By: Hillel Fuld
Over the past two years, I have gained a reputation for being the world’s biggest BlackBerry advocate. In fact, not only am I a huge fan of my BlackBerry Bold, but I have also been known to trash the iPhone as a business tool on many ocassions.
Let’s be honest here, a phone that can run one thing at a time is not a phone for heavy mobile users. If you check my Bold at any given moment, I have at least ten apps running in the background. The thought of having to launch my Twitter (follow me here) app every time I want to receive notifications of new replies makes me laugh at the possibility of using an iPhone.
Yes, I know there are push notifications, but they just don’t cut it for the kind of mobile user that I am. Putting multitasking aside for a second, my main and most important use of mobile phones is by far email. I need an easy and fast email experience, and the need to check every single one of my accounts individually on the iPhone has also prevented me from replacing my Bold.
Since the announcement of the next generation iPhone OS, iPhone 4.0, I have thought about it a lot and realized that assuming the hardware was on par, there were no longer any reasons not to replace my BlackBerry with a next gen iPhone.
Once this whole iPhone 4G drama unfolded, and now that it seems that the phone we all saw is in fact the next iPhone, we know what to expect on June 22nd, the day Apple announces the new iPhone.
The following is a list of reasons a lot of people, myself included, will finally (most likely) be going over to the dark side, and replacing their business smartphones with a nice shiny new iPhone:
- Multitasking: As Jobs pointed out, they could have implemented backgrounding apps years ago. They could have done it like Symbian, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, and even Android does it. However, similar to copy/paste, they (and when I say they, I am pretty sure it was Steve himself who wanted to wait till the implementation was perfect) preferred to wait until they can add full multitasking that will offer users a seamless experience that will not drain their battery. According to Jobs, they have succeeded in doing this and the new multitasking technology will offer an experience like we have never seen before. Judging by the videos I have seen of the iPhone 4.0’s multitasking abilities so far, I tend to believe that this time, Steve Jobs is not exaggerating.
- Unified Inbox: Oh, the things that excite us geeks… I know it is not the biggest deal in the world, but the main reason people use BlackBerrys is email. With the ability to view all your email in one inbox on the iPhone, the Apple email experience will be one step closer to that of RIM’s. Given all the other reasons in this list, and all the other iPhone advantages, I am willing to live with the current gap in email experience, which still leaves BlackBerry ahead, but not by much.
- Better Camera: We do not know what the new iPhone’s photography capabilities will be, but we do know that the new iPhone has a bigger lens and a built in flash. The current iPhone 3Gs already leads the pack of 3 megapixel phone cameras and it is safe to assume the next iPhone will have a 5mp shooter, at least. As opposed to the Bold and every other BlackBerry for that matter, this will mean people will actually be able to use the camera on their phones. Wow, the thought of having a camera as good as that on an N95, without the painful experience of Symbian… It’s a refreshing thought.
- Secondary Camera: There was recently a debate among my Twitter friends whether video conferencing on mobile phones has failed as a technology or it will still be around in ten years from now. I personally believe this technology is just at its beginning, and the lack of a second camera on BlackBerrys is something that has bothered me from day one. I know most people do not use the second camera, but I still think manufacturers should give us that option. Besides, I love the mirror apps that transform your phone into a mirror by using your second camera. Use it all the time on the N900.
- Higher Resolution Screen: Once again, we do not know what the resolution will be on the iPhone 4g (or is it the iPhone HD?), but if we trust the experts over at Gizmodo, the screen is of significantly higher resolution than the 3Gs. Being as the iPhone’s main attraction is as an all around excellent multimedia device, watching movies and viewing pictures has to be significantly better than the experience on the Bold, which is more of a business phone. The Bold, as well as other smartphones on the market offer some seriously amazing viewing experiences, but judging by the pictures of the iPhone 4G, as well as Gizmodo’s professional opinion, the resolution on the next gen iPhone will blow us all away.
- App Folders: Really not much to say here, with the 185,000 iPhone apps available, and the hundreds of apps currently on my iPod Touch, this new feature will make it all much more manageable. The current experience of using apps on the iPhone is a bit of a mess, and the ability to create folders on your home screen, not only makes it easier to find apps, it also enables you to store over ten times the amount of apps you were able to on the 3.0 software.
- Game Center: I have to be honest, I am not a big gamer. I like the occasional cute iPhone game, but I am not one of those serious video game enthusiasts. I know the title is reasons I am getting an iPhone, but this point is really a reason others will be getting an iPhone. The new game center will provide a new and competitive iPhone gaming platform, which is sure to attract many gamers who have hesitated to get an iPhone till now.
- Bluetooth Keyboard: One of the main advantages of the BlackBerry or any other business smartphones is the existence of a hardware keyboard. To be honest, this was not the biggest deal to me. Yes, I prefer pressing keys over typing on a virtual keyboard, but the iPhone’s corrective software ties up the game. In any case, even if you must have a hardware keyboard, this is no longer a reason to stay away from the Apple device. The iPhone will now support Bluetooth keyboards, and you can be sure that Apple, Belkin, Griffin, and many other accessory manufacturers will be making some amazing Bluetooth keyboards for the iPhone. Yes, it means carrying around another item, but I am pretty sure it won’t be long before such keyboards will fold up to the size of something you can hold on a keychain.
- Storage: Again, then there is a big question mark surrounding the amount of storage that will be available on the next iPhone. However, what we know is that there will be 80-100 gb PLUS a memory card slot. By my calculations, that can bring you up to either 96 or 116 gb of storage. Last I checked, no other phone on the market comes anywhere close…
I am sure this list will eventually get a lot longer since the new iPhone has over 1500 new APIs and over 100 new features, but most of them are still unknown. Based on the features we do already know, as well as the videos and pictures we saw on Gizmodo, I think Apple will increase its market share significantly, especially among the business sector.
Having said that, and to be fair and not fanboy-like, I will say that there are still some major advantages to owning a BlackBerry, advantages that will ensure that the hardcore BlackBerry fans stick to their opinion that the iPhone is more of a toy and less of a business tool. Some of these advantages include an open platform, a built in hardware keyboard, BBM (the biggest advantage for me, and one that I will surely miss), and more.
At the end of the day, I still prefer an awesome Web-browsing experience, seamless syncing capabilities, an advanced media player, and close to 200,000 available apps.
What are your thoughts on the next iPhone? Will it blow RIM out of the water or is it just another version of a mobile toy?
Well said hillel. Its gonna be an interesting launch. The sky is the limit with apple. They have proven this. RIM is out to improve its existing technology. Apple is always looking to innovate….push the envelope. This is why there stock kicks (rims) ass. 🙂
This post really caught my eye as I am almost on the urge of going back to the iPhone – when I bought the 3G nearly 2 years ago it wasn’t long (few months) ’til I was back on my BlackBerry and have been there every since. Just recently, mainly being for the lack of apps and upgrading which is still not perfect via Mac I have been using both the BB and iPhone. As you mention in the upcoming 4G – multitasking should be something else and I love the look and sound of the apps folder too. But at this point I’m not 100% sure that I could give up my BB completely as I keep going back to twittering on it and getting my feeds out – I haven’t seemed to have found anything on the iPhone so far the fills my needs. Another important aspect that I hope they fix is battery life – I can go all day on my BlackBerry – if I try just a third of the same things on the iPhone by midday I have a flat battery. That said I have just bought and external battery pack which is very powerful – but having everything within the phone would make it complete. Roll on June and then I’ll give you a better feedback 😉
Thanks guys, appreciate the feedback 🙂
Blackberry has been on the way out for the last year. iphone had the market share bigtime because it was the first of it’s type, but Android is becoming more popular. I saw a chart showing the market share of phones about a month ago, and RIM is already diving.
Android and Iphone are dominating the market share now with Android set to takeover iphone before the end of the year (prior to the info about the new iphone).
For a lot of users, the big issue with iphone is ATT. I REFUSE to use ATT or Verizon for that matter. Coverage and customer service both have been terrible in my experience. The main reason I’m looking forward to the new iphone is that it will set the bar for the new android phones. I know HTC has a 4g phone that they recently unveiled. I think that’s going to be where a huge amount of the market share is going to go very soon (especially in Dallas, Philly, Seattle, Chi, and other locations that are already 4g)
As if the current 3GS wasn’t compelling enough in its own right, now, from all indications, the next iPhone, as you astutely pointed out, should now be absolutely irresistible for many, many people out there, you and me included!
Reading through the list it doesn’t appear that the next gen IPhone is upping the ante to a point where BB can’t either copy and make it their own or surpass. I’m a fan of both devices but still can’t justify not owning a BB at the same time. I do recall RIM’s camera’s are at 3.2mp and already have a flash built in for the majority of their devices. My friends 3GS doesnt…so not sure about your point there. Then again, RIM and Apple will continually up the ante. There are alot of other points to make and discuss but reading alot of online material the argument goes both ways. Many of the Iphone 4.0 upgrades make it catch up to the BB, but not over take…..just a few of the many thoughts I have.
My contract with my current cell phone service provider runs out on May 22nd, which is when we planned on getting iPhones. Now I am conflicted, whether to buy the 3G just to get ‘er done and get away from my current cell phone provider or wait a couple extra months to buy the new 4G.
Boy are you going to be pissed when you learn that Apple isn’t going to allow background Twitter or IM. For those, you are still going to have to rely on notifications. Sorry.
BB OS is archaic. I’ve used it from the start but could not imagine going back to it now. Minor improvements are not going to bring it up to par with Android and iPhone. They need a whole new OS.
Another rumored feature is teh snappy: a 1GHz A4 versus the ~0.4GHz that powers my 3G iPhone. I presume this is the reason that Apple hasn’t included multi-tasking on the 3G, which is otherwise capable enough: multi-tasking at a slow speed is hardly better than single-tasking.
You wouldn’t consider and Android-based device over the upcoming iPhone 4?
Like James said, their multitasking implementation is NOT perfect. The “battery drain” argument is simple marketing rhetoric, putting a positive spin on what is in actuality a drawback.
The lack of multitasking SEEMS to be something more core to the OS than Jobs is letting on.
Regardless, the bottom line is that they have implemented “backgrounding” of certain core services. For example, you will be able to have streaming iTunes music while using other applications. This is a service that has been implemented.
Other programs that are NOT core services? You’re still SOL in terms of having an actual multi-tasking experience. In some cases, it will be as bad as the app being put on “pause” (a self-contained sleep-mode kind of thing) while you’re in the other app. This is an awful user experience for asynchronous conversations like IM or Twitter.
Even if they COULD put true multitasking in place, isn’t it kind of scary that the half-assed implementation is needed just so that your phone can last a full day? I don’t know anybody with an iPhone that doesn’t complain about the battery, and that’s pre-OS 4.
Good luck with the phone. 😉 I’d wait for another option if you want to leave BB.
Dude, I can’t believe you’re looking at the new Iphone and not any of the Froyo devices that are coming out or are already out. They ALL outperform the Iphone and they ALL get updates to their firmware more than once a year with a whole bunch of goodies. No Iphone will ever be as good as the Androids for the simple reason that too many hardware manufacturers are pushing the envelope with the OS. Iphone would need to release a new device twice a year to stay up with the firmware updates alone.
Can’t wait either, how long do you think before it comes to Israel?