*** Guest post – Joshua Schnell is the Founder of Macgasm.net, a website dedicated to providing tips and tricks to Mac users.
When the iPhone came out, I had a long list of worries. My worries were serious enough that I almost didn’t purchase the 3G model when it finally came out up here in Canada (We didn’t get the EDGE version). But now I realize a lot of my concerns were pretty misguided. Maybe Steve really does know us better than we know ourselves.
8GB is more than enough.
Who was I kidding? Carrying around my entire music collection is pointless. Sure it might mean having to adjust a little, but going from an iPod classic to an 8GB iPhone isn’t that big of a deal. We don’t need the GBs of an iPod Classic, and anyone who says otherwise is full of it.
Before you go getting your panties all in a bunch, you should know that I’m a huge music nerd. I was pretty skeptical about 8GBs being enough space for my audio listening needs, but I have a confession to make–I haven’t filled my iPhone once. The current number of albums sitting on my iPhone is 51. I can’t think of one road trip I’ve been on where that hasn’t been enough. I even managed a trip through Europe with just an iPhone, so anyone who tells you they need more space on an iPhone is full of crap. I never thought I’d say it, but 8GB of space is plenty, and I’m pretty sure that the upcoming iPad hard drive space is going to be fine as well.
Things might change in the future, and maybe younger generations disagree, but 51 albums on a device is enough, and it sure beats carrying four or five CDs in a backpack.
Multitasking is over-rated.
Image Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/whartz/
I’ve flip flopped on this point more than I’d like. Heck, I’d make John Kerry proud. But I’ve finally settled on the opinion that not being able to multitask is fine. There’s only one situation where I can build a steady case in support of needing multi-tasking–chat apps. If I could run Fring, or a Meebo app in the background, I’ll be a happy camper, but other than that, I haven’t once wished for multitasking.
I might be in the minority here, but I prefer to focus on one thing at a time. I’m more effective that way. Want to answer emails? Answer emails. Want to waste time on twitter? Waste time on twitter. Own it. Jumping out of a game to answer emails and then back in again, and then switching to a browser to look something up isn’t my idea of a good time. I’d really like to hear your arguments for multitasking, because frankly, I can only think of the one.
I’ve spent some time reading some interesting articles on multitasking, and I’d have to agree with the authors <a href=”http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=985707&dl=GUIDE&coll=GUIDE&CFID=82787119&CFTOKEN=10028955″>here</a> — the iPhone fits our needs quite well.
Buttons are stupid.
One final concern was how the practical the iPhone would be without tactile feedback? I have small fingers, but even I was going to have difficulty trying to accurately type on the iPhone. Turns out, I was wrong yet again. Now that I’ve gotten used to the lack of buttons on the iPhone, I can’t begin to imagine what life would be like if I went back to device with a full qwerty keyboard.
Final Thought
I’ve spent a lot of time the last couple of weeks talking about the iPad and the parallels that were present when the iPhone was announced. Seems most people have a short memory and failed to realize that the alot of the media outlets had written the device off before it even shipped. Heck, most consumers had serious reservations about the device, but it turned out to be a device we can’t live without.
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Not to disagree, because honestly for the most part I completely agree – but 8GB just isn't enough. 16GB is close, 32GB is more than enough for now.
My needs/'uses are likely a lot different than yours, but here's how my storage looks:
4GB Music
15GB Video (I should trim this down)
2.5GB Apps
350MB Photos
I mean I could squeak by with an 8GB iPhone but I really wouldn't be able to fit everything I want on there. I tend to spend a good chunk of my day at work (on a slow day) with movies going in the background so I carry a selection of those with me. If it wasn't for those, you're right 8GB would be plenty.
As for multi-tasking, I always thought it would be a huge problem, but its really not like you said. Sure there's a few use cases I can make for it, like IM or streaming radio, but for the most part I don't miss it and I definitely don't miss the lost battery life that comes with multitasking.
Buttons. Couldn't agree more. I've tried going back to a qwerty device (a couple actually) over the past years since I got my first iPhone. Frankly – they suck. They're too small to hit accurately, they take up a ton of space all the time and you still have to look to type for the most part so there's little to no gain.
I am with Brandon, I started out with a 8GB iPhone then upgraded to the 16GB when I got the 3GS. The 8GB was way to small for all my music, pics, and apps. Now the 16GB I have a hard time filling up… It so far handles all my needs.
I have to disagree about the multitasking. I would like for Apple to give us some sort of multitasking even if it's limited. I utilizing Pastebot & Dropbox in the background when I am working on something so I don't have to open and close them constantly…. I know it only takes a few seconds to open and close apps, but it really does save valuable time.
I agree with you both on the qwerty keyboard… My last phone to have a keyboard was the Palm Treo 750. I will never go back….
I think a limited multitasking approach would be the best scenario for Apple. For instance, giving us the ability to run a second application in the background, but limiting it to that one other application. Outside of that, I really don't see a need to have a dozen applications running at once on my phone.
Well, let's see…
These few things come to my mind first, when I think about multitasking:
1) I did like running latitude and update my location while I walk (with my old Symbian and WM devices)
2) It would be much better running Skype in the background and being able to receive those calls also
3) I would run my favorite IM app in the background… And as I guess someone would disagree I would clarify, I hate push notifications (aside from my exchange mail)
It would be awesome to be able to do these things, without sacrificing one for the other. And, although it might be a choice to do one thing at a time, an incoming call would ruin your Google Reader session. Yes, it gets back when you finish, but where's the post I was reading? Or, while during a skype call, what happenes if u get a cellular call? Oh gosh, skype closes instantly… Very nice attitude for the other party you were talking.
So, multitasking is just a necessity for me, in this era. The thing is, I already have it on my JB iphone with Backgrounder and Krikae/Multifl0w/ProSwitcher. The only love I need is more hardware, eg. RAM and CPU.
The iPhone 3GS have them, but it's harder to JB… So the main problem is Apple's struggle with JB which I can understand (all the warez scene etc)… So, basically, Apple would only need to adopt SBSettings, Backgrounder and ProSwitcher directly into iPhone OS… And it would do the job, much better than anything.
My big issue is with multitasking. I never thought it was a big deal until I jailbroke and tried it. If you use streaming apps or apps that replace built-in funtionality, it is a very handy thing. I use Navigon GPS on the road and listen to podcasts using RSS Player. This would obviously be impossible without multitasking. I also use it to flip back and forth to and from Docs To Go when taking notes on something. Usually I am doing this at church, flipping from my PocketBible app to my notes. I think Apple needs to give us this, even if it is limited in scope. It is obvious that the hardware is capable.
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