iPhone Owners Really, Really Like iPhones

That is a really, really high percentage of “very satisfied” iPhone owners, so high that I would estimate the overall satisfaction rate to be somewhere in the 90% range. I would love to see the raw numbers - especially the “very dissatisfied” percentages. There is a big difference between “not being very satisfied with Palm,” and “hating Palm with every last breath.”

What kind of phone do you have? And how satisfied are you?

From ChangeWave. Seen on Engadget.

C.E.S. Laments

In case you haven’t heard, the Consumer Electronics Show is going down right now in Las Vegas, Nevada. And I couldn’t be less interested.

It’s not because I don’t care about gadgets and HDTVs and all the fancy-schmancy doohickies that are being unveiled. It’s not because Apple isn’t there - really, it’s not. It isn’t even that I’m burned out from the holidays and have too much work to catch up on (which I am, and I do).

The reason is that there’s too much going on for any of it to be important. This is why the announcement of iPhone at last year’s MacWorld (which ran the same week as C.E.S.) overshadowed the entire conference. Zillions of new gadgets and best-ever versions of the same old TVs and mobile phones and media players (now with GPS!) compete for attention, and blogs like Engadget and Gizmodo publish post after post with little more than lists of features, and a couple passing comments on the look of the device being “reviewed.” Even for someone like me, who has a handle on RSS reading, these dozens and dozens of posts cancel each other out. How can you tell what is actually cool, actually worthwhile, actually has a life beyond the 15 seconds of fame and hype that they paid scantily-clad booth babes to create for them?

You can’t - at least not for awhile.

I’ve turned off my Gizmodo and Engadget feeds for the time being. I can’t imagine I will miss anything. Call me next week when they’ve figured out what actually matters.

Matt Ritchel of Bits blog (NYTimes) writes this gem:

Mr. Shapiro said that last year the C.E.A. did a comparison of the media coverage accrued by the iPhone and the entirety of the coverage given to C.E.S. Guess what? All the other gazillion products and companies got more coverage than iPhone and Apple. Take that, Steve Jobs.

No kidding?! You mean the sum of the coverage of an entire industry somehow managed to be larger than the press coverage for a single company and the announcement of a single product?

This kind of thinking (which, to clarify, is not Ritchel’s), is just deadly.

Leaving aside the general absurdity of the statement comparing the publicity for one product to that of thousands, the larger point is this: It’s not how much, but how good.

How many of those thousands of products were on any Best of 2007 lists? How many were sold on Amazon? How many of them can you recall?

Why would it be any different this year?

Kindle Already Sold Out

According to Blankbaby (via Engadget), the Amazon Kindle (my thoughts here and here and here) has sold out a mere 5.5 hours after going on sale.

No word on how many this is, but it just goes to show that the average consumer isn’t swayed much by negative reviews from people who have yet to touch the product. And, contrary to many opinions, there just might be a market for this thing, after all.

Back in stock on December 3rd, as of this writing. Crazy.

Did you buy one for me, yet?

Amazon to Re-“Kindle” Book Sales?

Run, don’t walk to read this article on Newsweek announcing Amazon’s Kindle ebook reader. Though more official details will be announced later today, Steven Levy’s cover story, “Reinventing the Book,” is more than worth a read.

I’ve long been fascinated by the idea of electronic book readers, which some might find odd considering my near-fetishistic love of books-as-objects. What strikes me in the gut as an absolute truth, however, is this line by Jeff Bezos:

The key feature of a book is that it disappears.

He goes on to say this, in explanation:

I've actually asked myself, 'Why do I love these physical objects?' says Bezos. 'Why do I love the smell of glue and ink?' The answer is that I associate that smell with all those worlds I have been transported to. What we love is the words and ideas.

If I were to be asked why I thought that the Amazon Kindle would succeed where many others (like the Sony Reader) have failed, my answer would be, “Because Jeff gets it.”

By all accounts, Amazon has thought long and hard about what it means to be a book (they should know!), and what it means to improve upon this centuries-old form factor.

Here are some other reasons:

• The Kindle is constantly connected to the Web via Sprint’s EVDO network, and this connectivity is free, allowing ubiquitous one-click downloads across the U.S. Talk about an easy impulse buy before a plane flight.
  
• Book prices are standardized, taking a cue from iTunes.
• You can subscribe to newspapers and blogs (and search Google/Wikipedia) on the device.
• Millions of people already trust Amazon when it comes to books.
• Amazon, better than pretty much anyone, understands how to make low-margin, high-volume profitable.

All of these are good reasons. But for me, the important thing is a gut feeling that they will get this right. It’s been nearly time for ebooks to take off for years now. Today, with Amazon’s announcement, the floodgates have been opened and the future is nigh.

This will be going on my Amazon Wishlist for sure.

BREAKING: Microsoft Rips Off Companies Other Than Apple!

This was the easiest Photoshop job ever.

Microsoft’s slogan for the new Zune 2 is “You Make It You.” The second part of that, which was removed at some point in the committee-run design process, was “We Make It Like Somebody Else.”

This time around, the fabled Redmond Photocopiers (great video by David Pogue here, by the way) turned their lasers on South Korean wireless handset-maker LG Electronics and its popular(?) “Chocolate” mobile phone. If we’re being generous (really generous), we’ll say that Microsoft did this on purpose so that fashion-forward (that term seems so inappropriate here) gadgeteers can purchase a music player that matches their cellphone (that, uh, already plays music). I guess it was too hard for Microsoft to copy the curves of iPhone, even though pretty much everyone else is doing it (check Gizmodo or Engadget for frequent cases of this phenomenon).

Gosh, can no one design their own gadget these days?

Just one more reason not to buy a Zune this Christmas (or EVER).

Special thanks to my one true human love for pointing this out to me last week, and to Microsoft for being exceedingly easy to mock.

Great Artists Steal, Right?

Too funny. Engadget brings us this classic case of marketing “me-too.” Sony’s ad for the new CyberShot DSC-T2 camera looks, uh, just a little bit familiar...

What’s next? Maybe this:

New Zunes Tomorrow? Wednesday?

Apple better look out!

Wait, except they’re just being announced on Wednesday. The probably won’t be available until sometime in 2011. Or 2012. Or the release of Vista SP1. Whichever comes later.

TV On The Radio...I Mean, iPhone

I know I said that I had no desire whatsoever to watch television or movies on a mobile device (I also said the same about taking pictures). I know I said that one of the big reasons I was getting an iPhone was to be able to read eBooks, not watch YouTube. I know I said I was super-excited about browsing the Web in Safari on the iPhone. I know I said (fairly recently) that podcasts are lame.

But after a month-and-a-half of iPhone use, here’s the truth:

The vast majority of the time I actually use the device is spent underground commuting to and from work. Since the iPhone doesn't do any hardcore local storage of email attachments or websites, this means that I am forced to interact only with information that doesn’t rely on having an internet connection. I say forced, but that’s far too strong a word. It’s a little unfortunate, but the restrictions have opened my eyes to a ton of really awesome stuff in the form of television shows, movies, and video podcasts.

I’m still trying to weed out the good from the lame, and find it hard to constantly find new video to fill my 8GB drive (I’ve got a suitable amount of music filling a bit more than half of it), especially since I’m not one to make repeat viewings. When iPhone asks if I want to delete to save space, I say yes. Every time.

I’ve subscribed to one TV show through iTunes (Damages, which I’m finding oddly irresistible), as well as a bunch of podcasts - some of which I end up keeping, and many more that get sent to the Trash after an episode or two. If anyone’s got suggestions for weeding through the thickets of downloadable video content (particularly free and syndicated), I’d love to hear them.

There’s something really interesting about the mobile content world. I don’t exactly know what it is, yet, and it’s still too difficult to navigate, but something big is sure to break pretty soon.

100 Reasons Not To Buy An iPhone

Yeah, this is painful for me, too.

1. Price - $499 or $599 with a 2-year who-knows-how-much data plan.
2. AT&T - Which wireless company sucks the most? Some say it’s these guys.
3. EDGE - Instead of faster 3G technology. If you don’t have Wi-Fi hotspots, you’re kinda screwed.
4. No Flash - This means it’s not the “real” make-you-have-a-seizure Web.
5. No Java - This has something to do with coffee but I don’t really get it.
6. No iChat - I guess some people still aren’t cool enough to use GMail.
7. iTunes Lock-in - Oh wait, I forgot you don’t pay for your music.
8. No Keyboard - This means it’s hard to type.
9. Screen - It will be hard to see in daylight.
10. No Office - Lack of MSWord makes me cry.
11. No Real Apps - Because I, unlike most people, actually know the difference.
12. Smudges - My fingers are way greasy.
13. Scratches - I can’t keep my keys away.
14. No Games - Well there’s that rumor about Nintendo, but otherwise, what am I supposed to do with this thing?
15. No Song Sharing - You mean the Zune is better than the iPhone?
16. Ugly - I don’t like shiny.
17. No Mirror - Can’t really take emo self-portraits now can I?
18. No Yahoo Maps - Because even though Google Maps is better, where’s the choice? Fascist!
19. aka Jesus Phone - Uh...discrimination against Jews.
    
20. I’m Fat - Okay, I’m not, but what if you are?
21. Only 4 or 8 GB - My por...ahem...my music collection is much too large.
22. Viruses - I can browse to a site that could infect my iPhone, and when I sync it to my PC I’ll get a virus. Sure, I could avoid that site like I do on my home computer, but still!
23. No Wi-Fi Downloads - I absolutely MUST be able to listen to Shakira at a moment’s notice!
24. I Have A Phone - It was only $30 and works just fine.
25. I Have An iPod - It’s an 8GB Nano and works just fine.
26. I Have An Internet - So there.
27. Touch Screen Sucks - No one has ever made a good touchscreen. No reason to think they’d start now.
28. Apple’s Never Made A Phone - WTF do they know? Nokia, Samsung, etc have been making phones for years now and they still suck - how could Apple possibly do better?
29. I Use T-Mobile - Switching to AT&T costs money.
30. No Internet Underground - Taking the subway to work means no online access when I’d most want to use it.
31. Lack Of Tactile Feedback - Means I can’t text while driving. Cause that’s a good idea.
32. Sealed Battery - I can’t change it myself. Lame.
33. Too Big - I like my itty bitty Nano, thank you very much.
34. Ajax Sucks - It is the scourge of the Internet
35. The Zune Is Cooler
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Got any more? I need someone to pull me back. I’m afraid I can’t resist on my own...

iPhone To Be Released June 29

Apple has confirmed a June 29th release date for iPhone. This means you have about a month to save up or move out of the country in order to resist the perhaps irrational and uncontrollable urge to purchase one. I’m not entirely sure which of the two will be true in my case. On one hand, I really, really, want one - primarily because I’d like to be increasingly connected without carrying around my laptop and looking for wi-fi. Additionally, one thing I’ve really wanted to do for quite awhile is have some way to read the hundreds of PDF books I’ve accumulated while on the subway to and from work. The Sony Reader seemed like a great option, but it isn’t so compatible with Macs, and iPhone could do this and far more - including save me from carrying multiple devices. I could also get a lot of functionality out of it for my web design business, and even write off the purchase when I do my taxes if I use it exclusively for work.

However, I have a great voice plan on T-mobile and use hardly any of my allotted minutes (and have absolutely no plans to cancel this service), so a big factor will be weighing the cost of a data plan with Cingular/AT&T with the amount of regular use I would get out of the device. Once the various plans/prices are announced I’ll have a better idea, but it gets harder and harder to resist, particularly since I have a huge Cingular store right across the street from my office (on 5th Avenue).

In other news, Apple has posted three really great video advertisements on its (their?) website. They’re extremely clean, stylish and focused and do an amazing job demonstrating not only what iPhone is capable of, but also how to use it, and why it is so damn cool. Check them out here.

Squeezable Charms = Cellphone?

Design Sojourn has a cool post about a concept phone developed by Jack Godfrey Wood (a Masters student) in collaboration with Nokia.

allmyfriends creates sentimental value by allowing each user to design their own ‘bead’ that they can give to people they wish to be contacted by.

Squeeze the bead of the person you want to talk to to call them; the recipient squeezes the glowing/vibrating bead to answer.

The beads can be strung on any length of ‘phone’ and worn in any way the user wants creating a visual and tactile menu of friends, family and colleagues

It is perhaps a little too cutesy for the everyday user (not to mention business guys and gals - which is where something like this could also come in handy as a form of business card exchange), but I appreciate the unique interface, and think that this is the way things are headed. It is a cool way to link memory and personality to something as boringly technological as making a call - and is a little (meaning a lot) more exciting than seeing some crappy lo-res phone camera pic and customized ringtone come up when someone calls.

This also reminds me of two things: First, Moo, a neat site that lets you print what they call “mini cards” using your Flickr photos.

And also, Adam Greenfield’s amazing book called Everyware: The Dawning Age of Ubiquitous Computing which I highly recommend.

Quick Zune Awesomeness While I Am Recovering

“Buying a Zune is like shitting in your hand!”

Christmas List

I think I have found something worthy of a place on my first Christmas Wishlist since the early 1990s. Now, I have been perennially (annually?) loathe to make any sort of gift list, and even less apt to have an answer when asked of my requests by friends and family. So why do it now?

Well, I’m under no delusion that anyone reading my blog might purchase any of these presents for me (even my parents, but, hey, if you guys are inspired, go right ahead!). So my reason for titling the post in this way is partially to say, “Hey, I want this,” and partially to say, “Hey, maybe you will want this.” Leading up to the holiday season, I will be posting little previews of some products I think are cool and exciting and worth a closer look. Perhaps you’ll see something that strikes your fancy, or something you think would be just perfect for someone special in your life. I am going to try to find products at several price points, and hopefully will come up with a good balance between stocking-stuffing appetizers, and super-awesome main courses.

First on my list is the new Sony® Reader. This is what they have to say about it:

The Sony® Reader offers a new and convenient digital reading experience. It boasts an amazing screen with technology that rivals text on paper. Weighing less than 9 ounces and at only ½” thin, it’s more compact than many paperbacks. Plus, it comes with a soft, black cover and software that seamlessly allows you to search and browse thousands of electronic book titles from the Connect® eBookstore and then easily transfer from your PC to your Sony® Reader. With built-in memory and multi-format support, you can take many of your favorite titles and documents with you. So compact and convenient, you’ll want to take it everywhere.

David Pogue of the New York Times gives it a very good review, for the most part, but stops short of saying that the Reader will replace paper books any time soon. I think he’s right about that, but it isn’t enough to stop me from wanting one. Why do I want one, after all? Well, first, something you should know about me is how much I hate carrying things. In fact, I can’t wait for the day that I will be able to receive my multi-functional biometric RFID implant in my wrist, enabling me to make calls, browse the web, buy stuff, and get into my apartment.

But, I love to read. And I read a lot. Lately, I’ve been growing fond of the PDF book, which, of course, lets me read without carrying anything. But this, naturally, restricts my book-reading time to that spent in front of my laptop, or my computer at work. Lots of the paper books I’ve been reading lately, are, also, pretty huge books (mostly programming stuff), and these are a major pain to try to read on the subway.

I have been strongly considering starting a Safari subscription (which lets me download PDF books from the O'Reilly library at a pretty decent price). My only reservation about getting Safari has been the limited e-book-reading time I have (I also don’t think that printing out PDFs is a great idea. Isn’t the whole point to move away from killing trees, after all?) But with the Sony® Reader, I will only have to make the small sacrifice of carrying one more thing and get to read every book I could ever want to. It looks sleek, has great battery life (in fact, you never even turn it off! Once a page loads, it doesn't use up any energy to stay visible - pretty awesome, gotta say.) But I think I am willing to make this sacrifice. The Reader is sleek-looking, thin and light, and functional. The user interface, I’ve heard, is not particularly intuitive (it can’t be worse than my cell phone, can it?), but most of what I’ll be doing is reading, after all, not fudging with settings or trying to play music or anything weird like that.At $350, the price is fair, and seems like it will quickly pay for itself in savings, especially if I download any of the thousands of free e-books to be found on the Web. Purchasing the Reader before Christmas also bags you fifty bucks to spend in Sony’s bookstore, which is a pretty sweet bonus.

So yeah, I’d love one of these for Christmas. Definitely.

I Couldn’t Resist

It’s on the way.

And Apple Says,

New iPods.

Sleeker, more colorful, tinier, bigger capacity.

And movies.

All around, awesome.

And coming soon, "iTV" (working title) - wireless, broadband, box-like, beauty.