I’m definitely in the crowd oohing and ahhing over last week’s release of the Apple iPhone, but I’ve been shocked by the sheer number of nerd complainers across the blogs lately. I keep hearing the same complaints…touch screen bad, closed platform very bad, no third party apps, way too expensive, etc…The truth is the avg joe could care less about “closed platform,” or lack of “3rd party apps.” Most people are really blown away from what they’ve seen of the phone, and I would imagine that Apple won’t have a problem selling it. Bloggers are sometimes too techy for their own good, failing to realize the (and the people Apple REALLY cares about) masses could care less about all that junk above. Charlie says it best:
They didn’t care about iHandcuffs, third party apps or whether or not they are locking themselves into Apple.
The fact is… Apple’s products are such a vast improvement in overall consumer experience that most users will be more than satisfied. All the technobloggers are bitching about the lack of openness.
My 2nd favorite response to tech complaints was an Engadget comment (I don’t usually read them, there are always too many) posted by a guy named Russel. He posted a response to this comment:
Apparently none of you guys realize how bad of an idea a touch-screen
is on a phone. I foresee some pretty obvious and pretty major problems here.
I’ll be keeping my Samsung A707, thanks. It’s smaller, it’s got a protected screen, and it’s got proper buttons. And it’s got all the same features otherwise. (Oh, but it doesn’t run a bloatware OS that was never designed for a phone.)
Color me massively disappointed.
And this is what Jeff said back in 1984:
“Apparently none of you guys realize how bad of an idea a mouse is for a computer. I foresee some pretty obvious and pretty major problems here.
I’ll be keeping my Commadore 64, thanks. It’s cheaper, it’s got Lotus 1-2-3, and it’s got a command line operating system. And it’s got more software. (Oh, but it doesn’t run a bloatware “Graphic user interface” that eats all the processing power.)
Color me massively disappointed.”
And this is what he said in 2001
“Apparently none of you guys realize how bad of an idea a clickwheel is for a mp3 player. I foresee some pretty obvious and pretty major problems here.
I’ll be keeping my Diamond Rio, thanks. It’s cheaper, it’s got all my music on it, and it’s got a better battery. And it’s smaller. (Oh, but it doesn’t run a bloatware GUI that eats all the battery power.) Color me massively disappointed.”
Will you never learn?
There’s a reason why people like Jeff aren’t running consumer product companies like Apple. They lack the ability to see beyond the tech side of things into what the average consumer really wants. Steve Jobs, on the other hand, is a genius at this.
Life Putting 