Reasons why I can’t buy an iPhone

September 28, 2007

opinion It’s not because it’s Apple.

I’ve been reading and thinking about the iPhone a lot lately.  I’m coming up on needing to upgrade my aging, failing, but fantastic T-Mobile MDA.  I’ve been fascinated by the features and simplicity of the iPhone that has, of course, been the center of mobile tech hype for months now.

The reasons are simple and have little to do with the iPhone itself.  Here they are.

  1. Not T-Mobile This is a big deal for me, I’m not going to change my number over – all my family and friends are on T-Mobile and my calls to them are all out of the unlimited "mobile to mobile" pool that doesn’t cost me a dime extra.
  2. No WMA support. Yep, 18 months ago I converted our entire library of tunes to WMA.  I’m not going to do it again.  I had to pick and there were upcoming WMA players at the time, my Pocket PCs were my player and new Nokia’s are compatible with the Windows Media Player sync tool.
  3. Software I have literally hundreds of dollars of software that is designed for Windows Mobile.  I’m not going to through that away just for because I got a new mobile device.  I am glad that I bought only Bluetooth hardware accessories though – that move has paid off big time.
  4. 3G Yeah, you who know will point out that T-Mobile doesn’t even have a 3G service for their customers (it’s in deployment/testing yet), so I shouldn’t bring up the lack of 3G in the iPhone.  Fine I won’t.  But other devices on the market have had long experience with 3G implementation, so I won’t loose sleep over that.
  5. Keyboard I’ve often scoffed at the keyboard on the face of the BlackBerry for a long time, but they are very handy to craft messages.  My beloved MDA had a sliding keyboard, which I would buy again, but having one on the front of the device would be nice in several ways.
  6. Control I must have control of the device.  From the selection of the firmware to software to the network settings.  Traits from being a true techno geek.  I know how the devices work and I can create a better configuration for my work/usage habits than anyone else can for me.

Well I can’t think of any other things at this point, and this is not to crap on the iPhone.  I really do want one, compared to my initial reaction when it was released.  The device is indeed an advance in design, engineering, interface and usability.  It’s just not on my list this year when I go shopping for a new device.

What will I be looking for?  Probably going to be another Windows Mobile device.  Will need to support 3G HSDPA, all the usual wireless support, keyboard, good camera (3MP or better), video capabilities (record and playback), sync with WMP, more memory and a faster processor…

What’s your take – should a person switch carriers just for a hyped (albeit good) device?

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  • I'm curious - what exactly is a "huge" disppointment, you don't call it out. It is indeed, however, a match for the iPhone (unless you're a Apple fanboy). The thing to remember is that it's not an iPhone, just like a BlackBerry is not an iPhone and an iPhone is not a BlackBerry.

    Have you hefted the G1 - not much weight difference. True the screen size is physically slightly smaller, but the resolution is identical. Colors - yeah, the G1 is available in three different colors. Color depth on the screen is identical.

    The real aesthetic difference in the two is Apple's skill in crafting a stunning form factor. I'm not sure who was responsible for the G1 design - Google? HTC who manufactured the phone has several fantastic aesthetic designs of their own (check out the Touch Diamond or Touch HD), so I can't believe it would be them.

    Whatever the opinion, the fact still remains that if you want an iPhone, you have to go over to the dark side of AT&T; (no, I'm not a fan) and forget any other carrier here in the U.S. Kinda like to get the new BlackBerry Storm, you currently have to jump over to Verizon, regardless if your company is on another carrier. Kinda sucks that way eh?
  • G1 is a huge disappointment... no match to iPhone in terms of colors, screen, size, weight.
  • However, with the release of the Android based G1, I really don't have anything to complain about. Android rocks! :)
  • "Not T-Mobile" - main reason for me too. I am kinda stuck with T-Mobile. I am not complaining from the company, but all of my friends are with them and we talk for free.
  • I have seen that majority of people is crazy about iPhone and all new devices which are introduced rapidly. One thing which always confused me that why we do so? I am not intended to change any of my current device until I would have any problem with it. That's why I still don't have iPhone.
  • There are many other opportunities. Especially now there are a lot of third-party programs
  • Yeah, that is a concern too. But I figured that if I could afford the iPhone, the monthly isn't too much of a hit. T-Mobile has the best data rates, although they still don't have a 3G service - even though they're planning a product launch for the beginning of the year. That is if the project is still on track. ;)
  • I'm not as invested in my Pocket PC and the iPhone is definitely high on my list of things I want, but for me the dealbreaker is AT&T's pricing. I thought I was paying a lot to Sprint, but AT&T's charges are just ridiculously high.
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