Allow me to begin by saying that, after just a couple of hours of use, I'm very impressed by the iPhone. In addition, it passes the Wife Test. In just under 15 seconds she was dashing all over the interface and, before a minute was out concluded, "This is beautiful." (Usual caveat: My wife has no interest in technology, not because she's not smart as a whip, but because she has better ways to spend her time. When she pronounces a gadget good, it is.)
With that out of the way, a couple of gripes.
AGHHHH, SPAM!!! Because I run SpamSieve on all my Macs I'd nearly forgotten how much of this crap I receive. Retrieving email on my iPhone reminded me. My iPhone offers no spam filtering that I can see and, man, do I need it.
Yes, I do have a Gmail account and because Gmail's spam filtering is so good, I'm seriously considering moving more of my regular email work to that account.
Chalk this up as Reason Number One why I'd like people like SpamSieve's author, Michael Tsai, access to the guts of the iPhone's email client.
I miss my headphones I'm not a big fan of Apple's earbuds, which explains why I've accumulated half a dozen other headphones that I favor for my iPods. Regrettably, the iPhone's audio port is built in such a way that none of my other headphones work with it-the audio port is recessed so the headphone plugs can't make a proper connection. Belkin and Griffin Technology will be shipping inexpensive iPhone headphone adapters at some point, but I'm sorry Apple didn't include something like this in the box. Because the iPhone is also an iPod, I'd like the freedom to use it like one without such hindrances.
Less-than-ideal network reception As Rob Griffiths mentioned in a previous entry, wireless reception on the iPhone isn't exactly robust. Like Rob, with the iPhone I've seen dead spots in the house where my Macs have no problems. And when it does make a connection it's not the fastest network device I own. Usable, certainly, but not ultra-speedy.
No manual iPod management Although touted as "the best iPod" Apple's ever made, it's also more limited than recent iPods. Specifically, you can't manually manage media on it. I'm in the habit of moving iPods from one computer to another, adding a bit of media from this computer and another bit from a different computer. This is impossible with an iPhone as it syncs only from the computer it's attached to. Making this a two-for-one gripe, unlike with my other iPods, I can't use the iPhone as a storage device. It can't be mounted as a hard drive.
I've always wanted to say that.
After a very pleasant exchange with the team at the Chestnut Hill Apple Store, I walked out with a brand new iPhone. The only potential snag was that I'd bought the phone at the AT&T store, but they sent it up the food chain and managed to get me a replacement anyway. Kudos to the guys at that store; they're always friendly and helpful to me.
Unlike the first unit, I had no snags with this one. Plugged it in and activation was a breeze. It seems to me that they've either worked out some of the kinks or the load is much lower this morning than last night, since my activation (complete with number transfer from Verizon) worked smooth as silk; I got two SMS messages telling me that my I was all set before I'd even finished syncing the phone.
So far I've made a few calls and tested a handful of the features, and everything looks nice (probably even nicer given the fact I've been waiting for this to work for the last fifteen hours or so). I'll post some more observations later, but for now, I'm just enjoying having a working iPhone.
As I just posted over at Macworld, it appears that anyone who decided not to brave the crowds at their local Apple Store Friday need not worry about getting shut out from buying an iPhone today. Apple has an iPhone Availability Checker on its Web site, where green dots denote iPhones are still available and red ones let you know to move it along, there's nothing to see here. As of 9:30 a.m. Pacific Saturday morning, all those dots are green.
It’s now Saturday morning, and while my iPhone still hasn’t left the house for a real-world trial yet, I have spent a couple hours using it, testing the various features. As such, here are five quick observations about the iPhone:
Later today, the iPhone is takes its first “working trip” into the outside world, and I’ll have more to report after we get back home this evening—both on the phone’s performance, and the reactions of some friends who’ll get their first look at it today.
I'm at the Genius Bar at the Chestnut Hill Apple Store at this very moment (if you're around, come say hi), waiting to have my ex-iPhone looked at. They seem about as busy as they usually are, but I do notice that they also appear to have plenty of iPhones in stock (in fact, the greeter outside tried to reassure me as much when I walked up).
There are a few people ahead of me in the queue, so I'm patiently waiting my turn; my appointment was for 10:45, but you know how these things work. Hopefully it won't be too long.
The day is done, but before it's completely gone, here's a photo gallery with some of the sights of iPhone launch day.
Photo Gallery: iPhone Launch Day
Thanks to all the people who contributed to our June 29 coverage, from all over the country.
First night with the iPhone and what happens? My car won't start. So I use my iPhone to call the auto club, and wait for a jump start. While we're waiting, I use Google Maps to look up where we are and what our nearest cross streets are.
I guess it was a trial by fire, but the iPhone came though with flying colors. And my car finally got me home. After a teensy delay.
New feature request for iPhone 2.0: jumper cables.
I'm calmer now. Mostly. And I've had some time to think about things: life, the grand scheme of things, whatnot. Time to really commune with the emptiness. Staring into the inky blackness of a dead iPhone screen has turned out to be a sort of Zen exercise, freeing my mind from the pursuit of earthly delights. And while so occupied, I've come up with a number of things I could do with my shiny new $600 paperweight.
Anyway, you get the idea. I've already made my Genius Bar appointment for tomorrow morning, so we'll see how they deal with one of the first dead-as-a-doornail iPhones out there. Stay tuned.
Two iPhones are now in the Macworld offices proper. More (MUCH more) to follow... but they both seem to work, and man, those "Doctor Who" episodes sure do look good on the wide screen...
I've activated both, so that's good. We are livin' large now.
Update: I am posting this update via my iPhone in Movable Type's web interface... Not bad! And via our VPN no less.
As one of the editors sitting around the Macworld offices waiting for others to arrive with iPhones, I decided to hit that reload key in my browser until Apple's online store came back up. Right at 6 p.m. Pacific time, I was able to connect and make my way (slowly, ever so slowly) to the iPhone order page. There I found two things.
1. Online orders are subject to the same two-per-customer restrictions as the brick-and-mortar stores.
2. Unlike the real stores, Apple is estimating 2-4 weeks for shipping out online iPhone orders.
Wow, 2-4 weeks! Guess those wanting an iPhone now better plan on a store visit after all.
Oh yes, my friends, a failure to communicate indeed. After waiting in line and shelling out more than $600, I believe myself to be in possession of the first DOA iPhone. I plugged it into the dock and caught a tantalizingly brief glimpse of the Apple logo on its sleek black surface before the screen went dark, seemingly forever.
So far, all attempts to revive the iPhone following Apple's somewhat limited troubleshooting methodology (i.e.: hold down the home and sleep/wake buttons for eight seconds, rinse, repeat) have failed. I've currently got it plugged into the AC adapter in the hopes that perhaps the battery is merely too depleted for it to work correctly. I'll keep you all updated as I try to keep the tears from my eyes.
Update: Replaced and going strong!
Yes, I have an iPhone.
However, it appears that in my infinite wisdom, while I packed my bag this morning, I did not put my MacBook's power adapter in. So, while I have my iPhone, I can't activate it. If you heard a piercing scream about ten minutes ago, that's what that was.
I can still take pictures though, so I've subjected it to a thorough unboxing and posted my pictures for all the world to see. Enjoy, and I'll get back to you when I've got more details to share.
iPhone Central Gallery: iPhone Unboxed
Macworld's Rob Griffiths reports from a line in Portland, Oregon:
So what's it like? Well, unlike those poor folks in New York City, I'm sitting inside, not outside. (I may be crazy, but it's cool and rainy in Oregon today; no way I'm sitting outside for six hours!) I'm at the Apple Store in the Washington Square Mall, and we've got a nicely cordoned off area where we can sit and watch the mall traffic without fear of being trampled. I arrived around noon, and I'm 41st in line. So as long as they've got at least 81 phones here at 6:00 p.m.--limit two per customer!--I should get one.
To find out more, including how Rob became a major iPhone-line trendsetter, read the story on Macworld.com.
(Update: Macworld Online Managing Editor Curt Poff relays a report that Rob has now been served with the famous free Starbucks as well.)
3:40 p.m. PT Update: Three hours down, three hours to go. As we reach the halfway point, the line has swelled to about 75 people, and more are trickling in on a regular basis. Interestingly, there's an AT&T store in this same mall, no more than 200 feet away, and when I last checked, they had all of five people in line! I'm not sure if people think the Apple store will have more inventory, or if everyone in front of me is buying two, but it's quite the disparity.
As I've sat here for the last few hours, I realize now what zoo animals must experience. As we sit here in our fenced-off area, there's a constant stream of mall shoppers streaming past us. Almost without exception, they all take a look at us sitting here, with a mix of expressions on their faces--bemusement, wonder, amazement, surprise, etc. Sometimes they talk to us, you can hear parents explaining to their kids about the people behind the ropes. Every so often, a worker comes buy an offers us water (Apple store employees) or coffee drinks (iced cappuccinos from the fine folks at Starbucks). And to complete the zoo analogy, we've even been asked to perform: the Apple employees sometimes pop out and ask us to cheer if we're excited about the impending iPhone purchase, or to clap loudly if we're having a good time. About the only thing missing is someone to come buy and throw some food into the area... and I'm not betting against that happening before 6pm arrives!
The Apple Store has been closed for an hour now, and the front is completely covered by black shades. Given the color of the iPhone and Steve's personal preference in clothing colors, I wouldn't be too surprised to find that black is also the dominant color when they open the doors at 6:00pm.
As you're reading this of course, those on the east coast already have their iPhones, so the iPhone era has officially begun!
