Is Steve Jobs just being awkward?
Summary: Is Steve Jobs just being awkward when it comes to not adding features such as MMS and cut and paste to the iPhone?
From the weekend mailbag:
I've been an iPhone owner since day one, and even upgraded to a 3G handset as soon as the 3nd-gen version was released, and yet I continue to wait for certain features (features that are common to pretty much every other smartphone in existence) to be added. Features such as:
- MMS - Copy-n-Paste - Video recording
Are any/all of the above ever going to make an appearance or is Steve Jobs just being awkward and trying to redefine what a smartphone should be?
I'll be honest with you, when the iPhone was first released I really couldn't figure out why it was missing certain key features that seem to define what a smartphone is. I wondered that maybe the oversight was simply an indication that Apple was new to the handset market and wanted to get a handset out and then roll out new features over time (OK, Apple couldn't add a microSD card slot or a removable battery with a software update, but I did think that cut and paste or MMS might be possible. Then details of the 3G version appeared and apart from a GPS and 3G, it seemed to come with exactly the same limitations (well, at least limitations if these features are important to you) as the first-generation model.
Is Steve Jobs just being awkward is not providing these features? Is it a case of being wilful? I don't know. I think it comes down to one thing - the interface.
If I compare the iPhone to, say, my Nokia E71, one thing that stands out is the fact that the user interface on the E71 is far more complex and spread out over countless more screens compared to the iPhone. In fact, I've owned an E71 now for a few weeks and I still can't remember how to do some things. On an Apple product, that kind of messy, convoluted interface is a total no-no. There's no way that Apple is going to allow user setting to sprawl over dozens of screens. That's not how Apple does things.
I'll throw in a couple of other possible reasons why the iPhone is "feature-limited" compared to other smartphones:
- Maybe there's a limit to how much system resources the iPhone base software can consume - MMS, cut and paste and video might just take the OS to the point where it's sluggish rather than snappy (search can already be very sluggish).
- Does Apple really need to bother to add new features? After all, these things are selling like hot cakes, and people are buying the handsets despite some features not being present.
Thoughts?
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Talkback
Cu*t and Paste
You caught that too huh?
Ludo
loooooooooooooool
lool
Good one!
Cheers to all ...
its been preserved for you at
another typo
"That?s not ow Apple does things."
yeah, i thought he got iphone users down to a tee
No that would have been...
Dwoop Dwoop Dive Dive Dive: Typo Alert
Yo. Adriannnnnnn. Adriannnnnnn. Typo alert in your xml feed!
What can I say ...
Thanks for the heads-up!
lets face it, you type as you think.....
That's Funny!
well. See if you can get a billion from our gov.
My thoughts
phones from a user-friendly point of view. I think Apple
could actually create a very nice MMS application, much
better than the competition. But, I know Apple has
responded to the lack of MMS by suggesting user's use email
or online photo sharing services. I think Apple are really
trying to encourage general internet use on the iPhone (and
other phones) for the time being. I don't know whether
they'll add MMS at a later stage. For me personally, I really
don't care about MMS. I would rather post a photo to all my
friends via the Facebook application for free than spend an
extortionate rate to send an MMS to just one of my friends.
Copy and paste - no one can argue that copy and paste on
the iPhone would be useless. Of course it would be useful.
But, the vast majority of people would only use it very
seldom and the large majority can get by without it just fine.
With that in mind, I wonder do Apple consider whether
implementing copy and paste would make the user
experience more complicated. Currently, touching and
dragging the screen scrolls - everywhere - it's that simple.
Implementing a gesture-based or touch-and-hold
copy/paste system is not obvious, not super-simple, and
could be activated by accident and peeve off a lot of users
(remember, most users are not tech-savvy). So it's a balance
between power and simplicity. I actually think Apple have
made the right choice by not including it by default,
although I do think they should implement it, but require it
to be manually switched on in System Prefs for the users
who know what they are doing.
Video recording? Videos recorded using the iPhone camera,
like most other cell phones, would be absolutely horrible
quality. Although I'm sure many people don't care, I don't
think Apple can bring themselves to be associated with such
poor results. Also, it could fill up memory very quick, which
could cause problems for the millions of non tech-savvy
iPhone users who start getting error messages and iTunes
sync problems - Apple wants things to 'just work'.
Not sure...
As for video recording, it depends on the phone - the better N Series phones have pretty good video recording functionality, for example. Some phones do implement it pretty badly though.
I fail to see the value
If Apple thought copy/paste, MMS, and video recording were that detrimental they could have them off by default and let users turn them on if they want them.
[i]I would rather post a photo to all my friends via the Facebook application for free than spend an extortionate rate to send an MMS to just one of my friends[/i]
Firstly, I know Verizon lets you send a certain amount of picture and text messages for a monthly fee (not necessarily a per-message fee). I assume AT&T has something similar. Second, you don't always want everyone to see certain pictures on Facebook. For example, what happens if you're at a store and see a pair of shoes you think your wife might like. It would be easy to take a picture, text it to her, and see what she thinks. It might also be easier for people with a regular cell phone (not a "smart" one) to receive a picture message rather than wait to get to a computer and goto Facebook or whatever pic sharing site you choose.
About videos filling up memory... dude, I don't need the phone manufacturer crippling my phone just because I can potentially record a large video... I know how to manage my freaking devices. I can delete crap that is filling it up. Please, stop making excuses for Apple's moronic decisions.
Just because you don't use a feature doesn't mean other people don't.
Perhaps having these features is too much for the iPhone to handle. I see no other reason for eliminating these basic features even non-smart phones have.
Yeah ... with you on that
BUT i asked myself what functions I wanted ....
I ended up with a viewty and very pleased I did.
Video is super as is the camera by the way, I know the interface is more sluggish but hey what it does it does very very well.
interesting points
arguments for why mms or c/p may have been excluded,
but not so much the one that's been made for video. I
do disagree with the notion of making any of these
features user options that are disabled by default.
That would be a major wtf for more users and contrary
to Apple's usability philosophy.
On the contrary...
Oh please... My 3 yr old Motorola A1200 Ming has cut/copy/paste built in. In case you aren't familiar, it's a touch screen phone that came out in November of 2005. It also runs Qtopia Core with a slice of Mandriva thrown in for good measure. In other words, it's Linux thru and thru.
Is cut/copy/paste obvious from a non-techy POV? Eh.. Probably not. You have to select something and then keep your finger on it for a couple of seconds before a context menu (ala a right-click in Windows) pops up. From there, it's a matter of choosing what you want to do. Is it ultra complex? No. Is it difficult to learn how to make it work? No. Is it easy to trigger accidentally? Not even. You'd have to hold the same spot down for more than a second to get a context menu. If you should happen to touch the screen anywhere outside the context menu, the menu goes away instantly.
That's DIFFICULT? Or COMPLICATED? Please... Give us a break. Save the Apple apologist FUD for someone willing to buy it.
If pretty much EVERY other Smartphone OS with any degree of sophistication can managed to incorporate a basic and useful feature like cut/copy/paste then your excuse has NO merit. If Qtopia Core Linux, S60, Palm OS and even Windows Mobile can do a cut/copy/paste then what's that say about the iPhone OS?
It tells me that Apple's programmers are a bunch of lazy snobs who think they know better but really don't have a clue as to what's useful or in user's best interests.
[b]Video recording? Videos recorded using the iPhone camera, like most other cell phones, would be absolutely horrible quality. Although I'm sure many people don't care, I don't think Apple can bring themselves to be associated with such poor results. Also, it could fill up memory very quick, which could cause problems for the millions of non tech-savvy iPhone users who start getting error messages and iTunes sync problems - Apple wants things to 'just work'. [/b]
Uh.. MORE apologies...
OK... So the video quality would suck. Gee. There's a news flash. It's a question of EXPECTATIONS. No one in their right mind would expect a cell phone camera to generate HD quality movies. Heck, they wouldn't even expect even VHS quality video. Anyone who does has been watching WAAAAAY too many Bond movies and other TV that portrays technology to be well beyond the current state of the art.
As far as memory is concerned... Gee. The iPhone comes with 4 GB, 8 GB or 16 GB of memory. And rumor has it, a 32 GB version's in the works. That's WAY more RAM than MOST cell phones come with. With most phones, you're lucky to get 128 MB of memory and the option for a 1 or 2 GB micro SD chip.
So they've got the bloody thing full of music files and not much in the way of free memory. Gee.. Doesn't the iPhone have a DELETE feature? Or is it something that gets permanently etched into the system memory?
And if it's a question of sync, even Palm OS that's been around forever (or so it seems), has the ability to have files be saved so you can save a copy of the file on your computer when you sync it up before it goes away forever.
So what have we learned today? Apple is great at making lame excuses.
Watch your fingers Ad!