Attacking Your Friends: iPhone Edition

June 11th, 2008

This is part one in a continuing series of call-outs when I think my friends have written something stupid.

My friend/co-worker/punching bag Matt has written a post weighing the benefits and costs of purchasing the latest version of the iPhone that will be released on July 11. He reached the conclusion that the iPhone 2.0 is not worth the cost. That’s fine it’s his blog so he can have whatever opinion he wants but he reached this decision by using uninformed and illogical arguments. He also used a lot of douchebaggy language that he learned while attending at B-School at the Harvard of Natural Bridge Rd.

Here are some excerpts:

When the first iPhone came out, the decision to buy was pretty easy. The EDGE network was too slow, and, whenever I am around WIFI, I have access to a computer – home, work, school, etc. So, the most significant feature of the iPhone – access to the Internet – was completely useless.

First of all free WIFI is readily available in many areas including coffee shops, airports, sports arenas, bars, restaurants, bookstores, etc. So calling the Internet access feature “completely useless’ is overreaching. Yes the EDGE network is balls. It’s really, really slow. I even wrote about that. But there are plenty of places where the iPhone is usable and quite valuable.

It would fill in any gaps that I currently have in Internet access with a tool that provides adequate access to the Internet (although, the iPhone still does not fully support Flash, Silverlight, or any streaming audio format).

Flash sucks and you know it. God how obtrusive. Seriously most of the apps I use have no need for Flash. iPhone apps use AJAX pretty extensively and the functionality works well. There are apps for Flash video including YouTube but I can’t think of any other times I would need it except maybe Slacker/Pandora/Last.fm and you can jailbreak the phone (if you want to risk it) for those apps. I don’t see Silverlight hitting the mainstream (at least I hope not) because everything Microsoft is doing right now seems so stale.

But, I have lingering doubts that with 4G (LTE and WiMax) right around the corner, 3G will be slow in comparison to whats around next year.

What kind of attitude is that? Of course something better is always right around the corner that’s what makes technology so much fun. I was wondering why you were still using a Commodore 64.

The second generation iPhone requires a 2 year contract through AT&T. This contract will lock you into guaranteed rates of $30-45/month (depending on plan) for data on top of the existing voice plan.

Everytime you get a new phone with any carrier you are required to lock into a 2 year contract. But you can always get another phone and just change/extend the contract. I never saw this as a big deal. Are you really changing carriers every week? The data plan has gone up $10/month over the previous iPhone and that does suck.

The iPhone would increase my current contract by a minimum of $25/month. Over 24 months (and factoring in a nearly risk-free return of 3% from ING), the contract alone would cost me $618 more.

I know you have a Razr but you’re forgetting just how cool this phone is. It’s worth the extra money. I highly doubt you would be saving the $25/month anyway you’ll probably just use that money to buy terrible 80’s music that your girlfriend tells you is good.

For me the GPS and apps are quite trivial and will not factor into my decision.

That’s the old way of thinking. On normal cellphones the apps are trivial and almost impossible to use. The iPhone is quite different. The apps make the device. They are incredible and extremely easy to use.

But, of course, that could change when I see all my friends with one. Sometimes, you just have to be a little irrational.

Like writing that post? Yeah that was a little irrational.

Now go buy an iPhone! Ha, Love ya Matt!