iPhone 4
Yesterday, Apple unleashed the fourth generation of their coveted, technological phone.
Personally, I do really understand the hype to line up and get the phone. In this age of constant technological upgrades, there are plenty of alternatives to that will either match or beat the iPhone. I will acknowledge that the iPhone has the largest apps store compared to other mobile operating systems. Although, it is not the most open or offer certain killer apps such as Google Voice or Adobe Flash (only available to Android OS 2.2 also known as “froyo”), which the Android operating system offers. In my opinion, this is not a new “great” technological device since most of the features can be matched or beaten by other phones that are widely distributed to other wireless companies.
There are several flaws with the iPhone 4.
1. At&t- I know that most people who have this wireless carrier are fairly satisfied with the service. I am forcefully tied to this company until late September (thank gosh!). I had frequent problems with this wireless network in one certain spot in my hometown and during several community service events where there are plenty of people using the network.
2. Limited data usage- Due to the high traffic demand from network users onto At&t and the fact they want to maximize profits by limiting upgrade costs and the desire to extend market share, they set a cap on data usage before you have to pay an overage charge for data.
3. Video chatting is only limited to wi-fi and between two iPhone 4s- I understand that At&t is preventing any more potential problems that can happen to their network, but Apply should not limit it to between two iPhone 4’s. They should expand this to their IM chat platforms. This is an attempt for Apple to make more money since it is proposed as a killer feature. There is an alternative that does not restrict you from wi-fi and that would be the Evo 4G from Sprint. This phone has video chatting that can be accessed anywhere their network is along with the capability of connecting to a 4G network, depending on your location. I do not know if it has to be between two Evo 4Gs.
4. Covering the ends of the integrated antenna can kill the reception- I did not anticipate this flaw, but some iPhone 4’s have this problem of killing a call or killing the connection to the network when they hold their fingers come into contact with a certain place of the phone since the antenna makes up the exterior of the chassis of the phone.
5. Phone exclusivity- most of the problems mentioned above would have been solved if the iPhone was open to multiple wireless networks. Unfortunately there are exclusive contracts that restrict the freedom to have the handset to multiple networks. In addition, there are different forms of these networks (CDMA or GSM) as well as the bandwidth. This is not the iPhone’s fault, but it is the FCC’s fault. They should standardize the network to one form of technology with multiple bandwidths so that phones can be able to connect to multiple bandwidths thus, leading to phones that can be used in multiple networks; they should also ban phone exclusivity and completely open it up to the whole market. This would boost competition and reduce the price.
Overall, the iPhone is a great device to have, but it is not the best at everything. It has its advantages and disadvantages much like many other technological devices. Although, most people who want an iPhone do not consider alternative phones that are able to fulfill most of the iPhone’s capabilities. At times, these capabilities have exceeded the iPhone. The main objective of this blog entry is to make the reader consider other devices before selecting the iPhone.
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