With much fanfare, after 6 months of waiting Apple iPhone is finally arrived. People waited days in line to get this device, but is it worth to buy? Total cost to own iPhone is around $2000 over 2 years with AT&T service.
I wanted to own this device from the day one it was announced, but over the months I read iPhone features and short comings and finally I decided not to buy iPhone. I will wait for the dust to settle.
You know iPhone is Video iPod, Internet Device, iPhone etc. but:
- After paying $499/$599 the iPhone is locked. You won’t able to replace SIM use local SIM abroad. You can use iPhone abroad, but you will have to pay roaming and will not have local number. I hope Apple/AT&T does something about it. This is biggest show stopper for me.
- iPhone doesn’t support 3G network. 3G should not be a big deal for most of the people as people carrying iPod and mobile phone both may not have 3G/Internet access at all. I do care for extra 20 bucks for slow unlimited Internet access. Remember this device has Wi-Fi which is way faster than 3G but you may need to pay extra if it’s not free places like Starbucks etc.
- It doesn’t have external memory slots. I don’t care for this feature as most of the Smart Phones which allow external memory slots supports up to 2GB/4Gb and are slow.
- No actual keyboard. You will get used to it sooner than you think.
- Battery life. I think it’s best in class, and unless you are travelling transatlantic you should be fine. About replacing battery, it would have been nice if you won’t have to go apple store for that, but not a big deal.
- No MMS. Remember this is a software feature which Apple can always add it later.
- Corporations E-mail support. Again this is a software issue, but better wait if you are super blackberry users instead of some work around like forwarding email etc.
- No GPS. Again it would have been nice but not a big deal.
- No third party applications. I think this will change in future. No big deal for me.
The Bottom line: If you can afford, don’t care for 3G, SIM access iPhone is the best for you. You will not regret it.
For me SIM access is the most important feature, and I don’t like that after spending $499/$599 I have to sign two years contract and pay extra $20 for slow Internet.