Being Geek Chic is a blog about one woman navigating the male-dominated industries of production and tech. It's written by Elizabeth Giorgi, Founder, CEO and Director of Mighteor - one of the world's first internet video production companies. Learn more about Mighteor here.
I will admit, I was lured to the iPhone early. The improvements in emailing on a mobile device were enough for this email junky to make the switch. But I haven’t upgraded to a new iPhone since. And there’s a lot of good reasons why.
iPhone 4 is full of improvements in the hardware. The multi-tasking updates will be a much needed upgrade for the functionality of the device as a whole. But the truth is that the update will be available in the form of a software update, which will be available for all former iPhone generations.
The physical improvements are what will make the iPhone 4 worth it for those that want to fork over the cash and get deeper into their AT&T contract. The camera is finally up to par with other cameras in the smart phone market. The physical hardware is thinner and the addition of glass on the back should keep the device from getting so hot when on long calls (one of my number one complaints about my current iPhone.)
However, here are the key problems:
1. AT&T: There are entire windows in my day where I can expect my call reception and 3G connection to be unreliable. The network handicaps this powerful device - making it difficult to rely on it for its primary purpose: to function as a phone.
2. 16x9: One of my favorite parts of using my iPhone is the ability to bring up video content on the go. As a full-time videographer, this comes in handy. However, I find it so frustrating that Apple refuses to design its products in this ratio. If you are designing a “media” device, why buck the industry standard? This is especially true with the iPad, but has translated to almost every device in their lineup.
3. Video conferencing: While I am excited about the prospects of this technology, I am wary of the promises Apple is making. Given how unreliable the network is for plain old phone calls, are you really expecting the device to host a streaming video while having to perform the simple function of holding onto a call? I don’t think they should have introduced this technology until they have worked out the issues with AT&T. It just frustrates customers, because once again, great technology is handicapped by execution.
Dear diary -
Today, the world has changed. At least that’s what Steve Jobs is saying.
The iPhone is here. This web-browsing, video capable, touch-screen machine is also somehow going to be a phone. Now, I have my hesitations about any device having glass on the front and being able to touch here and there and everywhere, but my hopes are high.
Just imagine this: I need to decide if I should wear a coat when I go out in the morning and instead of opening the paper, I can just touch (not push!) my phone and get the latest weather. Now that is improving technology!
Plus, there are going to be these things called APPS. Like applications. Or Apple? Apparently, APPS are what you will use to do all these cool new things on this fancy new, non-flip phone. So that awesome weather checker I was talking about - that’s an APP. Or you can watch YouTube videos of dogs on skateboards or cats flushing toilets. Now, that seems totally useless when it comes to the ACTUAL purpose of the phone - but who knows, maybe it’s something I don’t even know that I need. Maybe someone will even invent an app to teach my cat how to flush the toilet!
What’s even more awesome is that my iPod will be inside my iPhone. No more carrying around 2 pieces of technology. It’s not like they are all that cumbersome and they’re both pretty small as it is - but like I said, I didn’t even know I needed this - but now I can totally see why Apple would want to corner the market on calling and listening and emailing and messaging and maybe even making music???
So Steve Jobs, here’s to you and your crazy new iPhone. Not sure who’s going to buy this expensive new fangled phone - but hey, there’s money for everything, right?
Signed -
lady geek.
…
What is Diary of a Lady Geek? We’ll tell you here.
““It’s no accident that Apple is the only company in the technology arena making any money,” says Michael J. Silverstein, a partner at Boston Consulting Group. “They make things that are beautiful, and you can charge a lot more for them.” According to BCG, Apple is the most favored brand across all product categories for women. Before its foray with the digital clutch, HP employed few female product designers. Now the ratio of female to male industrial designers is 50-50, and the company is applying the key features of its female-oriented products—better finishes, more sensually appealing components, better lighting—to all its lines. Nintendo is doing a brisk business selling fitness-oriented Wii games to women. Best Buy has added a concierge service (à la Apple) to appeal to female shoppers.”
~ “Why companies need to cater to women” Via Newsweek
