While I think the iPhone is an amazing piece of technology, I can't help but think of the total cost of ownership of this phone. It starts with $599, and with that there's a two year contract with Cingular that you're locked into. I don't know a lot about data rates with Cingular, but I read that the cheapest plan offered runs around $80. So even if I just want to use this new iPhone as the awesome video iPod that it is, I'm stuck with a phone bill every month.
Then there's the battery. 5 hours, which includes talk time, video playback, and internet is not a lot of time. If you go on a flight and surf the internet for awhile in the airport, then watch a movie on the plane, by the time you land, your battery is dead. So either you're going to have to carry some third-party peripheral which will extend battery life, or else I'd have to carry another cell phone just to be able to use a phone. Eventually, somewhere in that two year contract, the battery is probably going to need to be replaced and that's no easy task. That will probably consist of having to send it into Apple, or take it to my nearest Cingular store where they'll crack it open and put in a new battery for a hefty price.
While the iPod was pricey when it first came out, the price tag alone is what you were paying. The iPhone has the initial sticker shock plus a monthly premium. I have a feeling that this total cost of ownership is going to be the phones undoing and that it won't really take off until it opens up and Cingular no longer has exclusive rights to the iPhone. The iPod only became successful when it was opened up to Windows user, so I don't think having it exclusively with one company is going to make it as huge a hit as everyone predicts. Plus without productivity apps, you're shutting out a major part of the smartphone market.
So total cost and Cingular exclusivity will seriously hamper this thing from being successful.
Then there's the battery. 5 hours, which includes talk time, video playback, and internet is not a lot of time. If you go on a flight and surf the internet for awhile in the airport, then watch a movie on the plane, by the time you land, your battery is dead. So either you're going to have to carry some third-party peripheral which will extend battery life, or else I'd have to carry another cell phone just to be able to use a phone. Eventually, somewhere in that two year contract, the battery is probably going to need to be replaced and that's no easy task. That will probably consist of having to send it into Apple, or take it to my nearest Cingular store where they'll crack it open and put in a new battery for a hefty price.
While the iPod was pricey when it first came out, the price tag alone is what you were paying. The iPhone has the initial sticker shock plus a monthly premium. I have a feeling that this total cost of ownership is going to be the phones undoing and that it won't really take off until it opens up and Cingular no longer has exclusive rights to the iPhone. The iPod only became successful when it was opened up to Windows user, so I don't think having it exclusively with one company is going to make it as huge a hit as everyone predicts. Plus without productivity apps, you're shutting out a major part of the smartphone market.
So total cost and Cingular exclusivity will seriously hamper this thing from being successful.
