10 things we'd change on the iPhone 3G
Summary
Topics
Since then many iPhone clones have been born--many with fleeting lives--and the mobile industry has done a whole lot of waking up and smelling of coffee.
But we're not about to sit here going gaga over the gadget, sleek though it may be. There are plenty of functions and features where we feel Apple could up its game--so here are 10 things we'd like to change about the 3G iPhone...
1. No keyboard...
The touchscreen is certainly the best on the market but it's never going to be everyone's bag, certainly not if you are a touch-typist. Plenty of mobile bloggers out there would jump at the chance to pair some kind of Bluetooth keyboard (foldable and/or otherwise) with their iPhone.
2. The camera needs more megapixels...
2.0 megapixels is camera phone 1.0 when you consider there are mobiles out there that are pushing eight megapixels now. And while we don't expect Apple to stretch itself that much we'd like at least three megapixels--and a better lens please.The camera also has no flash, so photography in low-light conditions is a no-no.
3. Still no cut and paste...
We're children of the internet and life without cut and paste is like living with one arm tied behind the back--especially when it comes to swapping the web's official currency: URLs. Apple is reportedly 'working on the issue'--but it hasn't delivered yet.
4. You can't use the 3G iPhone as a modem...
In an age of miniature laptops and mobile working in the unlikeliest of places we think this is a crying shame--and an opportunity missed.
5. SMS/MMS...
Clunky texting is a frequent gripe with the iPhone: One person who was planning on buying Apple but has gone for the Samsung Tocco instead, points out: "For those who text a lot, the iPhone does not really stand out as a suitable option."
So a better text client is on our wish list--"designed by a European instead of a backward US perspective", in the words of silicon.com columnist Peter Cochrane.
Being able to use a wider version of the virtual keyboard - by turning the phone on its side--would also improve the texting experience, yet this is not currently possible. You can use the wider keyboard when web browsing but not, bizarrely, when texting. The phone also does not do MMS--so double thumbs down on the messaging front.
6. Where's the video record?...
With such a nice screen it's a crying shame the iPhone can only be used to watch videos not to record them too. This is the age of user-generated content, you know.
7. Non-removable battery...
We're not happy the battery is welded into the iPhone and can only be removed by qualified Apple engineers at remote locations--and, when out of warranty, for a fee. Not least because it would be nice to be able to carry a spare in case we run out of juice in the middle of watching Lego Star Wars videos on YouTube.
8. No pay-as-you-go iPhone--yet...
It is on the way to the UK but we can't get it yet--and may well have to wait until Christmas--Christmas! We also don't know how much it will cost. And considering the iPhone pay-monthly tariffs are still on the steep side and the phone is only available from one operator, it would be nice to have another way to be an iPhone owner.
9. No built-in VoIP client...
Getting voice over IP calls to work on iPhone 1.0 has been a story of messy workarounds, complicated bypasses and remote use of third-party VoIP clients running on a PC. Not ideal. Face it Steve, people want to use VoIP and trying to stop them is a pain.
10. Give us more colors--and more storage...
It's back to black for the 8GB iPhone--with the addition of white to the range for those shelling out for 16GBs. No green, blue or red to jazz up our mobile computing experience. No pink either--so [irony] presumably Apple is not interested in selling to women [/irony]. But we suppose Steve needs to have something up his sleeve to brighten his keynote at the next Macworld.And while we're at it, there's a 32GB iPod Touch but only 8GB and 16GB iPhones... Where's the super-sized 32GB iPhone?
Talkback Most Recent of 62 Talkback(s)
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Make it 10-15% thicker
.. so that the battery would be bigger. There is no reason for it to be as thin as it is, especially with the battery life issues.
croberts15th Jul 2008 -
RE: 10 things we'd change on the iPhone 3G
The battery is not welded in place, like the first generation iPhone battery.
From:
http://www.iphonebuzz.com/iphone-3g-dismantled-display-glass-separate-battery-not-soldered-113006.php
Further inside, and it turns out that the iPhone 3G's battery isn't actually soldered in place. That's not quite as useful as a user-replaceable battery, but it does mean that if you're reluctant to send your cellphone off to Apple and pay them $86 to swap it out, you'll not need a soldering iron to do it yourself.
ujculbe15th Jul 2008 -
So you want to...
...crack it open and void your warranty to replace the battery? Seriously, is that an option for 99% of the users? The change simply makes it easier for technicians to change the battery, not users.
DCMann15th Jul 2008 -
Void Warranty?
The warranty is for a year. If the battery fails in that first year, then its free to have it replaced. If you have apple care, its free for 3 years.
If its outside of that year, then you can change it yourself and void nothing, because the warranty is already gone. And its not hard to change. Just like iPod batteries, they are not hard. And there are lots of cheap after market batteries available (with more capacity even). Although 3G batteries are not quite available yet, they will be soon.
Stuka15th Jul 2008 -
RE: 10 things we'd change on the iPhone 3G
It's sarcasm, and not irony, RETARD!
casperthefriend15th Jul 2008 -
Wow. Not to bright
Wow.. You dont make yourself look very intelligent.
Verbal irony is a disparity of expression and intention: when a speaker says one thing but means another, or when a literal meaning is contrary to its intended effect. An example of this is sarcasm.
Sarcasm is irony.
Jeval15th Jul 2008 -
He who lives by the sword...
should the subject read "not too bright"? You don't make yourself look very intelligent.
Touche' mon ami 
mark@...15th Jul 2008 -
Let's get the stopwatch right, Apple!
I was hoping they'd get the stopwatch app correct with the 2.0 update, but it's still as lame as the original version.
What kind of stopwatch doesn't display TOTAL elapased time when you're timing laps??? Come on, Apple!
Userama15th Jul 2008 -
HA! So right.
The lap-time behavior is idiotic. And so typical of Apple.
Apple seems to exist in some dimension that's isolated from common sense. And they get away with it because the press mindlessly lauds them as "elegant" without actually using the products.
Your example is just one small one. There are many others, like the inability to resize windows on the Mac from any edge. Forcing all apps to share a single, immovable menu whose contents are continually changing. The lack of a real Delete key on Mac laptops. It goes on. And it will, because apologists busily attack anyone who points these things out, instead of admitting there's a problem and joining us in pressing for a resolution.
dgurney15th Jul 2008 -
Let us see...
Because someone does something in a different fashion, they
or their work in stupid? Interesting.
cashaww15th Jul 2008 -
RE: 10 things we'd change on the iPhone 3G
I prefer the iphone as thin as it is vs having a brick with a keyboard like a HTC tilt or many others.
The battery is fine, if you need extra charge you just plug additional power on the bottom of the phone. A removable batt will make the phone thicker for no reasons. how many people actually change the battery of their cell phones? Why not to make all the bluetooth headseats with removable batteries as well?
Pay as you go does nothing to do with the phone, it is the service provider plan...
VOIp, there is an option to have Skype working on the iphone, it actually works fine.
More storage, well never is enough, but 16 GB is a lot for a phone with those dimensions, which other phone combining internal and external memory have the same?
Don't you think?
Vktor15th Jul 2008 -
Hmm...
1) The Nokia E71 has a keyboard and is thinner.
2) The E71 also has a removable battery and is, as mentioned, thinner.
3) The Nokia N96 will have 16GB internal and a microSD slot giving it up to another 16GB.
The iPhone 3G is a lovely phone but it has its limitations just like every other smartphone on the market.
Sleeper Service15th Jul 2008 -
The Battery is replaceable.
It's already been mentioned once in this blog, and people aren't reading. Here's ZDNet's own breakdown of the iPhone 3G showing the replaceable battery with it's part number.
http://content.zdnet.com/2346-9595_22-210341.html
Yes, it's not as convenient, as has been already stated, but it is replaceable if need be. My 1st Gen iPhone doesn't need a new battery yet, and if it does, I don't need to worry about the warranty since it's about to expire and I can replace the battery on my own.
MaxKorban15th Jul 2008 -
mrlinux15th Jul 2008 -
Other phones...
...don't have their warranty invalidated by replacing a battery nor require you to carry a screwdriver to do so.Sleeper Service16th Jul 2008
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