard to count them all. It can enthuse as well as inflame, delight as well as generate rage in individuals. It is not only a technological marvel, it is also a success. But also a stupendously successful marketing exercise that will have huge benefit to Apple. If nothing else, it has the entire world talking about Apple. And that cannot be a bad thing for that particular company.