Very little of what you have written is true I am using a moto a780 over the treo 650 that I have and the a780 is touch screen only and much easier, to use grease is not a problem and will not show when on linix makes the screen very usable and operates very easy with one hand. I would like to ask you if you have ever use a iphone and if not how can you tell how usable it is, wright your message after you have used one. I am not a iphone fan but will wait till I see what people say after using it.

On the face of it, these criticisms seem perfectly valid; however, I must point out that Apple has faced criticisms of this sort before and then subsequently demonstrated that their interface designs were better than pundits and naysayers expected. It is just possible that Apple has been researching this area for some years, isn’t it? Will you concede that multi-billion dollar corporation doesn’t just release a product on a whim and that there must be some concrete reason for making such a radical departure from the norm?

Like any other product, it may be right for some consumers and wrong for others. Kneejerk reactions without some kind of first-hand knowledge of the product do not constitute a cogent argument; even when comparing the as-yet unreleased product to previous incarnations of touch-screen technology. A touchscreen is not necessarily a touchscreen.

While the arguments against touchscreens are valid — most especially in their complete lack of usability by the blind — I wonder how many of these same criticisms can be leveled at the current crop of phones with hard buttons? Can you check your email, choose a number from a phonebook, or surf the mobile web without looking at the screen? There are plenty of phones with large, bright screens, do you also criticize them for their battery life? (The iPhone seems to provide approximately the same battery life as any smart phone, and has power management systems and sensors they lack — for instance, when talking on the phone the screen turns off.)

You choose an inflammatory and opinionated statement to riff from — that the iPhone is a response to the failure of the ROKR phone. The quote insinuates that it is APPLE’S phone, which could not be farther from the truth. It was a Motorola product, for which Apple provided mobile iTunes software, nothing more. Apple had nothing to do with the hardware or OS on this phone, but it seems to bear the brunt of the phone’s clunky interface and lackluster performance, all the fault of Motorola. I think it is quite likely that the iPhone was in development long before the ROKR debuted.

Finally, to consign the iPhone to the trash heap of Apple’s history is premature and seemingly silly considering the wild popularity already in evidence for a product that hasn’t even debuted yet. Is this because people want whatever Apple produces, or because they are fed up with mobile phones and what something radically different? In either case, it doesn’t point toward an obscure, ignominious end for the iPhone, no matter what columnists and pundits claim. As long as the “digital elite” have sufficient disposable income, their demographic will ensure a long life for such products.

The argument about blind people is a red herring - lots of handheld items on the market aren’t really useful for sight impaired. Touchscreens on PDAs and the like are only as greasy as you are - stop eating at Dennys and you’ll be fine. I frequently used a fingernail instead of a fingertip on the Dell PDA a former workplace gave me.

Still, not going to be an early adopter. I could use something with a bigger screen, but right now I’ll stick with the setup I have - an iPod mini for tunes and a regular ol’ flip phone with bluetooth headset.

So what are you going to say when you are wrong about the iPhone’s potential marketshare?

I have a Palm Treo 700p and while I don’t have to look at the keypad to dial I do look at the screen. Hasn’t bothered me one bit. Nor millions of other Palm Treo users out there or Windows Mobile Treo users or Blackberry users or PocketPC users…..need I go on?

You really walked into this one. To claim that Apple isn’t making the iPhone easy to use is utter ridiculousness. You say you write from experience? What experience? Apple is world reknown for making already existing products/technologies/processes insanely easy and simple to use, and attractive to boot. I mean seriously, do you have a list of Apple products that the company has made that aren’t easy to use?

As you said time will tell. Apple is rumored to have 3 million iPhones ready to go at launch. They’re not a stupid company. Their inventory control is extremely good. They wouldn’t have ordered so many phones if they weren’t certain they would sell. They have an excellent track record over the past 6 or so years with creating quick selling products. Even the Mac’s marketshare has jumped since the switch to Intel processors. So why would someone as smart as you seemingly walk in front of a bus with all of that information about Apple out there and declare the iPhone is going to be a failure on par with the Apple Lisa? Isn’t reckless attention seeking a psychological disorder afterall?

Well, NDPTAL85 I think this is funny…”Even the Mac’s marketshare has jumped since the switch to Intel processors”

Uh, wonder why that is? So people can use another OS on it? Huh. Price? Huh.

You seem to say Apple products are more popular once they stray from the core Apple promise.

Anyway, no one knows until it’s released into the wild, but my guess is it’s a bit large and two-handed to be used as a true mobile phone(i.e., walking down the street with a coffee in your hand).

Oh, and the big problem with the Moto/Apple iTunes phone was not the usability of the device (which has it’s own set of problems) but that Apple chose to restrict the number of songs and functionality of the music player. Plus no over the air downloads???? What’s the point?

Funny how Apple-lovers get all personal when you question whether a piece of their hardware is as absolutely perfect as the marketing would lead you to believe. Fact is, the touchscreen is not a good idea for those of us who prefer function over form.

The Apple fans will love whatever the company produces, but that’s not what made the iPod a hit. Taking a wait-and-see attitude doesn’t make one a hater — it makes one an intelligent, functioning, reasonable human.

Thanks for a sharing a dissenting opinion, and calling attention to what is (for many of us) an obvious shortcoming. With all the press-releases-disguised-as-articles (see the Economist) out there about the iPhone, it’s a breath of fresh air.

BTW - I got a server error the first time i sent this

Interesting post.
I have to agree with another poster that the point about visually guided use of such an item - representing the need for the sighted to use their eyes to use the device and for the barriers it might/will present to the blind - is a complete red herring. I, like many others (the majority I would suggest) look at the keyboard when typing, not thought to visualy guide hand movements as in many cases I think the evidence will suggest that it is for accuracy, i.e. despite being able feel the keys, it gives me no information about whats written on them.

You point about the blind is simpley ridiculuous. What about the deaf? shouldnt they make a phone that is not based on audition or would that require you to use your eyes to use it. I think you will also find that having an auditory click will provide adequate feedback; besides you’re a psychologist - where’s your faith in peoples basic sensory motor plasticity and learning?

Jeez, methinks this post was an attempt to get page visits.

Not very polite of me to comment on an one year old article, I know.

Anyway: Your criticism is certainly valid. On the iPhone typing without looking at the screen is and remains impossible. If you want that don’t buy the iPhone. If you write E-Mails all day long, don’t buy the iPhone. Yet I would argue that leaves a rather big group which can live with this tradeoff. Having no tactile feedback is bad. True. But the days are long gone when for most people the most important thing they must be able to do with their cell phone was to dial a number and to dial it fast. Cell phones are no more just cell phones and entering data may be less important than viewing and leisurely browsing data. Thus a different approach may be ok and even needed.

Rule of the thumb:
entering data > 50% = don’t buy the iPhone
watching data > 50% = the iPhone may be for you

For me the lack of tactile feedback is less something that makes the iPhone fail as a whole but rather something you have to consider when deciding if the iPhone is for you. Lacking tactile feedback doesn’t turn the iPhone into the cell phone equivalent of Apple’s infamous “puck” mouse.

Hi John,

Like the earlier michael above, I agree that tactile feedback would be fantastic, but certainly does not render a device such as the iPhone useless for a large number of users.

“I’m sorry, but the iPhone will likely go down with the Lisa as one of Apple’s blunders in design and marketing. It is a poorly conceived device made exclusively for the digital elite.”

Alas, it appears this comment, too, has proven to be a most inaccurate assessment / prediction, given the imminent release of said poorly conceived device in 24 countries tomorrow, with a further forty-something countries planned by year end.

I came across this blog post looking for something else. However, this caught my eye:

“I’m sorry, but if I have to look at a keypad in order to make a phone call, then I can’t use your phone.”

I can’t remember *ever* being able to dial a number on a mobile phone without having to look at the numbers. I suppose if I’d entered short cuts, so I could hold down a single number to dial a person I could. But without that, I always have to look at the keypad of even a simple mobile phone. Also, I think the point about the iPhone is that people use it for lots of things other than making phone calls. If I just wanted a phone, I’d get a cheap Nokia (with a great camera, something the iPhone lacks). However, I don’t just want to make phone calls. I want to send email, text message, check my calendar, look up contacts, find my way, find a restaurant, check the weather, check our stock price, play a game on the BART, listen to music, watch a video. In short, I want to do lots of things that I used to use a computer for. For that, I’m willing to sacrifice and perhaps have phone numbers a little harder to dial.

Your article is interesting at the least, but ill founded and not objective in its content. The iphone is revolutionary in its design, function and use. It works with an ease of use and intuitiveness that doesn’t exist with other devices. The menus are straightfoward and uncluttered. As for the battery life, what is to be expected of a device that consumers want to be small, but is able to browse the web, email, play music, view photos, use GPS, play games and act as an organiser. Just use some tecniques from behavioural psychology to reinforce a new routine of charging more regularly. As for the touchscreen, it is a little awkarward at first and takes some time to adapt. We can all adapt to new environments and technology, it just comes down to how much a person is willing to change. The tactile response is less, but this is compensated by the sound of the typing to indicate contact and the flashing of keys to again indicate contact.

Lastly, I will conclude from your posts the following:
- you’re possibly blind?
- you’re bitter and annoyed that people don’t listen and your opinated.
- you have a low frustratoin tolerance.

Yes, the iPhone does require some “learning”, however, it is easy not hard to “learn” some of the tasks that come “naturally” while using other brands.
Here is Another blog that mentions a few iPhone Usability issues
http://force10x.com/blog/design/my-new-apple-iphone-3g/
and one that many have struggled with
http://force10x.com/blog/design/iphone-3g-send-a-text-message-to-multiple-people.

So Apple really does not do any research eh? *shrug*