or, Why I (Probably) Won’t Ever Buy an iPhone

  • 1. Storage space. If, indeed, the iPhone is to be my ultimate all-in-one device, it needs to match up with my mp3 player storage expectations, which currently reside at 64GBs. “That’s unreasonable!” you say. But wait, there’s more!
  • 2. Battery life. While I’m out, I listen to music nearly constantly, with the exceptions of plane takeoff/landing and some other small periods of time. On top of that, add cell phone data usage, possible calls (although not many, as I hate using phones for voice), and app/game usage and the battery really needs to last quite a long time. It’s not likely to. This is one of the biggest problems with all-in-one devices, in my opinion.
  • 3. Multitasking. The iPhone (and indeed, the iPod Touch and iPad) cannot multitask. That is, it can’t run multiple apps at once. Yes, you can be on the phone and use an app, but you can’t run things in the background. I believe the argument against this was it would zap battery life (see above) but in the end, isn’t that the user’s choice? Except, with Apple, users don’t know best.
  • 4. Ability to tweak. Apple enjoys being the ultra dictator of its mobile tech – they tell you what you can and cannot install and if you do anything to subvert this you are breaking the law, according to Apple, anyway. Certainly you put your device at risk if you choose to deviate from recommended settings and software, but this is your prerogative as a user. I certainly have no desire to brick my phone, but I’d like the option to install any program that catches my attention, not just ones sanctioned by Apple.
  • 5. Physical keyboard. Admittedly this condition might go away if I got more used to on-screen keyboards, but right now I can’t imagine not having one in a pinch. Not to mention, using my phone of choice, I’m able to actually tilt the screen to view while still having access to a keyboard on a flat surface. It’s like a very tiny computer! (Well technically, that’s exactly what it is.)

    • In the end, maybe, somewhere, sometime, I may end up owning an iPhone. But it likely won’t happen in the next couple years.