iPhone has a kill switch...

[Boomhauer]

Now that you insulted me, Joe Demko, and several others who got Touches because they're useful and do what we want them to for $299, which is pretty damned good.

The Touch might be a nice little gadget for you to use, but the iPhone is well, a phone that SUCKS as a phone. WHY on earth anyone would buy one voluntarily, I have no idea. Much less, why would anyone stand in line for hours to get one mystifies me.

In fact, if I had some extra scratch, I might buy a Touch for the reasons you have listed. But, it probably couldn't withstand the stress that my stuff goes through in a day...my cellphone gets bashed around pretty good, but it still works. I'm glad your Touch works for you, but I'm more of an uncivilized barbarian who is content with his standard, ancient cell phone.

[Joe Demko]

But, the person having an iPhone kind of does that anyway, so it might be redundant.

Am I to understand that you are calling my wife stupid?  Because if it's me that you are calling stupid, I guess I can just laugh that off as a factor of you being...well...you.  If, on the other hand, you are calling my wife, who is a very fine woman with a degree in petroleum engineering, stupid; I will require an apology from you post haste.

[Boomhauer]

If, on the other hand, you are calling my wife, who is a very fine woman with a degree in petroleum engineering, stupid; I will require an apology from you post haste.

I apologize sincerely to your wife.

I however, am still not impressed at all by Apple's iPhone. I see that she got it as an upgrade, and therefore did not stand for hours outside an Apple store paying that ridiculous sum for one when they were first released, nor did she buy the "I am Rich" app.



Now, I do have a question...are there any well made pocket PDAs that use something like Linux...I don't like Apple products, and I won't use a Windoze mobile product...just curious.

[Joe Demko]

Apology accepted.

[xavier fremboe]

I must be new here.  This has to be the weirdest Slashdot thread I've ever seen.  No one's modded anything, and I've never seen avatars on /. before. 

Let's break this down real quick.  There's Mac folk, there's PC folk.  There's them what likes everything to work right out of the box, and there's them what likes to build from scratch and tweak, but we're talking about phones here.  I don't think there are many people on APS that are so trapped in the box that they can't evaluate a product objectively.  When the iPhone was introduced, I was skeptical.  The introduction of the Touch sold me and I had my first apple product since a IIe.  I personally think that Apple products are overpriced, but they definitely have style and out of the box functionality.  PC stuff is more cost efficient, but you can definitely get buggy quickly.  PC is my preference in the interest of disclosure

I don't think we should assign so much of our self-worth into objects. 

It's like all you 1911 elitists talking to me about the non-existing deficiencies in my Glock 34. 

[Boomhauer]

It's like all you 1911 elitists talking to me about the non-existing deficiencies in my Glock 34.

I'd buy a Glock, but I'm not going to turn into a fanboy.

But, your glock makes JMB cry, because it works out of the box when many 1911s don't do as well these days...

[zahc]

You can even do a Apple look-a-like with Darwin, X, and Gnome customized to look like the Mac GUI.

I've seen that firsthand. Had a guy with what looked like a hackintosh, with a dead-ringer appleified window system, on an obviously PC looking laptop. But it wasn't either, it was just an x-windows lookalike theme. Pretty cool, if you actually like apple's window look.

[The Annoyed Man]

You're making the classic mistake of assuming that people don't agree with you because they don't know as much as you.  Very often not the case.

Not at all.  Sure there are Apple fans out there that know quite well what they're buying and how they could get a similar product for less.  Additionally, there are some perfectly legit reasons to own Apple hardware and/or run Apple software.

I'm just saying that from what I've seen, a large portion of the Apple fan-base is either people swayed by polished advertisements, or people who feel that owning Apple gear is some type of status symbol.  To be fair, there is plenty of that to be found in IBM/PC consumers as well with many choosing to buy a Dell instead of simply building a computer themselves for less.

My brother falls into the category of somebody who owns Apple products, but who knows that there are plenty of alternatives.  It sounds like you do too.

I just am of the opinion that for most people, the added cost of Apple products is not justified and that they are paying for a considerably more expensive product for no reason.

People just have different interests and priorities.

Absolutely.  I suppose I wasn't fair to not address this in my previous post.  Everybody has different priorities.  In fact, today I bought a $3,000 watch, which is entirely pointless economically when a $5 Timex watch will get the job done just as well.  Actually, to be precise, a $5 quartz watch would actually be more accurate than the $3,000 Ebel 1911 Discovery I bought today.  I can't rationalize such a purchase in any way really.

So I guess this is just an issue of people having different priorities.  For me, there is a threshold of product durability that must be crossed before I'm willing to spend more than I have to.  A computer, which will likely be replaced relatively quickly compared to other durable goods such as household appliances doesn't make the cut for me and I'd rather just use something less expensive that gets the job done.  Others may have other priorities though and may value the time that would be involved in setting up your own computer more than the money that would be saved, so the opportunity cost of building a computer (ie: lost time) might be prohibitively expensive compared to me where the opportunity cost of buying an Apple (ie: lost cash) is prohibitively expensive.

So, I agree with you on that and apologize if I came off as seeming like a snob.

[BridgeRunner]

So, I agree with you on that and apologize if I came off as seeming like a snob.

Well, an anti-snob.  But you just made up for it with yer pricey timepiece.

[Manedwolf]

Maned, my comment was addressed only to the red--I'm rich--light. What possible use does that provide?

TC

Not you, my reply was to Avenger.

[Manedwolf]

You're making the classic mistake of assuming that people don't agree with you because they don't know as much as you.  Very often not the case.

Not at all.  Sure there are Apple fans out there that know quite well what they're buying and how they could get a similar product for less.  Additionally, there are some perfectly legit reasons to own Apple hardware and/or run Apple software.

When it comes to pounding on a machine, a laptop, that must produce HD broadcast-ready video, ad layouts, magazine ads, tradeshow displays and the like all day, every day, the Core 2 Duo Macbook Pro series is the equivalent of a massively overbuilt diesel work truck.

It's a serious tool for that kind of thing. Hell, even my old 2003 model, now relegated to DVD production tasks, hasn't ever had a hiccup. Nor has the one I got new last year with the Core 2 Duo. The think is a never-complaining workhorse in a one-inch-thick aircraft aluminum shell. It's why you see them all over movie sets handling review of the dailies, they're hardworking and don't fail in what they do.

I like that.

It's like all you 1911 elitists talking to me about the non-existing deficiencies in my Glock 34.

I'd buy a Glock, but I'm not going to turn into a fanboy.

But, your glock makes JMB cry, because it works out of the box when many 1911s don't do as well these days...

Thus was the revelation given by the alliance of Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft with J.P. Sauer & Sohn, a Holy Relic of Accuracy therefore to be ever known as...SIG.

[The Annoyed Man]

But you just made up for it with yer pricey timepiece.

I'll admit that watches are my weakness.  My brother, father, and I all share a irrational fondness for fine timepieces.  There's really very little otherwise that I'd spend that kind of money on.

[Boomhauer]

Thus was the revelation given by the alliance of Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft with J.P. Sauer & Sohn, a Holy Relic of Accuracy therefore to be ever known as...SIG.

Wow. I don't know whether I am more impressed that you know what SIG stands for, or that you can spell it.

he think is a never-complaining workhorse in a one-inch-thick aircraft aluminum shell.

Wow. I might have to take a closer look at one of these later in life.

[BridgeRunner]

But you just made up for it with yer pricey timepiece.

I'll admit that watches are my weakness.  My brother, father, and I all share a irrational fondness for fine timepieces.  There's really very little otherwise that I'd spend that kind of money on.

Oh, really?  http://www.fahrneyspens.com?  Although with pens, one generally hits the point of diminishing returns over about $800.

But I'm poor, so my best pen is like my Mac: Functional, easy to use, sturdy, beautiful, and relatively inexpensive as premium products go.

[Manedwolf]

Thus was the revelation given by the alliance of Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft with J.P. Sauer & Sohn, a Holy Relic of Accuracy therefore to be ever known as...SIG.

Wow. I don't know whether I am more impressed that you know what SIG stands for, or that you can spell it.

he think is a never-complaining workhorse in a one-inch-thick aircraft aluminum shell.

Wow. I might have to take a closer look at one of these later in life.

Well, the SHELL isn't one inch thick, it's not an armor plate.  The whole thing is one inch thick, I'd meant, which for a 17" laptop is not at all bad. The whole outer shell is aircraft aluminum, which is easy to keep clean and acts like a heatsink for the Core 2 Duo. Even so, it's got two fans that spin up when it's working hard.

[The Annoyed Man]

Oh, really?  http://www.fahrneyspens.com?  Although with pens, one generally hits the point of diminishing returns over about $800.

One day maybe I'll get into pens.  For the moment, my best Pen is a $30 Cross.

[BridgeRunner]

One day maybe I'll get into pens.  For the moment, my best Pen is a $30 Cross.

I'm so sorry. 

(I, btw, do not currently own a wristwatch.)

[The Annoyed Man]

Out of curiosity, do you find there is a noticeable difference when using a fine writing instrument vs. a disposable or an inexpensive Cross pen?  I know a guy who loves pens and owns some incredibly expensive ones.  I just have yet to get interested enough to dive in.

[Boomhauer]

One day maybe I'll get into pens.  For the moment, my best Pen is a $30 Cross.

I'm so sorry. 

(I, btw, do not currently own a wristwatch.)

I feel naked without a good watch. Current favorite is a Timex Ironman digital. $26 at Walmart. Yes, I know my cellphone has a clock on it, but it's annoying to drag it out of my pocket just to check the time.

I broke, yes, broke, a Casio G-Shock. I didn't mind so much, however. It was a difficult watch to use and the "atomic clock" synching didn't work properly (for some reason, I never have any luck with "atomic" clocks and watches at all). I like this watch much better, and it's much smaller and simpler. The G-Shock lasted about 8 months. The Timex has been going strong for two years...

[BridgeRunner]

Out of curiosity, do you find there is a noticeable difference when using a fine writing instrument vs. a disposable or an inexpensive Cross pen?  I know a guy who loves pens and owns some incredibly expensive ones.  I just have yet to get interested enough to dive in.

This is a question for another thread.  Will start.

[erictank]

One thing PC users can do that Mac users can't  http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=macs_cant

My favorite line from that page was the last one:

""You also agree that you will not use these products for... the development, design, manufacture or production of missiles, or nuclear, chemical or biological weapons."  From the actual iTunes End User License Agreement.

If I want to manufacture biological weapons with my copy of iTunes, I will, fascists. Ditch this bull****. " 

Couldn't stop laughing, for some reason.

[Antibubba]

Look, the iPhone is a neat toy, and it has some features which may become industry standards at some point.

But it's only a phone.  Phones, as a rule, are lousy computers. It's a device that manages to do, rather slowly, functions a 3 year old desktop computer still does ten times better, with less hassle.  A Palm Centro is valuable because it fits in your pocket, but it will never beat Kasparov at chess.

It's like bragging about having .500 S&W Extreme Recoil Magnum revolver, when the real purpose of a handgun is to get you back to where you left your MBR.  It beats a pointy stick, fer shur.

I'm a Mac user.  But the biggest problem with the iPhone is that if you have a battery problem the entire unit has to be shipped back to the factory.  Dumb.

[Gewehr98]

I've seen enough of the "My [insert appendage name of choice] is bigger than yours" in this thread to last for the indeterminate future of APS.

Slings, barbs, insults taken, given, imagined where they're not, whatever. It's a friggin' phone, not a big red IntarWeb Hostility Generator Button.

Put a fork in it, because this one's done.

Go play nice somewhere else.