Am I the only biblioblogger who isn’t drooling over the unveiling of Apple’s iPhone? Sure, it looks pretty. But with any new gadget coming out, I have two questions that help determine whether or not I’m going to want it:
1. Will the gadget be affordable to someone with a public librarian’s salary?
2. Will the gadget be easy to hack, free to modify, free of murky encumbrances?
A gadget doesn’t need to fit both for me to want it (and eventually buy it), but in the iPhone’s case, it fits neither. A 4GB iPhone will cost $500, which is well out of my affordability range. As for it being free to modify and free of encumbrances…that’s a big NO.
Back in the mid-1990s, I shunned Windows PCs and was loyal to Apple. Apple was the alternative, the anti-big soulless corporate machine. At least, that’s how Apple portrayed itself, and I believed it. Not anymore. If Microsoft is McDonald’s, Apple is Burger King. It’s just as corporate, just as soulless, and just as enamored of locking its products up in pointless DRM. Sure, Apple likes to portray itself in commercials as “hip” and “young” and “cool,” but that’s in commercials on primetime network television, which means Apple is really anything but “hip” and “young” and “cool.”
Ever since Steve Jobs announced the coming of the iPhone, I’ve been wary. After reading Cory Doctorow’s post on Boing Boing this morning, I’m thinking I was right to be wary. Maybe some folks are greeting the news of the iPhone with salivating, and that’s fine for them. Me? I’m giving the iPhone a big ol’ yawn.
4 Comments
Of course not (that is, you’re not the only one). But I saw little point in saying that the iPhone (a trademark of Cisco, not used by permission) wasn’t going to change my mind about either cell phones for me, or extreme multipurpose appliances in general. I don’t use a cell phone; this won’t change that. We own one, which my wife uses very infrequently–and she’s not ready to move up to the “real Cingular network” (we signed up with AT&T, and of course it’s back to AT&T), because she’s not ready to give up her sleek little Motorola clamshell–which doesn’t take pictures, doesn’t play music, doesn’t do email, but is great for phone calls.
And, of course, I’m a Windows user who doesn’t own an iPod because I don’t feel the need for any portable MP3 player. But why bother to blog about it?
Good post. I wouldn’t have said it that well in any case.
I’m with you. IMO, the worst thing they did was lock it down to Cingular/AT&T/who ever else they buy/get bought by.
I also agree, that white it’s a neat device, people will want to make it their own. Locking the software/os may end up killing it more than the carrier.
Thanks for the post!
I’m still suffering buyer’s remorse from purchasing my Pocket PC this past summer. http://www2.sprint.com/mr/news_dtl.do?id=8280
I got it when I was thinking that there was not a laptop in my immediate future. But, at least it’s customizable with tons of apps. None of which I can see any need for. My husband keeps trying to tell me that I can use it for a remote control for the TV. A damn fine, expensive remote control.
Even I, admitted apple fangirl, said “I think I’ll wait for gen 2, or gen 3 iPhones. Looks brilliant though.
Of course, I have a razr that I adore, so… maybe that had something to do with it.
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