I made it here, and considering my own dislikes of most mobiles, I agree with all that has been said so far. I have a N95 and a Treo 680 that I swap between all the time. The N95 is great, till the battery goes, a program or two crashes due to memory, or it becomes a cludge to just get to a program. The Treo is nice and works, then it stops and crashes, reminds me why I needed a 3rd party battery, etc. (pout)

I wrote once that innovation has nothing to do with features, it has to do with elegantly solving a problem in a way that looks simple, but is inheartly complex. Its not just what can you do, but what is the flow you take in doing it. Having not even as much as touched an iPhone yet, I understand exactly what others say about it, only because I’ve complained about it on my devices for so long.

Enough of my pouting about what works and doesn’t. I am not a manufacturer, and though I know I could do a heck of a job in product design and management, I’m not in that position. I use these devices because for what is here, this IS the innovative thing to use. Maybe we will get there one day, but I stopped holding my breath about this time last year. Change will happen or it doesn’t.

On the desktop PC we have the “desktop”, just the same as it was 25 years ago when Apple nicked it off Xerox, a few tweaks here and there but nothing truly revolutionary. You can talk all day about how OS X is better at this, Windows better at that, the various Linux interfaces better at this other thing, but really, they’re all crap in their own unique ways well as in many basic, fundamental ways.

A lot of what we expect from a computer seems to have spilled over into the mobile phone world, but where it’s different it’s usually just some functional rubbish we’ve been fobbed off with. I can’t speak for the iPhone as I’ve not used one, but Series 60 needs some serious work, as I’m sure Sony-Ericssons interface does and all the other manufacturers.

The advantage the mobile world has is that it’s not tethered to a quarter of a century of “this is how I’ve always done it, why should I change now?” like the PC world, but that doesn’t seem to have made it any more innovative. They just keep on building on the same basic structure with no thought as to how it could be. (Hell, I expect that Symbian’s just some variation of the Epoc OS which has been about since at least the early 90s.)

We need true innovation, not yet another bolted on toy, but bolted on toys is all we get. If Apple truly manage to create some change, then it will be a wonder, but I can’t see much happening any time soon, especially not in the wider IT world.

But all revolutions have to start somewhere, eh?

If we had waited for SonyEricsson, Nokia and all the other players to make a iphone like phone, we probably would have to have waited for 5 years, good on you Apple to use this sort of tecnology now.

If I may add just one more point . . .

4. We all agree that it’s conversations like these that make following the phone industry one of our favourite pastimes.

So to sum things up:

1. We all agree that other manufacturers’ music offerings are crap and in desperate need of improvement.
2. We all agree that while Apple isn’t the god-send to the industry that they and their fanboys would like us to believe, it’s still done marvelous things to shake the industry up quite a bit.
3. We all agree that Nokia’s method is to put as many features as they can first, and refine them as you go, whereas Apple’s MO is to only put the features which are totally refined, however dated they may be.

Anything else?

One of the things that Apple seem to understand better than anyone else is refinement. Apple introduces features and abilities as when they are good and ready, and not before. With it’s OSX foundations and large touch screen, the iPhone can become whatever it needs to become – but only when it’s ready, when it’s refined. Apple is not perfect, so there are of course some acceptions, the camera is app is just too basic and the lack if landscape keyboard, spring to mind.

Nokia, much like Apple’s closest rival Microsoft, tend to go for the ‘slap it all on and see what sticks’ approach, with the hope that the market place will decide if a feature is truly useful. Whilst this approach is pure heaven for geeks like myself, it’s often proves frustrating for most non-geeks (i.e. 90% of the market). Look at the N95 as an example. it has a 3D graphics processor which Nokia themselves have practically never used until now, no not even in their own UI or Maps app!! And the GPS? Well, let’s not even go there shall we, calling it just about passible is probably being kind.

Anyway, as I said before, it’s too early to tell the true impact of Apple’s grand entrance. By this time next year, we should have a clearer picture of how the mobile market is going to pan out for the next 3 to 5 years.

Nokia’s current approach on the smartphone side could be said to be constrained by Symbian and S60 choice (which is a top down approach to the OS and firmware) and the hardware they choose to put into the device, particularly the processors and RAM. There are of course tradeoffs in any design, but Apple seem to have chosen these tradeoffs carefullyand with some thought.

The Aeon form factor phone concept and some of the design videos Nokia have produced are **very** innovative from a user experience and functional point if view. … but, and here is the main point … it’s all in the execution. Apple have executed their vision. It’s fine to have nice videos but making them reality is where the crunch comes. I think Apple will get it right iteratively by Version3 / Version4 but by then the other manufacturers will have their touch-based smartphones in the market (Nokia / Motorola / Samsung) and LG will be on iteration 5 by then ! Let’s see who makes the mistake of just putting a touch interface on top of their existing OS without the hardware and individual application optimisation !

My 2c.

I’m embarrassed for Sony Ericsson. The performance of the K810i I just foolishly bought is horrendous. Literally 3-4 seconds between pressing a button and the interface doing anything.

How can anyone release a product like that?

However, regarding Apple – I am torn. My iPod video drizes me CRAZY with the proprietary nonsense.

I have music, photos and video scattered across 2 laptops and a desktop. I can only synchronise with ONE. I can only load video in QT format (I think) and only through iTunes. Why can’t I drag-and-drop content from anywhere?

Very frustrating – I am going to look at some iPod clones like Creative that are more open, and perhaps wait for an iPhone clone in a similar manner!

/says “told you so”.

I’m not asking anyone to ‘believe’ my viewoints at all — it’s just freely offered opinion.

Have you ever played with an iPhone? Or are you just describing how it might work based on what you have read? Do remember that most of the reports that we have been exposed to have come from the US, where the majority of mobile phone users are exposed to Motos, Samsungs (because of their network format) or the Palms, iPaqs, Treos…those sorts.

Reports are now starting to come out about how the euphoria has quickly died down – and how people ARE indeed getting frustrated with their iPhones. You say photos – the iPhone can’t take a simple satisfactory shot to save its US$499/US$599 life. It doesn’t enable the user to navigate. Syncing is not a breeze. The majority of Americans have not been exposed to symbian – which is why anything other UI would be a god-send.

Let’s go back a couple of years and look at the Razr. It made a lot of noise thanks to its design. But if you follow news reports (and I’m assuming that that’s the least that you do to stay abreast of what’s happening in the world of technology), you will realise that Moto isn’t exactly in a happy place right now.

If you want credibility mate – don’t base your arguements on hearsay. Play with the products and compare them, feature for feature – then we’ll believe you.

I wonder if you’ll agree with me on this summary point:

iPhone isn’t the solution and there are and will be many complaints with it, particularly from power users. However, the interface and platform innovation is, in the context of the mobile device industry, staggering. I’m sure you’ll agree that using photos, using music and using the web on the iPhone is how-it-was-meant-to-be. At least, today. When I saw Jobs navigating around a website with his device, it was a natural connection for me. Great. Same with photos, same with music.

I think there’s probably a better interface and solution and there are many shortcomings — however not one mobile manufacturer has presented anything like iPhone in the last 5 years. Nothing as challenging, nothing as inspired, nothing as intuitive.

The iPod interface is well known as being excellent. Stick that in a handset and I’m bound to like it. But where’s Nokia’s answer? They’ve a smart team of geniuses, I’m sure. Apple doesn’t have a monopoly on innovation. Music works well on an iPod and an iPhone. It isn’t the only answer though — and I’m intensely annoyed that Nokia hasn’t bothered innovating.

So on reflection, I now feel a little cheated that I wasn’t offered the best by the incumbent mobile device manufacturers. They’ve continue to shove mediocre rubbish at me for years and — well, none of us knew any better really. I’ve oft complained about music on handsets being appalling (Just using that as an example, don’t get me started on Sony Ericsson PC-to-phone interfaces). Power users such as yourself, Ricky, are fine. I CAN make my devices work – if I can be bothered. It’s the other huge majority of non-power-users that I’m annoyed for.

The arrival of the iPhone demonstrated the mediocrity that we were being served with. For that, I’m delighted. Now, I want to see innovation from the other players.

And I can’t tell you how disappointed I was to read about Nokia’s iPhone-like device — I forget it’s name — which is due out in a year. A YEAR? Dear me. Dear, dear me.

This isn’t difficult. I’m no particular genius. If somebody brings out a nice music interface, i.e. Apple, AND they have huge success with it, I’d get my design team to pay attention. ‘Look at this one guys.. why doesn’t our music player work better? Eh? Come on, fix it.’ … I wouldn’t just leave the existing shit and shovel it out on every new model. I’d be taking the good things — the bits that Apple got right — and that all the other manufacturers got right — and I’d be enhancing it; I’d be running 100 miles per hour with my design team, pushing the boundaries in the hunt for better and better devices for my customers. That’s the natural job, surely, of market leading mobile manufacturers?

Well no. Not quite. The reality is, if you’ve got a market position, you can, generally speaking, defend it reasonably easily. Just shovel out a few new handsets a year, keep the cash coming in. You know many of your customers (the operators) are going to want to offer their customers a shiny new handset every 12-18 months, so just knock’em out. What’s the difference between the N95 and the N73? Next to nothing. Someone deliberately chose to put a 3.2 mega pixel camera in the N73, and a 5 mega pixel in the N95. Just differentiation. Just going through the motions. Make this one pink, make that one black, stick an ‘i’ on the end of this one. They’re all the same thing, with a tiny, tiny marginal difference.

So I’m pleased the status quo has been challenged; I’m pleased Apple had the balls to do it — and all they’ve done is challenge. They haven’t, unfortunately, delivered the be-all end-all winning device. Oh no. I’m so pleased they came to market with it though — to highlight the rubbish we’ve been offered by the incumbents for so long.

WON’T SOMEBODY PLEASE INNOVATE?

I do, however, think that you might not be giving credit where credit is due. If you have the latest firmware on your N95, you’ll have A-GPS, with which I consistently get a lock in under a minute, whether I’m cruising down the freeway at 70 mph or lost in the shops in Chelsea, London (as I was last week). The problem, I’ll agree, is how do regular users get that firmware upgrade?

Syncing is something I have done with my S60 devices since the 6620 several years ago. Syncing is one of the reasons I have an S60 and not a Windows Mobile. And it’s called Bluetooth, something the iPhone DOESN’T sync with. When I get to my front door, my phone senses that my computer is near and they automatically start talking, syncing my contacts/calendar/todo/notes/sms/mms/pics/videos. That happens without me having to touch either my phone or PC, so that by the time I’ve walked from my front door to my bedroom, it’s all done. Boom, just like that. No need to bother with clunky USB cords.

I’ll agree that the Mac community has, until recently, gotten the shaft from Nokia. I will also point out that the Mac community, until recently, has been incredibly small. Only since the iPod has there been a beginning of growth among the crowd, or at least the mainstream consumers noticing Mac.

On a side note, and halfway tongue-in-cheek, you mention that the “proprietary rubbish” of Nokia’s PC Suite and “proprietary leads” are unacceptable, but I do recall that my iPod (and thereby, iPhone) HAVE to sync with iTunes, and ONLY with the special port found on iPods/iPhones. Interesting…..

I do, however, Ewan, agree that for the most part, Nokia and every other manufacturer have done very little innovation and very much simple improving of features (VGA to 1MP to 2MP and so on). I also know that the iPhone is all the rage. But why? Merely because of the UI.

I will also agree 100% that the UI on cellphones has needed an upgrade for a while. However, I don’t agree that the iPhone is exactly how the UI should look. It’s great for beginners who are trading up from their RAZR. However, power users like to be able to actually do things on their device.

However, I totally disagree that Apple is the king of mobile phones and that every other manufacturer is dead in the water. I’ve played with an iPhone and frankly, it doesn’t offer a tenth of the functionality that I NEED on my phone:

I use my N95 as a podcatching device. I actually DON’T have any podcasts subscribed in iTunes (though I do use iTunes on my desktop for music organization). I have ~10 on my N95 and I listen to/watch them there. Why? Because I can update and download them ANYWHERE. I record an entire video podcast on my N95. Twice in the past week I’ve used the built-in GPS to save me time and money. You can read the exploits of that later this week. My Nokia uses bluetooth the way it should be used – FOR EVERYTHING. I can listen to music via bluetooth, I can sync via bluetooth, I can use a bluetooth keyboard, I can transfer files via bluetooth. I can control my computer via bluetooth. Can you do ANY of those with the iPhone? Negative.

Apple was too concerned with making it dead easy for your grandma that they forgot the functionality for the rest of us. Now I realize that not everyone wants to do all that with their phone. Heck, most people don’t even comprehend that their phone COULD do that. But there’s a very large portion (read = most of the MASSIVE S60 community) that DO want to use their device for everything.

So basically, yes, I agree 300% that Nokia’s current music….environment…..sucks beyond measure. Absolutely. Do I think they’ve addressed that with the upcoming Nokia Music Player (not the store, the desktop app)? From what I saw (a flash demo), yes. Will it be the same in practice? Hopefully. Do I agree that Apple is going to fix EVERYTHING wrong with the mobile handset industry? Absolutely not. They WANT you to be tethered to your PC. How many generations of iPods are we up to? 5? And how many have any sort of wireless functionality out of the box? None. Who’s innovating?

My question is, are you buying an iPod with a cellphone crammed inside, or are you buying a cellphone that is truly versatile?