Why I still love my iPhone

For nearly two years now I have been enjoying the most advanced and elegant mobile internet experience on the planet, otherwise known as the iPhone.

The product that took 5 years of near-secret development and 150 million dollars of cash to create, single-handedly started the mobile internet and application revolution and turned the global industry on it's head.

The iPhone was the product that I dreamed of ever since I heard David Brudnicki, a good friend and respected industry guru, give a memorable speech on the promise of the mobile web at a CTIA conference many years before. David was right all along, and the iPhone represented the vision that he and so many of us working hard to break the chains of 'mobile experience mediocrity' and OEM-MNO gridlock, yearned to work towards. 

But, then- seemingly out of nowhere, Steve Jobs, Scott Forstall, Jonathan Ive and the Apple team did what no other single mobile entity was able to do- deliver a beautiful, usable, powerful and capable smart phone. Not only was Apple able to deliver a polished, relatively bug free product- on it's first release ever- but, do it without the direct participation of a mobile operator, content developer, or platform maker. An unprecedented achievement that simply changed the rules of industry engagement forever. For anyone that toiled in the 'smartphone' industry since the beginning (circa 1999), it was truly a dream come true.

So two years in, two iPhones, $800 to Apple, about $1000 to AT&T, about $50 in apps, and hundred's of hours engaged with my touchscreen- what still warms my heart about this dream machine? I came up with ten key capabilities and features (in no particular order) that still make iPhone the best of the best in my opinion:

1. Capabilities: There is no other phone on the planet that is more capable for the masses
   • saves me time and money (which in turn makes me money)
   • makes me more organized and efficient
   • makes me smarter and better prepared
   • connects me to things, places, friends, family and colleagues 
   • entertains and inspires me to no end
2. Web browsing: Still the gold standard when it comes to viewing the 'desktop' web (flash or no flash- and that will come) on a mobile handset.
3. Usability: Flat menu system and visual/ intuitive, icon-based navigation make's this UI easy for anyone to use and master.
4. Speed: Apps start-up fast, screen transitions are smooth and the OS screams through most operations.
5. Apps: There is no easier way to get high quality applications on a smartphone  
6. Reliability: My iPhone very rarely crashes through extreme daily usage 
7. Touch screen: iPhones touch software, 'warmth and softness' of the glass and touch 'action' is still best-in-class.  
8. Industrial Design: the iPhone is iconic-  an art form in itself through it's simplicity, sleek lines, vivid screen, and exquisite build quality. 
9. Connectivity: Any great smart phone must demand to be connected at all times and make it as easy as possible to connect to a cell tower or wifi access point. The iPhone shines in this area.
10.  iTunes/ iPhoto/ Mobile Me: These three Apple apps drive the core services that so seamlessly connect my most precious media, contacts, and experiences to the iPhone. No other handset mfg. comes close in this area.

Of course, there are plenty of experience gaps in the iPhone, some serious and some trivial that need to be addressed. Knowing Apple like I do, there is no question that they will soon be rectified and I believe the 3rd generation iPhone will again set the bar for the mobile industry. 

These are great times indeed to be alive and be mobile. 

Comments

[Mauricio Reyes]

1.

Good post summing up all that is great about the iPhone. It is very true that there are glaring omissions and limitations that the iPhone 'haters' love to point out, all the while missing the point that what makes the iPhone great is how well it handles the functions it can actually do. Top of the list for me is the web browsing ux.