While people will always latch onto statements that tend to support their view on a product, a lot of information that has been disseminated throughout the web is based upon here-say, a dislike for a particular product or brand, or simply from the standpoint of being accustomed to a particular product or brand and applying the workflow and capabilities of that device to another. This post is, quite simply, an attempt at explaining why I choose Apple products (in particular the iPhone) over most others as a way of trying to provide some understanding of why a lot of the “issues” that have been widely publicized are not indicative of the “normal” experience. I am not attempting to address each issue, but merely to provide first-hand experience with the iPhone, and why I feel it is an excellent device.

Antennagate

I cannot write an article without at least touching on this subject simply due to the publicity it has garnered. First and foremost, I have been unable to reproduce the publicized “death grip” issue in my normal usage. If I try really hard to hold the phone in a way that is abnormal and uncomfortable for me, and subsequently squeeze really hard, then I can get the signal to drop by a small amount. Now, this is not to say that the issue is nonexistent. This is just to say that I do not have this issue at all. Given the number of iPhones that have been sold versus the number of support calls and people I have actually heard of having the issue, I really do not believe it to be nearly as big an issue as people are trying to make it out to be. I have better reception that I had with my iPhone or iPhone 3Gs, and have been able to get coverage in a couple of places where I could not before. The moral of the story: try it yourself and see if it is an issue for you.

The “Closed Platform”

This one gets publicized a lot. People still say that the concept of the Application Store and requiring Apple’s approval for applications is a bad thing, even in light of the success it has seen. I still see complaints publicized about the lack of Flash support on the device. To be perfectly honest, I like the current system for my iPhone. I use my device for practically everything I do on a daily basis, and move to my MacBook Pro when I need to write articles, work with documents, or want to browse the web on a larger screen. That’s pretty much it. I browse the web a lot on my iPhone anyway, simply out of convenience. I have never wanted to look at something and been foiled due to lack of Flash support.

I suppose I should add that I have never been a fan of Flash, and would be more than happy to see it die. I do understand, however, that a lot of people find some reasons to proclaim it a wonderful technology.

Having applications go through Apple for approval can be frustrating, I have no doubt. However, given the number of really ugly applications I have seen (both on Mac OSX and on Windows), I like to think the approval process helps regulate the quality of the applications to some degree. Statistically I have no idea if this is true, and since I do not own an Android device to be able to look through and compare application quality I really cannot compare the two. I will say, however, that I do not stumble upon many applications that are absolutely horrible on the iPhone.

“There’s an App for That…”

The mantra has become a meme to an extent, but the statement is fairly accurate. I love the fact that I can find an application that does something I never even thought of doing with my iPhone. It opens up a new world of interaction with a mobile device and the environment. In addition, a lot of the things I needed to carry a laptop for can now be done with my iPhone alone. Supporting computer systems remotely without having to carry a laptop on a vacation/trip is wonderful, plain and simple.

Personal Note and Some Fun

In the end, the business model and design contribute to create the experience, and that is the focus of Apple’s strategy. If the device is enjoyable to use then the user wants to use it, and this should be done without requiring the user to understand any of the underlying technologies needed to accomplish the task. The iPhone does exceptionally well in this area, and is one of the reasons it is so successful. Even I will admit that there are some other devices on the market now that really challenge the iPhone, but I won’t proclaim that any platform is superior to any other without first-hand experience on each. It is for that reason alone that I will only proclaim that the iPhone is an absolute joy to use, and I have yet to encounter something that makes me think “gee, I wish it could do this because [x other device] does…”

If you aren’t interested in the iPhone that’s perfectly fine. I have always stated that an Apple computer is not perfect for everyone, so I would certainly not proclaim that an iPhone is perfect for everyone. What I dislike, though, is hearing the same rhetoric over and over again without justification. My challenge to you is simple: if you dislike a product provide a reason that applies directly to you, not a generalization based upon conjecture or the media.

Ok, rant over. It’s simply gotten old seeing complaints about the iPhone from people that have not even tried using one The only complaint I have is not with the iPhone directly, but with AT&T, and that is the ridiculous change away from an unlimited plan being touted as a positive change for the customer and the requirement of paying an additional fee to tether the device. Tethering is a capability of the phone, and whether I choose to use that data on the phone directly or while attaching the phone to a computer should not be something AT&T has any say over whatsoever. I pay for the data I use, regardless of how I use it. This is the one thing that absolutely needs to change.

And, just to add some fun to the post, here are a few pictures from the iPhone 4 (one of the reasons I chose to upgrade, incidentally, was the better camera):