At last, a decent phone design

So that was it. Pretty amazing wasn't it? I don't know about you, but I love it.

(Picture taken from Apple, obviously. Usual stuff applies but I'm sure they won't mind. Especially as I'm about to give them $600.)

There will obviously be a million posts about the iPhone and some of them may be better than this one. But I was thinking about something on the train home and I wanted to write about it whilst it was still fresh. So we are.

We've all got mobile phones. We've had them for years. The iPhone is a trillion times better these phones. But when I started thinking about it I realised that there has never really been a good phone.

Yes, there have been nice looking phones. There have been phones that do OK stuff, I'm sure you remember your first camera phone. But there has never, ever been a phone that makes you go wow. Try explaining why your phone is good to your Dad. Try explaining why it's better than his phone.

Difficult isn't it? Better camera. Err... it stores more text messages. Errr... it has better ringtones. Err....

Now try explaining why you're so excited about the iPhone.

Easy, isn't it?

That is good design my friends.

So why hasn't there been a good phone before? Why can't the design brilliance of companies like Nokia and Sony come up with something even half as good? Why have we had to wait this long for great phone. Design is the new management consultancy? Maybe Jonathan Ive is the new management consultancy. Jammy bastard.

(Little caveat. I haven't used an iPhone yet. It might be crap. Apple might mess the shipping up. It may break after a week. Maybe. I doubt it. But...)

Comments

[Will]

The only problem I have is that it's touch screen - I worry it'll break/bugger up.

That and the retail price.. but you are right, a beautiful piece of kit.

[Rob Mortimer]

Its very nice, the menus and screen look sharp and easy to use.

It must be said though, I love my phone; its easy to use, has a wonderful camera, and has some lovely design touches. (For example, the camera is so good that the lens side is covered in camera style raised plastic)

[ronan]

I'm sorry, but it's bad design in my opinion because its none of the things a phone should be- small, straightforward to make calls on, robust for dropping etc.

It looks to me like its fussy, needlessly complex and as previously mentioned by Will I would worry about the touch screen. What happens when it gets its first inevitable scratch?

Is it not just Apple trying to push those annoying widgets? As stated in this blog previously - design is usability. This doesn't touch Nokia for that.

[mofe]

but, I definitely like it. it's exactly what I want my phone going to be. Just can't wait to get one.

[Bureau L'Imprimante]

Interesting post at engadget, with the twin brother of that machine - but it's an LG thang!
Have a look, it's worth it.
http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/11/iphone-and-lg-ke850-separated-at-birth

[coolio]

my ass you shitholes.. the iPhone is the greatest thing ever,. and who cares if you get a scratch on it... are you trying to say that you have not one scratch on your phone right now... cause if you dont then you probably dont drop your phone, which means, you probably woudnt drop the iPhone either.. hence there will be no scratches to begin with.