***The Definitive iPhone Thread***

[sweetspot]

Originally Posted by Step666

No, I'm not trying to say that the hardware is necessarily any different, merely that Apple can't see the DAP part of the iPhone being that big a factor if they then go and release a near-identical device with twice the storage.

Yes, inside, the components are almost certainly identical but clearly Apple believe that the DAP side of the iPhone alone is not enough to get people to buy it or, in other words, they see it as a phone first and a DAP second.

Right, I'm with you there. So for all intents and purposes, what I'm trying to convey is that for them to take the lack of enthusiasm shown for the DAP side of the iPhone (materially speaking) and then try to do an about face with the iTouch from a PR standpoint, seems a rather contradictory as well as a blatant and insulting move that undermines the savvy and intelligence of people such as ourselves. (Audio geeks that is, as the average joe doesn't really think about these things as in depth as we do, or perhaps at all for that matter)

At the same time, I'm not at all saying that the audio quality of either product is sub par, since I have no firsthand knowledge in that dept. I can only assume though that the touch and iPhone can not be a step back in terms of SQ from say, the 5th gen iPod, wouldn't you say ?

However, that's also not saying all that much, and I feel that my IHP 120 stomps the iPods frilly little ass all over the place where SQ is concerned. I also think that there are a lot of people who do not necessarily view the DAP portion of the iPhone as being a secondary feature, but rather a feature which turned the tide in someone's decision making process.

I mean, having a cool phone, and a great DAP all in one ? Who can pull that off ? ...Yes, Apple naturally. After all they've got the ingredients to make this possible, so why wouldn't every aspect of this new wonder product shine brilliantly as most previous iPod owners would expect, right ? Looking at it from this pov, I'd like to think that it's not silly to want great sound quality out of the iPhone, especially considering the price of it, and having to be tied into a contract for 2-3 years. Hell, so if you decided to ditch the phone because you couldn't stand ATT/Cingular, at least you'd be left with a great sounding DAP.

[greenElf]

Is it really necessary to combine the phone with the music player? I know it's "cool and all in one", but it slowly takes control over the owner, I think. Sometimes when I want a moment of relax with the music, the last thing I want is an interrupting "incoming call" (or something). On the other hand, I don't want so find myself in a situation when I urgently need to make a call, and the battery is dead, because of watching a movie...
"- We will make you happier!!!
- I don't want to be happier, I'm happy enough!
- We will make you want to..."
Or am I schizophrenic ?

[Dommo]

That's a good point on the battery side of things, I'd happily have a phone or mp3 player about 3-4mm thicker with the iriver 100/300 (or iPod 1/2G) battery in it, the extra battery time over the thinner style of battery just seems like a no brainer - to me anyway. I was thinking this when the 1G nano was released, it was so small that the battery life sucked arse. I'd have happily bought one if it was twice as thick, with the "other" half being taken up by battery. Anyone else agree here?


Edit - Actually, something I'd forgotten about, I aquired a 40gb iPod with a knackered hard drive, and was looking into fitting a single platter HDD to it, along with wiring up a 2200mAh battery to it to fill the gap, would have had a half decent battery life then!

[Step666]

I have to disagree about the battery life and the point about being interrupted when listening to music.

Firstly, as for being interrupted, that can happen even when you have separate devices and the converse of your point about not being interrupted is that if you have a separate phone and DAP, you could miss an important call if you didn't hear it.
There are pros and cons to everything.

As for battery life, not only will the battery be designed to cope with heavy use as a DAP or PMP any phone's battery could run out in an emergency because you've used it a lot, so it's really hardly a problem specific to the iPhone.
It's down to the owner to charge the device enough to cope with the use it will get - it's your own fault if the battery dies, no-one's making you watch movies on your phone.

Plus, at the end of the day, these are things that should be obvious to anyone who buys an iPhone, so they really shouldn't be issues.

[greenElf]

That was just my point of view on "taking over control" thing. For me there are times when I need a moment of piece, so I silence the phone, and missing any call doesn't bother me. As it comes to batteries I don't have to worry about them daily, which I think is good for health (less things to worry about daily). I'm not saying iPhone isn't worth buying. I just want to keep clear thinking. Some people may need such a device, and some may not, it's okay. But every time I recall the words from the iPhone presentation "... I believe we've reinvented the phone..." I know they haven't.

[ShyAnne]

Originally Posted by pachinkoman

It's all crap, SS you are right, but if they didn't put new bells and shiny whistles on new ones, no one would be dying to buy them.
How many people do you suppose just have to have a new ipod for Christmas this year or they will be crying in their gruel?

That's what it all comes down to, doesn't it? Who's got the best marketing to convince the most people they gotta have the "hot" brand even when different brands sound better. Agree with SS as well. Maybe he thinks (as per previous post) that his comments were out of context for the thread, but they were right on regardless.

I prefer iriver and to a lesser extent Cowon. (Lesser because Cowon's buggy firmware gets annoying even tho the sound is good.) Before those it was Rio, before that it was one of the better Sony portable CD players. All still sound (to me) better than any of the iPods so far tried, all belonging to others who wonder why I "still haven't bought an iPod yet".

It's like being a member of some quasi-anti-12-step program. My name is Katelyn and I do NOT want an iPod.

[Step666]

Originally Posted by greenElf

I'm not saying iPhone isn't worth buying.

I'm not trying to say it is either, just that the points you made can very well apply to a number of other devices (both in the form of music-playing phones or phone/DAP combinations.
To be honest, I don't think the iPhone is worth getting - but that's mostly down to the limitations on the phone side of things. The being tied into one network for so long, on an expensive contract is far from appealing, not to mention that it lacks some pretty basic phone functions.

Originally Posted by greenElf

But every time I recall the words from the iPhone presentation "... I believe we've reinvented the phone..." I know they haven't.

I don't think you'll find anyone around here who believes the crap Jobs spouts.
Even if you don't take an anti-Apple line, there's a gulf between the true 'worth' of their products (that's not a great term but I can't think of a better one) and how much it's hyped up.