- After the iPhone lusting…
There's sure nothing like a good-looking puss to get our attention. Then the relationship begins, and we start noticing things. This is what will soon be happening to the proud owners of Apple iPhones as they go out on their second and third dates. By now, you've undoubtedly heard about several of the drawbacks: extremely slow Internet access, the clumsy keyless keyboards, only one cellular carrier, no compatibility with office computer systems, etc. But the NYT's Joe Nocera offers up another downside that's not gotten much attention: the iPhone has no removable battery, just like the iPod. After 300-400 charges, the battery starts to lose its charge, and eventually you're supposed to send the phone to Apple for a replacement. Oh.
Did Apple really expect people to mail their iPhones to Apple HQ and wait for the company to return it with a new battery? It was bad enough that the company did that with the iPod — but a cellphone? Cellphones have become a critical part of daily life, something we can barely do without for an hour, much less days at a time. Surely, Mr. Jobs realized that. Didn’t he?
Sure looks that way. Nocera only got spin when he called the Apple flacks, so he turned to an outside tech guy named Rob Enderle who said it was all about Apple's notion of assured obsolescence. "That is why they don’t have a replaceable battery in the iPod. But the problem here is that the iPhone will run out of battery life before the two-year service contract runs out," he told Nocera. Now, it's crazy enough to have an iPod out of commission for the week or two it takes to replace a battery (they actually just give you a new iPod). But do they actually expect you to be without a phone all that time? Well, no. They expect you to buy a new jazzed-up iPhone, which will have more features and probably cost more money.
Don’t most cellphone users get a new phone within two years? The answer, of course, is yes. But most cellphone purchases are heavily discounted — costing $100 or less — and are tied to an extension of the service contract. Is Apple really going to play that game? I’m betting the answer is no. Buying a new iPhone is going to be an expensive proposition for the foreseeable future — which of course is great for Apple’s bottom line, but not so great for its customers. And what about the people who have early battery problems? Or those who are such heavy users of their iPhone that they need a new battery after a year? The question remains, What are they supposed to do? Go without a cellphone while Apple is replacing the battery? From where I’m sitting, this is classic Apple behavior. It is perfectly happy to sell you the coolest $599 device you’ve ever seen. Just don’t expect them to be especially helpful when it runs into problems.
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| 09:21 AM Jun 30, 2007 | Email the Daily Dragon | Email this Article | Post Comments |
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