# The iPhone is absolutely brilliant **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 30, 2007, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-iphone-is-absolutely-brilliant/410003 "2007-06-30T02:09:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2007, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-iphone-is-absolutely-brilliant/410003/121 "2007-07-01T19:20:26Z")
[QUOTE=Rick] If you haven’t seen today’s [Opus](http://www.uclick.com/client/wpc/wpopu/) you should take a moment and read it. 😃 I want DTT on my phone! [/QUOTE] _GET ME THAT BABY!!_😛 ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2007, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-iphone-is-absolutely-brilliant/410003/122 "2007-07-01T19:20:44Z")
[QUOTE=Rick] If you haven’t seen today’s [Opus](http://www.uclick.com/client/wpc/wpopu/) you should take a moment and read it. 😃 I want DTT on my phone! [/QUOTE] Just wait a week. DTT2 will be out. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2007, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-iphone-is-absolutely-brilliant/410003/123 "2007-07-01T19:31:13Z")
[QUOTE=Rick] If you haven’t seen today’s [Opus](http://www.uclick.com/client/wpc/wpopu/) you should take a moment and read it. 😃 I want DTT on my phone! [/QUOTE] I _am_ Opus. Long time fans will remember Opus on the phone ordering dozens of Ronco vegimashers or whatever. What didn’t seem to be an issue. You should see my collection. Maybe not. 😉 Is Bill the Cat still around" He’s my other personality. Phhht! I’m using all my willpower to avoid the local Apple store. I’ve got plastic, so it ain’t easy. Or the online store. “As low as $15/month”. Shit! 'Scuze me, I gotta go drop a few 'ludes. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![DustyButt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc348/32.png) [@DustyButt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DustyButt)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2007, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-iphone-is-absolutely-brilliant/410003/124 "2007-07-01T19:37:57Z")
[QUOTE=Tuckerfan] I dunno, but if you go to gizwiz.biz and poke around, they did a profile of company that makes a clear protective cover for the display that’s made out of the same material they use to protect military helicopter blades. [/QUOTE] The material to protect military helocopter blades? Please. So you think helicopter blades are protected by a special clear coating. :rolleyes: Is there anything else fanboys would like to make up about the iPhone? Please tell me something that the iPhone can do that I haven’t been doing for the past 2 years on my PPC6700. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2007, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-iphone-is-absolutely-brilliant/410003/125 "2007-07-01T19:44:58Z")
DB, don’t buy an iPhone, okay. There ya go! Another problem solved. I’m so wise. ---
**Author:** ![DustyButt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc348/32.png) [@DustyButt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DustyButt)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2007, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-iphone-is-absolutely-brilliant/410003/126 "2007-07-01T19:53:34Z")
Don’t worry mangeorge, I’m not. But the sad thing is this… I really want to justify getting one! But I can’t … I just don’t see why all of this hype is surrounding this product. I think it’s beautiful and I’m sure the interface is good looking. But, it’s not the best thing out there. There are those who are treating it like it’s going to change to world but it’s actually a crippled (albeit more attractive looking) version of what I already have. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2007, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-iphone-is-absolutely-brilliant/410003/127 "2007-07-01T20:17:04Z")
[QUOTE=DustyButt] The material to protect military helocopter blades? Please. So you think helicopter blades are protected by a special clear coating. :rolleyes: [/quote] [So you’re calling the US Navy a liar?](http://www.aci.org/Helicopter%20Propeler%20Coating.htm) > [@](#): > > Recognizing the importance of these issues, the US Navy has issued several requests for proposals for research (SBIR’s) to develop new and tougher coatings for leading edges of such blades, that will provide enhanced erosion and corrosion resistance, together with improved adhesion to the composite substrates and thus longer coating life. Each succeeding RFP has sought improvement over previously available materials to meet the continually escalating requirements imposed by new aircraft designs and diversifying locales of concern. > [@](#): > > Is there anything else fanboys would like to make up about the iPhone? BTW, the product I’m speaking of is [an _aftermarket item with versions available for nearly **any** electronic device._](http://www.shieldzone.com/) If you’re going to be a hater, at least get your facts straight. ---
**Author:** ![DustyButt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc348/32.png) [@DustyButt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DustyButt)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2007, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-iphone-is-absolutely-brilliant/410003/128 "2007-07-02T01:05:50Z")
[QUOTE=Tuckerfan] [So you’re calling the US Navy a liar?](http://www.aci.org/Helicopter%20Propeler%20Coating.htm)BTW, the product I’m speaking of is [an _aftermarket item with versions available for nearly **any** electronic device._](http://www.shieldzone.com/) If you’re going to be a hater, at least get your facts straight. [/QUOTE] Hate to break it to you but the **request** for a material doesn’t make it so. The Navy can make a request for flying pigs… it doesn’t make 'em real. The protective layer on a leading edge of a helicopter blade in most cases is a nickel-titanium blade cap about a 1/4 inch thick… The main body of the blade itself is usually heat sealed composite kevlar-polymer bands. It would be nice if the Navy could paint the blades to increase their life with a erosion resistant sealant and I’m sure some smart people are researching it. So, before you start declaring that helicopter blades are “protected” by a sheen of polymer and that that same magic polymer is used in an iPhone, put down the Kool-aid. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2007, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-iphone-is-absolutely-brilliant/410003/129 "2007-07-02T01:13:32Z")
[QUOTE=DustyButt] Hate to break it to you but the **request** for a material doesn’t make it so. The Navy can make a request for flying pigs… it doesn’t make 'em real. The protective layer on a leading edge of a helicopter blade in most cases is a nickel-titanium blade cap about a 1/4 inch thick… The main body of the blade itself is usually heat sealed composite kevlar-polymer bands. It would be nice if the Navy could paint the blades to increase their life with a erosion resistant sealant and I’m sure some smart people are researching it. So, before you start declaring that helicopter blades are “protected” by a sheen of polymer and that that same magic polymer is used in an iPhone, put down the Kool-aid. [/QUOTE] The only Kool-Aid drinker here is _you_. If you’d bothered to read my links (or hell, even most of what I’d posted) you’d know that the military **already** has a coating for the blades and that the covering I’m talking about is **A THIRD PARTY AFTERMARKET PRODUCT THAT IS _NOT_ ON THE IPHONE WHEN YOU BUY IT!!!** Got that? Or do I need to increase the font size? ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2007, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-iphone-is-absolutely-brilliant/410003/130 "2007-07-02T01:28:18Z")
I vote we ignore **DustyButt** , who is no longer posting in the spirit of the MPSIMS or of this otherwise delightful thread. :rolleyes: Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2007, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-iphone-is-absolutely-brilliant/410003/131 "2007-07-02T03:18:17Z")
:: looks up from iPhone :: I’m sorry, was someone saying something about helicopter blades? _crickets_ weird. :: goes back to pinching a google map for the umpteenth time _giggle_giggle_giggle_ :: ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2007, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-iphone-is-absolutely-brilliant/410003/132 "2007-07-02T03:36:12Z")
[QUOTE=cmyk] :: looks up from iPhone :: I’m sorry, was someone saying something about helicopter blades? _crickets_ weird. [/quote] [Stewie Griffin] You suck! [/SG] 😛 > [@](#): > > :: goes back to pinching a google map for the umpteenth time _giggle_giggle_giggle_ :: Isn’t that _amazing?_ Shit works better on the phone than it does my PC. ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2007, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-iphone-is-absolutely-brilliant/410003/133 "2007-07-02T05:33:08Z")
[QUOTE=Rick] If you haven’t seen today’s [Opus](http://www.uclick.com/client/wpc/wpopu/) you should take a moment and read it. 😃 I want DTT on my phone! [/QUOTE] WTF? Berke is writing comics again? When the hell did this happen? How long has it been going on? AND WHY DIDN’T ANYONE INFORM ME, DAMMIT?? I thought he retired after Outland. Great. Now I’ve got to find all of the back issues and, if available, books. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2007, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-iphone-is-absolutely-brilliant/410003/134 "2007-07-02T12:35:27Z")
I think Opus appears every Sunday on [Salon.com](http://Salon.com). ---
**Author:** ![Atrael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Atrael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atrael)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2007, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-iphone-is-absolutely-brilliant/410003/135 "2007-07-02T17:28:14Z")
I think ya’ll are totally missing the point. Sure there is some fanboy buzz that will cause anyone that uses a mac to lust after this thing just because Apple made it. What impresses me at first glance is how **easy** it is to use all the features. Sure my Razr can do a lot of this stuff…but you know what? It’s a pain in the ass to work. Surfing the web on this thing sucks ass. Same with the Nokia 3650 I used to have…nice phone but getting all the apps to work and configure them was a pain. I think what Apple is trying to do is to make those features easier to use…so more people use them…so there are more features developed for people to use. The US is way behind on the technology we use in our day to day lives…mostly because it’s not worth the effort for a lot of people to get it working. Tivo is a good example. Before Tivo you **could** configure a computer to capture and record a TV signal…Tivo just made it easy for **most people** that didn’t have technical knowlege to do the same thing. For those power users that utilize all the advanced features of your smart phone, you’re used to having to set one up with all the requirements to make it do what you want. But I’m guessing that you’ve been using advanced features on several phones…so you’re used to setting all that up. But for your average person that just uses a phone to call people most of the time, going to something like a blackberry or trio can be daunting. Hence the appeal of the iPhone. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2007, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-iphone-is-absolutely-brilliant/410003/136 "2007-07-02T18:02:18Z")
Actually, some of have already made those points, but you did state it very well. For those of who want what iPhone gives us, it’s right there. And easy to get to. Plus, it’s way cool. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2007, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-iphone-is-absolutely-brilliant/410003/137 "2007-07-02T18:09:12Z")
[QUOTE=mangeorge] Actually, some of have already made those points, but you did state it very well. For those of who want what iPhone gives us, it’s right there. And easy to get to. Plus, it’s way cool. 🙂 [/QUOTE] [Just make sure you _keep_ it cool.](http://applephoneshow.com/index.php/archives/416) > [@](#): > > I checked the specs for the phone and Apple suggests that it can’t be stored in temperatures that exceed 113 degrees. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2007, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-iphone-is-absolutely-brilliant/410003/138 "2007-07-03T04:09:33Z")
[Apple sold an estimated 500K to 700K of them over the weekend.](http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,134106-c,iphone/article.html) > [@](#): > > It will be a while before the official numbers come in, but some Wall Street analysts say that Apple might have sold as many as 700,000 iPhones over the device’s opening weekend. > > That figure comes from Goldman Sachs analyst David Bailey, who had projected 350,000 units sold prior to Friday’s launch. > > Other analysts also projected robust sales for the weekend. Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster put sales at about 500,000 units, more than double the 200,000 he forecast before the iPhone went on sale. ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2007, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-iphone-is-absolutely-brilliant/410003/139 "2007-07-03T06:24:05Z")
[QUOTE=Captain\_C] Whatever happened to cell phones that could: dial out receive calls store 10 phone numbers have voicemail Package those four and only those four features into a phone and I’d buy it. Doesn’t need more stuff to muck it up with. Although I do like the looks of the thing. I’m with **ArizonaTeach** on this one. I’d be neat if it wasn’t also a phone. [/QUOTE] At great risk of this thread dogpiling on me, and I hate to single your post out in this thread, but it was succinct. After two months of commercials, and news stories, you probably could have assumed that we were talking about something more recent than the era of the car phone. I hate it when we get into discussions about cell phones and people complain about the features that cell phones have that consumers demand. Just don’t buy the latest geegaw. You’re also not obligated to use all the features you have on the phone you have. (disclaimer: I can’t bring myself to spend 500 dollars on a phone unless it includes way more than a phone can offer. I could buy lots of 5-dollar handjobs with half a grand.) ---
**Author:** ![Merkwurdigliebe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/74df32/32.png) [@Merkwurdigliebe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merkwurdigliebe)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2007, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-iphone-is-absolutely-brilliant/410003/140 "2007-07-03T14:35:18Z")
I dunno, the whole lot of people who argue that, “Well mine does all the same functions” just don’t get it. It’s like the whole Atari 7200 vs. Nintendo debate that I remember. Yes, sure they are equal in power, but it’s the software that counts. The Nokia and Treo versions simply can’t compete with Apple’s expertise in UI design and Industrial design. People say, “Ooh, well I can surf the web on my X too!” Of course you can, but in an incredibly unintuitive way. Apple is about making things that simply work, and don’t hassle you. I say it’s sour grapes for the people who say that all they need a phone to do is X, Y, Z. People say that about cars too, but that doesn’t stop people from enjoying a BMW or Mercedes. And if you’ve ridden in one before you can see yes, it does the same things as a 92 Ford Taurus, but it does it in a much more elegant way. Here’s an example of how BMW engineers their cars. You know the springloaded handle on the inside of the car just above the door? On normal cars if you let go, it snaps back shut. On a BMW, there is some kind of damper system that allows it to gently go back to it’s original position slowly. Now who ever thought that was a problem? Nobody, but it adds to the overall fit and finish and perceived quality. The same goes for the iPhone and most Apple products in general [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-iphone-is-absolutely-brilliant/410003.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-iphone-is-absolutely-brilliant/410003.md?page=8)