- Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 581 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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24 out of 29 people found this review helpful
1.5 stars
"Not for the business world yet."
Pros: Great usability, Great graphics and features.
Cons: Horrendous real world battery life.
Summary: I was an avowed Treo user for years. But I was finally swept up in the iPhone mania and decided to switch over. Yes, I waited in line at 1:00 am with my wife who also desperately wanted the iPhone. We both got the 16gb models (hers in white, mine in black). Here are the blended results from both our view points:
I use my phones intensely for business purposes. I'm on the phone a lot and constantly check my emails and text msgs. She is a much more recreational (appwise) user and less intense on the call side.
First, the overall look and design of the iPhone is sleek, modern and cutting edge. Real headturner stuff.
We both love the screen resolution and brilliant color displays, Crisp, accurate and stunning in all modes. The ability to rotate photos (as well as other applications such as spreadsheets) from portrait to landscape and back is just great. Also the feature allowing expansion and contraction on the screen utilizing the much advertised finger pinch is awesome and very functional. A great help looking at either photos or those cumbersome and small print emails or web pages.
We both truly fell in love with the ease of use and display characteristics.
Not having owned the original iPhone, I can't compare the 3G speed with it, but I have no complaints concerning downloads of data, web pages or emails. All quite fast.
The GPS function was disappointing only in that I mistakenly had assumed it was a turn by turn verbal system like what is available on the Blackberry. It does work functionally as a reliable GPS system, but if you are driving, your really going to have to be cautious or pull over to read the handheld actual directions and where to turn
from the screen.
The BIG elephant in the room however, is the HORRENDOUS battery life. And here is where the different useage habits between my wife and I come together. In its present configuration, under "real life" situations, the iPhone drains its battery faster than any phone I have ever seen. Case in point: Start out my day at 7 am. Fully charged iPhone. Check my email. 10 items download. Briefly review all. Total time: 18 min. Make a 45 min call. Make a 20 min call. Drive to work and after arriving, I respond to a text msg back and forth for three text sessions Text time used is approx 5 min. It is now 9:30 AM and I have 20% BATTERY POWER REMAINING! Unacceptable. If, instead of being at my office, I were on the road, at the airport, in the mall, etc., I would soon be out of power and then what???
My wife, on the other hand, uses her phone quite differently. Yes she makes calls, but she utilizes the internet and recreational apps a lot more then I do and she runs into the same problem. We both find ourselves walking around with car charger adapters and wall outlet power charger adapters in our pockets or briefcases. I almost can't believe that my phone has raised my daily stress level!
Dear Apple/Steve Jobs/Apple designers: Why won't you allow us a replaceable battery for this phone?????? You've got to be kidding me. This is a major flaw for any serious users. This phone was supposed to be aimed more toward capturing the business user with a more enhanced Microsoft Exchange feature and other email enhancements. With all the great features on this phone, I can accept the greater battery usage. Just allow me to swap batteries when needed to continue my business day. (Sidenote for the bean counters at Apple: Think of what a $60 -$70 extra battery purchase for each iPhone might come to!!!!!!?????)
For this reason, I am going to be forced to move to a another phone when I actually don't want to. It's crazy.
I wanted to give this phone a 9 or 10 rating, but how can I, given its unusability due to the battery situation.
- 9 replies to this review
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The battery should be replaceable. What was apple thinking? I know they want it to be thin so sacrifice the replaceable battery. In case it's 3 to 4 years when the battery is worn out people will pay apple again to have the battery replaced or buy a new iphone. That's business bring more money to apple. I don't buy this crap!
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I Love my 3g but he's right. When I'm driving I keep it charged, and If i will be out and about I keep a pwer cord and am conservative with how I use my phone. I have to admit that its quite frustrating, but I really love the phone so I am buying a portable charger.
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just turn off the location services and the battery life is full day. While apple could do a better job of turning of the service for you, location services (GPS maps) is major drain for any of this smartphones
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Nice review; wish the CNET editors wrote this instead :-)
I am stressed out between the IPhone and the Blackberry Bold since I am up for renewal next month and after hearing all the "real world" feedback on the IPhone, I am now strongly leaning towards the bulky, yet reliable, Blackberry Bold.
I am a big proponent of the IPhone and Apple products in general and still feel this is the single most revolutionary product to come out in a long time. But I have seen so many co-workers as frsutrated as you when they use if for day-to-day business activity - every person I know actually carries around a battery charge. Unacceptable!!
Thanks for the indepth review! -
Did you do any research before switching to the iphone? It would appear that it is not intended for the business user. Its strengths are multimedia and internet connectivity. You should have stayed with a smart phone like the Blackberry.
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return it. don't go to apple store and have it checked. they should have thought about this BEFORE they slapped " 5 hr talk" and '300 hrs standby " lie on it. let them have it back and rip what they sawed!
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I love this phone from a feature/functionality standpoint, but the battery life is absolutely horrendous. My iPhone spends probably 90-95% of an average business day in sleep mode and, even so, my battery barely gets me through one day. I'm strongly considering sucking up the restocking fee and returning the phone.
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The guy that said he got 4hrs is just your usual BS Apple fanboi - ignore him and take back you iPHONE ASAP!!!
PS Apple MAKE FAR more money than a battery sale when you have to send it back to them to replace the battery and they rape you senseless of your cash for the Job whilst you have to do without your phone for weeks.... "crApple - they just con big SUCKERS" -
my iPhone usage is almost like yours but i get more than 4 hours, not one and half hour like you. go to apple store and get it checked.
Where to buy
Apple iPhone 3G - 16GB, black (AT&T):
$149.99
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$149.99 | See Site |
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