Must have improvements
I have been using my iPhone since they starting selling. I use my phone heavily in business and stoped using my Ipaq/smartphone. While it has been great not dealing with the sync-ing issues from my mac computer to a PC phone, the iPhone needs some quick improvements for business use. 1. Notification of text messages is not loud enough by any standard. I miss timely text messages constantly. Why couldn't it be a ringtone? 2. Lack of search figure for contacts is a big miss and scrolling takes too long sometimes. 3. Task list tied to appointments should exist 4. ability to delete single phone record is needed as I use it as a call back list 5. Email filter for spam would be a home-run 6. Quarterly updates while "getting the iPhone business ready" would be wonderful.
Don't get me wrong, being a mac guy I love the phone but there is a lot of work to do. I hope Apple is paying attention to this site as great insights are present. I wish my business had customers so willing to assist
Don't get me wrong, being a mac guy I love the phone but there is a lot of work to do. I hope Apple is paying attention to this site as great insights are present. I wish my business had customers so willing to assist
Comments
There has been some insightful analysis recently that Apple will do this only after Leopard is released in October. The argument goes that this will give the iPhone development team the opportunity to stabilize the code base for a published API, and synch it with Leopard functionality. If an SDK is not released by year's end, or Apple fails to deliver some of the basic functionality that I expected upon launch (text to multiple recipients, copy & paste etc.), I'll be disapointed enough to look at my options for using a different device for everyday mobile phone use.
I am afraid that I, like you would have to find another device as these seemingly small matters when multiplied over a lot of use, becomes irritating. I am also sure that competitors will be looking to exploit these matters.
The device does everything it was advertised to do.
Perhaps more research should have been done by these people who are going to "need to look for other alternatives."
Just my two cents.
I don't get all this complaining.
The device does everything it was advertised to do.
Perhaps more research should have been done by these people who are going to "need to look for other alternatives."
Just my two cents.
Well, I suppose if had been disclosed at launch, or prior to it, that Apple would fail to deliver such basic functionality that has been available on every mobile phone I have owned, and that is available on any/all other phones on the AT&T network, yes any of them.. (such as as the ability to text multiple recipients at once, or copy/forward elements of a text or mail message to others, or even have an Alarm that would go off when set .. yes...even if you received a text message when idle in the interim) then I'd have been more judicious with my $599. So, greater fool me for thinking Apple would deliver on that. What was I thinking? Your perogative to spend your 2 cents.. mine to go find a phone that meets all basic needs and then some.
At the very least Apple should offer the ring tone used in its iPhone commercials.
I agree with Riptide, some of the matters that are problems were not capable of being known for the early buyer. Also for those of us who genuinely like Apple, we would like to see them win big. In order to do so, there are some improvements necessary. I do not perceive this complaining, just a "heads up" in Apple wants to sell a lot of phones. TomKarl, you miss the point pal.....
While I agree that giving feedback to Apple early and often is a good thing... didn't you go try it before you bought it? I wouldn't buy a $599 phone sight-unseen...
I think that's the point tomkarl is trying to make - there's a certain level of buyer awareness that has to be taken responsibility for. If it doesn't meet your expectations, and assuming you didn't buy one before even trying one (which I think would be a silly, and huge, leap of faith), then... well... *shrug* You got exactly what you paid for, and what was advertised.
But yeah, definitely give Apple feedback directly. They need to know where they need to improve details.
While I agree that giving feedback to Apple early and often is a good thing... didn't you go try it before you bought it? I wouldn't buy a $599 phone sight-unseen...
I think that's the point tomkarl is trying to make - there's a certain level of buyer awareness that has to be taken responsibility for. If it doesn't meet your expectations, and assuming you didn't buy one before even trying one (which I think would be a silly, and huge, leap of faith), then... well... *shrug* You got exactly what you paid for, and what was advertised.
But yeah, definitely give Apple feedback directly. They need to know where they need to improve details.
In addition to this everyone seems to forget that the version IS NOT a business phone. The target market is different. If it was a business phone I would think that the AT&T Business Unit would be selling it. They are not. It has never been advertised as a business phone. I agree with Kickaha that very little investigation before purchase would have found out if it fit your needs or not. For me none of the above 'problems' is a problem.
1) texting - don't use it. Didn't get a 'smart' phone until decent e-mail came along.
2) ring tones - never have added one to any phone I have.
3) contact access for long list - search might be nice but I find contact faster now with the "ABCD..." side bar than I ever did with searching on other phones. (1500+ contacts)
4) I forward e-mail all the time, with comment or with parts deleted. Copy/Paste will be nice when it comes but not a big missing element for me
5) alarm when text message waiting - clearly a bug which will be fixed.
I've submitted 4 specific bugs to bugreporter.apple.com and have received good feedback from apple that they are being looked at by engineering. They were duplicates but that's to be expected.
The current iPhone has a different target market than current 'Business' phones. For me the missing features from other phones (friendly UI, reasonable speed, iTunes integration, etc.) far outweigh the other issues being talked about here so for me it was a much better 'business' phone, but then I was in a different market area. For other people, not so - therefore there is choice
Cheers,
I hope you mean *add* ring tones... I was able to change the ring tone on an iPhone after about a minute of playing with it in an Apple store...
Yes, sorry. I meant add ring tones.
While I agree that giving feedback to Apple early and often is a good thing... didn't you go try it before you bought it? I wouldn't buy a $599 phone sight-unseen...
I think that's the point tomkarl is trying to make - there's a certain level of buyer awareness that has to be taken responsibility for. If it doesn't meet your expectations, and assuming you didn't buy one before even trying one (which I think would be a silly, and huge, leap of faith), then... well... *shrug* You got exactly what you paid for, and what was advertised.
But yeah, definitely give Apple feedback directly. They need to know where they need to improve details.
I'm sorry. I'm calling "bullshit" on this. I'm not talking about a business phone or for the ability of Apple to deliver solutions that would be looked upon more kindly by Corporate IT and Purchasing Departments. Yes, Apple marketed this phone at retail, and made no bones about it. For 45 minutes in the midtown Manhattan Apple store I played with Safari, the iPod, looked at call functionality etc., and played with the virtual keyboard At no point did I or ANY of the 10 or so buyers of the iPhone that I know purchased this iPhone within the first week of release realize that the basic functionality that is avaialble on EVERY other phone or retail mobile device offered by AT&T (such as as the ability to text multiple recipients at once, or copy/forward elements of a text or mail message to others, or even have an Alarm that would ALWAYS go off when set). Nor did any of us attempt simulating a call in a busy street to realize that the ringer would almost never be loud enough to hear the phone ring.
I would defy anybody to name a single phone supported by LG, Nokia, Motorola, HTC, Smasung that restricts a user's ability to text just one person at a time.
1) texting - don't use it. Didn't get a 'smart' phone until decent e-mail came along.
Cheers,
You are in a distinct minority then and probably older than 30. I read recently that 80% of users under the age of 30 text more frequently than they call and I'd asssume that all of these would text multiple parties at once.
In Europe, where SMS was adopted earlier, texting is far more common again. I recently returned from Dublin and London where some mates played with the iPhone. The coolness factor is not doubted, the browsing capability abslutely unique and superb, but nobody I spoke with would buy the phone until they could text multiple parties at once.
Quite simply, this is the reason I believe Apple will actually have to deliver some much needed basic functionality... and before launch of the iPhone in Europe.
I'm sorry. I'm calling "bullshit" on this. I'm not talking about a business phone or for the ability of Apple to deliver solutions that would be looked upon more kindly by Corporate IT and Purchasing Departments. Yes, Apple marketed this phone at retail, and made no bones about it. For 45 minutes in the midtown Manhattan Apple store I played with Safari, the iPod, looked at call functionality etc., and played with the virtual keyboard At no point did I or ANY of the 10 or so buyers of the iPhone that I know purchased this iPhone within the first week of release realize that the basic functionality that is avaialble on EVERY other phone or retail mobile device offered by AT&T (such as as the ability to text multiple recipients at once, or copy/forward elements of a text or mail message to others, or even have an Alarm that would ALWAYS go off when set). Nor did any of us attempt simulating a call in a busy street to realize that the ringer would almost never be loud enough to hear the phone ring.
I would defy anybody to name a single phone supported by LG, Nokia, Motorola, HTC, Smasung that restricts a user's ability to text just one person at a time.
You are in a distinct minority then and probably older than 30. I read recently that 80% of users under the age of 30 text more frequently than they call and I'd asssume that all of these would text multiple parties at once.
In Europe, where SMS was adopted earlier, texting is far more common again. I recently returned from Dublin and London where some mates played with the iPhone. The coolness factor is not doubted, the browsing capability abslutely unique and superb, but nobody I spoke with would buy the phone until they could text multiple parties at once.
Quite simply, this is the reason I believe Apple will actually have to deliver some much needed basic functionality... and before launch of the iPhone in Europe.
You know what they say about people who assume.
Apple has never been known for 'following the crowd' and doing whatever everyone else is doing. That said, I have no doubt that the text/alarm issue is a bug. Have you filed it? As to the other items, I also have no doubt they will be addressed by Apple over time I just don't see these as so imminently critical as is being presented. While you are correct about my age, and while you may be correct about being in a minority I'm not so sure how minor it is (meaning that the detailed features to texting are critical). My daughter and her friends at college almost never use texting, they use e-mail because they have more to say than will fit in 160 characters. Texting is a toy to them. The iPhone certainly has texting, and with a very nice interface. Its missing a few text features and a bug.
I'm sorry. I'm calling "bullshit" on this.
*shrug* I call bullshit on you, you call bullshit on me. Seems fair.
From my perspective, SMS and MMS, despite their current popularity, are on their way out, to be replaced by IM and email. (Previous discussion here: http://forums.appleinsider.com/showp...3&postcount=21) They're not technologies I expect Apple is going to put a lot of effort into.
That being said, multiple recipients seems like a simple thing to add. Send them feedback.
*shrug* I call bullshit on you, you call bullshit on me. Seems fair.
From my perspective, SMS and MMS, despite their current popularity, are on their way out, to be replaced by IM and email. (Previous discussion here: http://forums.appleinsider.com/showp...3&postcount=21) They're not technologies I expect Apple is going to put a lot of effort into.
That being said, multiple recipients seems like a simple thing to add. Send them feedback.
SMS is not going away any time soon. It's growing. Apple might do well to support their admitted retail focus with functionality that the broader market needs.
One industry report (by Portio Research) in July of this year stated that by 2012 global SMS revenues will reach US$67 billion driven by 3.7 trillion messages. Apple might want to think again. I email, I also IM and I text. Texting does not require my recipient to be online, or to have a phone that receives email.
http://www.portioresearch.com/press6.html
The vast majority of new phones purchased worldwide contain just voice and SMS. In fact, Potio Research made the claim that "every five minutes now and over the next six years 2,267 people will purchase their first mobile phone that will likely only include standard voice and SMS service".
I'll take a wild stab here and state that every single one of these devices will permit the users to text to multiple recipients.
SMS is not going away any time soon. It's growing. The vast majority of new phones purchased worldwide contain just voice and SMS.
This isn't by accident mobile phone companies want texting to grow because they can charge for it. They don't want mobile phone manufacturers to include email or IM because their no profit in it for them.
Apple clearly does support texting because texting is on the phone. And they did not include iChat which they easily could have.
iChat is far more robust and rich than texting. If I had a choice I would much rather Apple bring iChat to iPhone than focus on simple texting.
SMS is not going away any time soon. It's growing. Apple might do well to support their admitted retail focus with functionality that the broader market needs.
For my money, that's IM and email. I can do much *MUCH* more with those than with SMS and MMS... that I have to pay heavily for.
You do realize that a 160char SMS msg has about 1/50 of the data sent by one second of voice, right? So why the charge? It's just data, after all.
Give me an unlimited data plan, IM, and email, and I really could not care less about messaging. It's limited, expensive, and last decade's interesting technology.
Can I IM to SMS phones? Yup. I know several people who have IM accounts feeding their SMS phones, and vice-versa. No problems there.
Can I email to MMS phones? Yup. Again, I know many people who have this set up. I simply email to <their number>@<their carrier>. Done. Some of them can route to an outgoing gateway, some can't. Those who can't, well, I can wait until they get home.
So if IM > SMS, and email > MMS, why bother with the expensive, outdated, limited technology, other than as a stopgap to get people on the train that actually matters?
Oh right... because the phone companies have convinced people that they *need* it so badly they're willing to bend over for it. No thanks.
One industry report (by Portio Research) in July of this year stated that by 2012 global SMS revenues will reach US$67 billion driven by 3.7 trillion messages. Apple might want to think again. I email, I also IM and I text. Texting does not require my recipient to be online, or to have a phone that receives email.
Texting is a closed ecosystem. Closed ecosystems die when faced with an open ecosystem that does more. This is just how it goes. They will die. Maybe sooner, maybe later, but SMS and MMS will go the way of CompuServe eventually, and be replaced by IM and email. I give it 4-5 years before the majority of phones are IM/email enabled by default.
Why should Apple 'think again' when they're not going to see a penny of that revenue? The only companies who care about texting are the carriers, because they're making money hand over fist for... nothing. The carriers are on their way to just being ISPs once people realize the racket... and frankly, that's all they should be. Phones with greatly improved functionality will, I would hope, wake people up a bit, to how their wallets are getting picked.
The vast majority of new phones purchased worldwide contain just voice and SMS. In fact, Potio Research made the claim that "every five minutes now and over the next six years 2,267 people will purchase their first mobile phone that will likely only include standard voice and SMS service".
Yes, and they'll have a much more limited functionality. Most carriers provide for IM/SMS and email/MMS gateways for those who need them in the transition.
I know you have a very different take on this, and that's fine, but phone messaging is a dying technology, in that it has been overtaken and surpassed by IM and email. There will likely be a market for SMS only phones for a few years, but really... even the dumbest cell phone hardware these days should be capable of running a simple Jabber client. It's not rocket science. Demand more from your carriers than a closed, limited, expensive infrastructure.
I'll take a wild stab here and state that every single one of these devices will permit the users to text to multiple recipients.
Sadonecrobestiality. We heard you the first time. Has Apple?
To be clear, I don't think anyone here is arguing against multiple recipients being added. I'm certainly not. What I'm saying is that the long-term big-picture goal is nothing short of breaking the carrier stranglehold, just like iTunes Store kicked the major labels in the crotch. Eliminating SMS, MMS, and other expensive, limited technologies, and replacing them with open protocols such as Jabber and IMAP, is just common sense from the consumer's perspective. Everyone will get a lot farther along. Demand more.
I agree with the points you made. I too think it is bovine residue that ANYONE tested all features on the phone. I enjoy the phone and I do not believe making simple recommendations to Apple about improvements is a sin. While I applaud Apples iconoclastic approaches, it is not selling out to add some features. Has anyone responding negatively to the suggestions realized that If Apple did not care about the business user, they would not be advertising spreadsheets.
As to research needed for a $600 spend, face it, we are all risking on a new first generation device and no one fully explored this in the time they purchased the machine. While I am not trying to be a prick, $600 is not a lot of money even if it meant changing the phone. If you go back and look at Pocket PC's, $600 has been a common price leve.
While we all like Apple, they can take some knocks for missing ingredients. it does not mean we hate the device or company! Lets grow up a tad folks!
I think it was the attitude (perceived rightfully or not) of "False advertising! I got *taken*! I couldn't have *known*!" that rubbed some of us the wrong way. If you're insisting being the earliest adopter, you're going to get arrows in the back. That's just how this industry goes. Express shock, dismay, even irritation over missing features that you expected to be there... but realize that it was your expectation that was unmet, not advertising. Giving any new product some time to get the kinks worked out, or waiting to hear other people's gripes, isn't a bad plan if you're concerned about making sure that it meets your needs 100% from the time you open the box.
Hell yes, let Apple know you think these items are missing. I was only expressing my opinion that SMS/MMS-based messaging in general is a dead end, Apple sees this, and is not going to make messaging a first-class experience when they have much bigger fish to fry that depend on the replacement of messaging with better systems. That's all. Multiple recipients seems like a no brainer though, and the lack of select/copy/cut/paste is, I believe, waiting on decisions regarding the basic UI gestures. I have a hunch I know where it's going, but we'll see. It needs to get here sooner rather than later though.
Never forget that Apple's philosophy is to skate where the puck will *be*, not where the puck *is*.